The Jets lost a tough one in New England that is sure to leave their fans wanting.
Stephen Gostkowski kicked a 48-yard field goal on the opening possession of overtime, while Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez fumbled away the game on the following drive to seal the Patriots’ 29-26 win.
The Jets (3-4) fall into a tie for last in the AFC?East, while the Patriots are now in first at 4-3. And while the Jets carried themselves well in the loss, they had a chance to win in regulation. They rallied from a 23-13 deficit in the fourth quarter to tie it up on a 43-yard field goal
by Nick Folk with 2:06 remaining. Devin McCourty fumbled the ensuing kickoff and another 43-yard field goal gave the Jets an unlikely chance to win, 26-23.
Instead, the Jets fell into the prevent defense and allowed Tom Brady to drive down for the game-tying field goal.
Sanchez threw for 328 yards on 28-for-41 passing, but it was his late fumble that ended it.
What we learned …
1. Fast start
The game started off well for the Jets, with the defense forcing a Patriots punt. A modest Joe McKnight return gave the visitors a decent start on their own 24-yard line. What followed was a methodical drive, the likes of which have rarely been seen this season by the Jets. They went 11 plays and 76 yards, mixing in four passing plays from quarterback Mark Sanchez and seven rushing attempts. Keying the effort was two catches for 50 years from wide receiver Jeremy Kerley, while Shonn Greene capped off the drive when he went straight up the gut from 1-yard out for a 7-0 lead. Kerley’s hot start would continue throughout the game as he finished with seven catches for 120 yards including a big 17-yard reception in overtime to extend the drive.
2. More from Gang Greene
It wasn’t like last week for Greene, when he rushed for a career-high 161 yards and three touchdowns, but it was a solid performance nonetheless. Greene helped key an efficient offense that moved the ball relatively well against one of the AFC’s top rush defenses. He finished with 54 yards rushing and a touchdown on 16 carries. He also chipped in another 34 receiving yards. It was especially impressive with Bilal Powell,who could have spelled Greene with a quick breather, out with a shoulder injury. Unfortunately, after making a catch in the fourth quarter, Greene took a hit to his head and did not return until overtime. But it was another solid showing from the much maligned running back.
3. This is Sanchez
Sanchez has now pieced together back-to-back games where he has been solid to say the least. Before last Sunday’s 11-of-18 for 82 yards and two touchdown performance against the Colts, he had four straight games completing less than 50 percent of his passes. But again on Sunday in Foxboro, he was more than efficient in going 28-of-41 for 328 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He was masterful in orchestrating their 14-play, 92-yard drive in the fourth quarter, where he cut the lead to 23-20 with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Dustin Keller. He did have his flaws, such as his second quarter botched handoff that led to a safety, and his inexplicable interception in the same quarter where his deep pass was six yards short of a wide open Stephen Hill — not to mention fumbling on the game’s last play in overtime. But still, there were more positives than negatives from Sanchez. Right now, that’s all the Jets can expect.
Follow Jets beat writer Kristian Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer.
