Patriots Pummel Jets in Historic Beatdown
The Jets had two weeks to prepare for Sunday's game against the Patriots.
That's two weeks to correct the mistakes that have plagued this team through the first five games of the season, coming up with some sort of plan to start fast and set the tone.
And yet, coming off a bye week in a rematch against an opponent the Jets have already faced this year, New York failed to make any adjustments. Gang Green was completely outclassed at Gillette Stadium, losing their 12th straight game to the Patriots in a 54-13 thrashing.
New York allowed more than 50 points in a game for the first time since September 3, 1995. The Jets haven't beaten the Patriots since December 27, 2015.
Not only were the Jets embarrassed, falling to 1-5 on the season, they also lost their starting quarterback to an injury. Rookie Zach Wilson was slow to get up after a late hit from linebacker Matthew Judon in the second quarter.
At first, Wilson was questionable to return with a right knee injury. But after limping to the locker room, replaced by backup quarterback Mike White, Wilson never returned. White was thrown into the fire, making his NFL debut.
READ: Jets' Zach Wilson Exits Game With Right Knee Injury
All season long, New York has been tormented by first-half nightmares. Sunday was no different.
After the Patriots quickly jumped in front with a touchdown on a trick play in the game's opening drive, the Jets had their first opportunity to prove they made progress during the bye week.
Instead, they went three-and-out. After two short runs, Wilson was sacked, forcing Gang Green to punt.
Kicker Matt Ammendola went on to miss a long field goal later in the first quarter, extending their first quarter scoreless streak to six games. In fact, New York has been outscored 44-0 in the first this season.
Those woes continued through halftime. Even after White threw a touchdown pass to Corey Davis late in the second quarter, shortly after he was summoned to relieve Wilson, the Jets were still down by 24 when they retreated to their locker room.
Opponents have now outscored the Jets 106-20 in the first half this season. It's hard to see New York's unwavering first-half struggles ever going away if this is how they looked against the Patriots, a club that was winless at home entering play on Sunday.
White showed some flashes early on, but eventually he threw two interceptions, finishing the day with 202 passing yards. New York better hope that Wilson doesn't need to miss an extended period of time, because the lack of a veteran quarterback on this roster was as glaring as ever in Foxborough.
Then again, it wouldn't have mattered on Sunday. This historic blowout was decided as early as the first quarter.
While the offense was unable to put points on the board, New York's defense put together a disappearing act of their own. The Patriots scored on nine of their first 10 drives. New England didn't punt until there were two minutes left in the third quarter. Rookie Mac Jones set a new career high with 307 passing yards.
Remember when the Jets racked up seven sacks against the Titans in their lone win of the season a few weeks ago? New York has been held to one sack in their last two games (including their loss to the Falcons in London).
The Jets' defense has also allowed 430-plus yards of offense in three straight games. New England had 551 yards of total offense on Sunday.
Sure, there were some positives. For instance, rookie Elijah Moore finally got involved, scoring his first touchdown in the NFL on a 19-yard run, scampering in for a score after taking a pitch in the backfield.
But this team was humiliated in every facet of the game on Sunday. With the trade deadline looming, expect quite a few moves to be made by general manager Joe Douglas. This organization has a long way to go.
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