Patriots Fall To The Red Hot Jets

There is nothing like a bit of reverse psychology to spice up midweek preparations for a game with connotations as huge as this one. During the week, Rex Ryan went as far as to call Bill Belichick “the best coach ever” and went on to say that one of his goals coming into the game was to be the best coach on the night. He succeeded.

The Jets looked to be on the ropes early on with scampering runs from Danny Woodhead carving the linebackers up, but just as the Patriots seemed like they would get a touchdown, a dropped ball from Alge Crumpler meant that the Patriots had to settle for 3 points.

This was to be the story of the night for New England. Offensively, they could never keep up with the pace of the Jets. They were always a step behind. New York was far more clinical and did not fail to answer a New England scoring drive. The Jets also began to convert turnovers into points and in the end it proved to be too much for New England.

> Find New England Patriots jerseys & hats online through Pro Football Fans for all your team gear!

The Jets defence played really well and showed lots of different looks to Brady. He was sacked 5 times and was constantly under pressure from a blitzing Jets defence that forced interceptions. They have a really good thing going in that respect, something that they can carry into their next game. Their aggressive style of defence that is able to get excellent pressure on the quarterback allows the tight coverage of Revis and Cromartie (who has been excellent all year) to capitalise on the mistakes that a quarterback can make when under pressure.

This game shocked me immensely though, as the Patriots were my pick to get to the Super Bowl. I just could not see a team beating them after that upset in Cleveland midway through the regular season. After that game, they looked sharp on both sides of the ball. Brady didn’t seem to be able to throw an interception even if he tried! But in this game, it was both New York’s offence and defence that helped to win the game, allowing them to advance to the AFC Championship Game where they face the Steelers who they have already beaten this season.

Final Score: NE 21 - NY 28

By: Tom Greenhalgh
ProFootball-fans.com Staff Writer