Patriots Extend Historic Winning Streak Against Jets on Walk-Off Punt Return
The Jets took the field against the Patriots on Sunday with a chance to jump ahead into first place in the AFC East.
They retreated to the locker room in New England as a last place team, suffering a gut-wrenching loss after their worst performance of the season.
On New York's 10th punt of the game, needing to make one final stop to send a 3-3 game to overtime with seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Patriots rookie Marcus Jones scampered 84 yards, a game-winning punt return to give the Patriots a 10-3 victory.
The clock expired on the subsequent kickoff, giving New England their 14th win in a row against the Jets. New York hasn't beaten the Patriots since December of 2015, the longest active losing streak by one team against another in the NFL.
New York's defense was unrelenting all afternoon, keeping the Jets in this game while their offense looked inept.
Three of the Jets' six sacks came before halftime, holding New England to just three points. Considering Zach Wilson and the Jets had just 101 total yards on offense in the first half, this game could've gotten ugly early if it wasn't for some key stops, making sure the Patriots didn't capture more momentum.
After a Nick Folk field goal gave the Patriots a lead in the second quarter, New York responded with their only point-scoring drive of the game, knotting the score with a 45-yard kick from Greg Zuerlein. Folk missed from 44 yards out on New England's next drive, keeping the score tied heading back to the locker room.
Needing to make an adjustment and bring a spark in the third quarter, Wilson looked awful the rest of the way. New York was out-gained 111 yards to one in the third quarter. They had two total yards on offense over the final two quarters, punting on each of their final seven drives.
Wilson finished Sunday's loss with nine completions and 77 yards through the air. Sure, he didn't turn the ball over—playing the "boring" football that his coaching staff has been asking for—but his performance was absolutely putrid. The second-year quarterback missed open throws, failed to spot open receivers downfield and as much as he smartly threw the ball away and took sacks, he failed to make the plays New York needed. The Jets had 59 rushing yards, converting three times on third down (out of 14 chances).
One tackle on Braden Mann's final punt in the fourth quarter would've given the Jets a chance to start fresh in overtime and figure out how to put points on the board. Instead, Jones' return—the first punt return for a touchdown in the NFL this season—handed New York their fourth loss of the year.
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