The New York Jets lost last night to The New England Patriots with a final score of 13-10. This was a winnable game for the Jets, but they were doomed by Geno Smith’s three 4th quarter interceptions. In contrast, Mark Sanchez threw only three 4th quarter interceptions in 2012.
Smith was turnover free for the first 49 minutes of the game, and then imploded in the final 11 minutes. This will be seen as growing pains for a rookie making his second career start, but going into the game I stressed that if the Jets had a chance to win, they must win the turnover battle. On a night when Tom Brady had a historically bad performance (19-39 with a 48.7% completion rate), the Patriots were able to eek out a win, improving to 2-0. That is the difference between the Patriots and the rest of the division dating back to the 2000’s. The Patriots did not play well, only amassing 9 first downs, while having more punts (11) than first downs.
The Jets dug themselves a hole going down 10-0 early. They had blown coverage that saw Aaron Dobson haul in a 39-yard touchdown pass. Stephen Hill had a devastating fumble after hauling in a 33-yard reception. The Jets also had 6 dropped passes (partially due to the weather) with Clyde Gates having three and Hill, Bilal Powel and Ryan Spadola having one a piece. The Jets held an 8-minute possession advantage despite turning the ball over 4 times. They also out gained the Patriots 318-232 and had Brady visibly upset on the sidelines.
The Jets could have made a statement with this game, but in the end they imploded. They gave a hard fought effort down to the final whistle, but Smith just could not take advantage of the opportunity provided for him. If Mark Sanchez was at the helm, who knows how that 4th quarter shapes up, and maybe the Jets are the team that improves to 2-0 and not the Patriots. Another note to keep an eye on is the benching of 1st round pick Dee Milliner. He was beaten in the season opener to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Mike Williams on a touchdown, and also admitted to making some mental mistakes against the Patriots. This forced Kyle Wilson and Darrin Walls to split Milliner’s role. He is still a rookie, but you have to wonder if he will ever be close to the player that Darrelle Revis was. Rex Ryan cannot be happy about this.
Justin Lerner: PureSportsNY