The Patriots scored 15 points and that was all it took to make it 15 in a row against the Jets at Metlife Stadium on Sunday.
New England got just enough from its offense and dominated on defense to beat the Jets 15-10 on a rainy Sunday afternoon.
The win is the 15th consecutive victory for the Patriots over the Jets, a streak the Jets were hoping to end.
Jets coach Robert Saleh has to be wondering what life would be like had Aaron Rodgers not suffered a season-ending injury four plays into the season.
Zach Wilson looked terrible outside of one scoring drive in the fourth quarter.
Nick Bawden’s touchdown with 5:24 left in the game pulled the Jets to within three points at 13-10 but Patriots edge rusher Matthew Judon beat Mekhi Becton, who started at left tackle, to sack Wilson for a safety that made it 15-10 and gave the Patriots the ball back.
After looking lifeless all game, the Jets offense came alive in the fourth quarter with a 13-play, 87-yard drive that ended with fullback Bawden plunging into the end zone from the 1-yard line that cut the New England lead to 13-10.
Wilson found a rhythm on the series and the Jets had success throwing the ball on first down.
He hit Tyler Conklin for an 18-yard gain on third down early in the drive to keep it going.
Wilson connected with Allen Lazard for a 21-yard gain a few plays later. A 12-yard pass to Randall Cobb put the Jets on the 4-yard line.
The Patriots gave the Jets some help when defensive back Myles Bryant pushed Cobb in the back of the end zone and was flagged for pass interference on a third-down incompletion.
A play later, Bawden scored to give the Jets life.
After the touchdown, the Jets defense did what it had all day and forced the Patriots off the field.
Outside of one busted coverage that resulted in a touchdown, the Jets kept forcing the Patriots off the field.
The Jets got the ball back on their own 10-yard line with 2:44 left in the game and three timeouts. After two incompletions, it appeared Wilson had run for the first down on a scramble, but the play was nullified by a holding penalty on rookie guard Joe Tippmann, who was making his first career start.
The penalty set up third-and-15 from the 5-yard line. Wilson dropped back into his own end zone to pass and Judon used a spin move to beat Becton and sacked Wilson in the end zone for a safety and a 15-10 Patriots lead.
The Jets got the ball back one more time at their own 45 but could do nothing in four plays and turned it over on downs. Wilson inexplicably threw a 2-yard pass to Conklin on fourth-and-10, essentially ending the game.
The Jets’ offense looked like it could not get out of its own way for most of the day. The Jets managed just 39 total yards in the first half, their fewest since 2013.
They had just three first downs and went 1-for-8 in a putrid half of offense.
The Patriots outgained the Jets 216-39 in the half but the Jets went into halftime only down 10-3 thanks to the efforts of the Jets defense, which forced the Patriots to attempt three field goals in the half and they only made one.
The Jets defense had one bad play that resulted in a touchdown. Early in the second quarter, Mac Jones hit tight end Pharoah Brown for a 58-yard touchdown that gave the Patriots a 10-0 lead.
There was a clear bust on the coverage that left Brown wide open and he managed to outrun the defense for the touchdown.
Other than that one big play, the Patriots’ offense struggled to move the ball. Rookie kicker Chad Ryland made field goals of 48 yards in the first quarter and 51 in the third quarter.
The second one gave the Patriots a 13-3 lead, which felt insurmountable with the way the Jets offense was playing.
The Jets looked like they might have life just before halftime when they mounted a 10-play, 33-yard drive that featured eight runs.
It seemed like New England was softening against the Jets rushing attack but the drive stalled and Saleh elected to kick a field goal on fourth-and-2 from the Patriots 34. Greg Zuerlein made a 52-yard field goal.
The Jets unveiled a new offensive line for the game but that did not change much. With Duane Brown placed on injured reserve on Saturday, the team moved Mekhi Becton to left tackle and Alijah Vera-Tucker to right tackle.
Rookie Joe Tippmann took Vera-Tucker’s spot at right guard.
The revamped line was not terrible but Wilson found himself under pressure a decent amount and did a terrible job of getting rid of the ball. Wilson was sacked twice and both seemed like times he should have been able to get rid of the ball. On one of the sacks, Tyler Conklin was wide open but Wilson failed to see him.
The CBS cameras caught signs of frustration on the Jets sideline. At one point, running back Michael Carter appeared to be yelling at running backs coach Taylor Embree. Wide receiver Garrett Wilson also appeared to be voicing his frustration to offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett on another shot the TV cameras had of the Jets sideline.
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