The New England Patriots are finally out of the AFC East cellar after a hard fought win against the division rival New York Jets. This game saw good defense, dismal offenses and the only touchdown scored by the special teams. In the end, it was probably the worst football game I’ve seen all season.
OFFENSES INEPT
While Mac Jones was okay, Zach Wilson was awful. Going into this game, most people would be watching Mac’s performance to see if he should be benched for Bailey Zappe. Mac completed 23 of 27 passes for 246 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. Those aren’t bad numbers and improvement over earlier this season, but he’s still got a long way to go. Wilson, on the other hand, has looked solid most of the season. But completing 9 of 22 passes for only 79 yards is atrocious. Yes, both defenses played well, but many of the plays were the results of offensive ineptitude rather than defensive dominance. I love a great defensive struggle, but this was just a struggle to watch.
SPECIAL TEAMS TOUCHDOWN
The only touchdown in the game came with five seconds left on the clock. Marcus Jones returned a punt for a touchdown in the final seconds. There was a clear block in the back that should’ve been called, but I’m not expecting NFL officials to be good, because you will be sorely disappointed if you do. After a decent game on defense and special teams, the Jets blew it late. Even ignoring the blown call, it was a terrible special teams play that would’ve set the Patriots up in great field goal range. That still would’ve been interesting since Pats kicker Nick Folk was only one of three on the day.
AFC EAST STANDINGS
The Jets entered the game with the chance to take over first place in the division. Instead, they find themselves in the dungeon of the AFC East. The Patriots were able to climb out of last place for the first time this year. After watching this game, I’m still completely convinced that these two will remain the bottom feeders of this division this season. Miami and Buffalo are both better equipped for postseason success. After last week, all four AFC East teams sat in playoff spots, but now the Jets are on the outside looking in. The Patriots don’t look much better and I could easily see the Bengals and Chargers passing them and neither making the postseason. It’ll be interesting to see what happens Thursday when New England heads to Minnesota, but I’m expecting to see another loss on the record.
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