The long losing streak is over. For the first time since 2015, the New York Jets have defeated the New England Patriots after their snowy 17-3 win in Week 18. The Jets finish the regular season 7-10, the same record as the 2022 season. It wasn’t pretty at times, but the Jets got the job done and go into the offseason on a winning note. Their draft position may have taken a hit, but the team will take the win any day. Here are some quick notes on the final game of the 2023 season.
Final score: Jets 17, Patriots 3
Game notes
- Not just the first win over the Patriots since 2015, but the first win on the road against the Patriots since the 2010 playoffs.
- As expected, there was very little offense in this one. The over/under even dipped to 29.5, the lowest for an NFL game in 30 years. And even with that, the under hit (20).
- Very little offense unless your name is Breece Hall. What a performance from Hall. 37 carries for 178 yards and a 50-yard touchdown. Hall entered the game with 816 rushing yards, so to even come close to 1,000 yards is quite impressive. Hall ends up six yards shy at 994.
- Hall was the first Jets rusher since Matt Forte in 2016 to have 30 carries in a game.
- The Jets had 254 total yards of offense. Hall accounted for 190 of those yards. That’s 75 percent of the Jets’ offensive output Sunday. Not too shabby.
- Bryce Huff reached double-digit sacks, finishing with 10.5 for the season after recording two against the Patriots. He made his case to be paid big and has already stated he is not giving the Jets a hometown discount. New York better pony up or they’re losing a big piece of their defense.
- That defense sacked Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe seven times. Quinnen Williams joined Huff in getting a pair of sacks while Will McDonald, Jermaine Johnson and Jalyn Holmes each got one of their own.
- The Jets also picked off Zappe twice, one each from Ashtyn Davis and Tony Adams. Davis is another free agent the Jets need to prioritize this offseason. Between his special-teams play and ability on defense, he’s a nice depth piece to have.
- The Jets finish with the same record as last season at 7-10. They’ll enter an offseason that will once again be filled with major expectations with the return of Aaron Rodgers but major changes up front and on offense are needed.
- For those hoping for a Rodgers reunion in 2024, we have bad news for you. With Minnesota losing to Detroit, the Packers are assured of finishing in second place in the NFC North, the division where the Jets’ 17th game will come from in 2024. New York will visit either Minnesota or Chicago depending on the result of Bears-Packers in the late window.
It was over when...
…Breece Hall scampered for a 50-yard touchdown after Tony Adam’s interception late in the fourth quarter. The Jets went up 17-3 at that point to seal the victory and finally end the losing streak.
3 stars of the game
3rd star: DT Quinnen Williams – Two sacks and a snow angel from the two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle. Williams finishes with 5.5 sacks and was once again a major force up front for the Jets, worth every penny he was paid last offseason.
2nd star: DE Bryce Huff – Two sacks on the day as Huff finishes his contract year with 10.5 sacks. He is going to get paid. The question is: By whom?
1st star: RB Breece Hall – Who else could it be? 178 rushing yards on 37 carries as Hall goes over 1,500 scrimmage yards for the season. 2,000 next season is very doable.
Play of the game
WHAT A GAME BY @BREECEH!!#NYJvsNE on FOX pic.twitter.com/T0c7SOMsyH
— New York Jets (@nyjets) January 7, 2024
Breece Hall scampering 50 yards to put an exclamation point on this game and send the Jets into the offseason with a win and ending the misery in Foxborough.
What's next?
The Jets enter an offseason that should involve major retooling of the offensive line and the wide receiver position. Aaron Rodgers will be back but the Jets will still have plenty of work to do after another 7-10 season.
