EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The Patriots waited five long weeks for Mac Jones to play a full game.
On Sunday, that wait ended with Jones untying and dumping a mixed bag of quarterback play over four quarters at MetLife Stadium. He tossed one interception and had another negated by penalty. But ultimately, Jones completed 68.6% of his throws and led six scoring drives, signs of a competent passer.
Simultaneously, the Patriots defense waited out Zach Wilson, a quarterback touted for his athleticism, arm talent and ability to extend plays. Basically, the anti-Jones. And as Jones labored to sharpen his accuracy and decision-making, Wilson rewarded the Pats’ lack of faith.
Because instead of sinking their season, Wilson lifted them back to .500 and proved that even when the Jets enter at 5-2, they’re still the same old Jets.
Wilson’s three interceptions fueled a 22-17 Patriots win, their 13th straight in once hate-filled rivalry that’s taken a turn toward dormancy. The Pats took control with a 13-point third quarter started by Jones’ 5-yard touchdown pass to Jakobi Meyers on fourth-and-1. Meyers’ score pulled the Pats ahead into their first lead, and ensuing field goals from kicker Nick Folk, who went 5-for-5, soon lifted them into a lead they never relinquished.
Jones finished 24-of-35 for 194 yards, one touchdown and a pick. He also took six sacks, a result of leaky pass protection and Jones taking too long to offload certain throws. The Patriots started a backup center and rotated players at left guard and right tackle while Jones worked to knock off the proverbial rust.
But his sins were nothing compared to Wilson’s. Wilson threw his first interception during a 2-minute drill at the end of the first half, another while lazily attempting a third-quarter throwaway, and sailed his final interception into the eager arms of Pats captain Devin McCourty in the fourth quarter. McCourty grabbed Wilson’s second and third picks, then watched as he threw a final touchdown with 1:56 remaining that led to a lost onside kick.
The Patriots (4-4) now head into their final game before a Week 10 bye. Offensively, running back Rhamondre Stevenson led all players with 71 rushing yards. Stevenson added seven catches for 72 yards, while Meyers topped everyone with a dozen receptions.
Defensively, the Pats’ pass rush hounded Wilson all day, though only outside linebacker Josh Uche and defensive tackle Lawrence Guy registered sacks.
Both teams opened by going three-and-out and following those drives with a made first- goal. The Jets broke the 3-3 tie early in the second quarter, as Zach Wilson hit Garrett Wilson on consecutive passes for 33 yards and Pats safety Jabrill Peppers (team-high 8 tackles) extended a long run with a late hit. Three snaps later, Zach Wilson rifled a back-shoulder touchdown pass to backup tight end Tyler Conklin in front of the left pylon to
The Patriots appeared primed to answer until Jones’ arm was hit at midfield on a long pass intended for Kendrick Bourne. Instead of finding Bourne deep down the left seam, the ball fluttered high in the air and dropped into the waiting arms of Jets defensive back Michael Carter II. Lucky for Jones, the Pats defense forced an immediate three-and-out, but all his offense could do was turn the ball over again.
Facing fourth-and-1 at the Jets’ 24-yard line with two minute left, Jones drifted left from a shotgun alignment and overthrew a hopeless pass intended for Jakobi Meyers. But again, the Patriots defense saved him, this time pressuring Zach Wilson into an interception over the middle. Wilson gifted the pass to linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley, who hadn’t grabbed a pick since his rookie season of 2018.
And were it not for another Jets gift, the Pats may have lost the game two plays later.
After a 15-yard dump-off to Stevenson, Jones bounced inside a well-built pocket at the Jets’ 25 with a half-minute to go. He turned left and whipped a short pass left for Meyers, who broke right at the exact moment the ball left his hand and got cracked from behind a second later by Jets defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers. The crowd went bananas.
Not because Franklin-Myers had been whistled for a roughing the passer penalty, but Jones’ pass initially looked like another interception for Carter II. And not just any interception, but an 84-yard pick-six. Instead, the late hit nullified the play, the Pats called three straight runs and drained the clock for a half-ending field goal before
They trotted into the locker room with a 10-6 deficit, before emerging as the smarter and more sound team most expected them to be. Folk hit from 49, 45 and 52 yards in the second half to put Gang Green away.
Here were the best and worst Patriot performances from Sunday:
Best
K Nick Folk The longtime veteran went 5-for-5 for the second time this season.
RB Rhamondre Stevenson Running behind a hurt and ineffective offensive line, Stevenson created most of his yards on his own and served as a reliable pass-catcher out of the backfield.
Worst
Pass protection Miserable. All game. Six sacks said it all.
OL Cole Strange Two holding penalties led to a benching in the second half for Isaiah Wynn, who played right tackle and left guard.
LB DaMarcus Mitchell The rookie special teamer recovered a punt outside the Jets’ 5-yard line but rolled toward the end zone and then let his momentum over the goal line, causing a touchback.
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