The New England Patriots got back on track in Week 8, as they rode a 16-7 second-half run to earn a 22-17 victory over the rival New York Jets. It marks New England's 13th straight victory vs. New York, and moves the Patriots back up to .500 at 4-4, while the Jets fell to 5-3. With this victory, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick now has 325 wins as a head coach, which ranks second-most in NFL history (including postseason).
Mac Jones needed a big outing to quiet some of the Bailey Zappe noise, but he didn't exactly get that. He completed 24 of 35 passes for 194 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He should have thrown multiple interceptions, but one pick-six was negated due to a roughing the passer penalty. Rhamondre Stevenson was the star of the show on offense, as he recorded 143 yards from scrimmage. Nick Folk was probably the MVP of this win, however, as he converted on all five of his field goal attempts and his one extra point.
Without star rookie running back Breece Hall, Zach Wilson struggled. He completed 20 of 41 passes for 355 yards, two touchdowns and three bad interceptions. New York rushed for just 51 yards, and Wilson was unable to make up some of that offensive production through the air.
Let's take a look at what went down in New Jersey on Sunday afternoon.
Why the Patriots won
After a disappointing first half, the Patriots came out of the halftime break and punched the Jets in the mouth. Jones and Co. went 62 yards on six plays, and Jakobi Meyers punched in a 5-yard score on fourth-and-1 from New York's 5-yard line. Stevenson recorded a 35-yard rush on first down, rookie Tyquan Thornton caught a 13-yard pass on the next play and Meyers added another 9 yards on the third play of the drive. That statement possession signaled to everyone how the second half was going to go, and the Patriots were able to pull off the come-from-behind victory thanks to said second-half run.
Jones didn't have the kind of performance that solidified his status as QB1, but football is a team game. Stevenson had a gritty performance, the defense stepped up with three forced turnovers and then Folk saved the offense with 16 total points.
Why the Jets lost
The Jets did go out and trade for James Robinson after Hall went down with his season-ending injury, but it was understood the run game was not going to be as effective without the Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate. Additionally, many believed New York was going to have to throw more to keep up.
Wilson did throw for a career-high 355 yards and two touchdowns, but completed fewer than 50% of his passes and threw three ugly interceptions. You're not going to win too many games by turning the ball over three times.
The passing game was inconsistent to say the least. Wilson had a couple nice tosses, Garrett Wilson caught six passes for 115 yards and Tyler Conklin caught six passes for 79 yards and two touchdowns. But Wilson also struggled against pressure and made several questionable decisions. When Jets wide receiver Elijah Moore was asked after the game about his chemistry with Wilson, he responded saying, "I don't get the ball. I don't know," per SNY.
The Jets' recipe for success is running the ball effectively and playing sound defense. Wins aren't coming from the arm of Wilson just yet.
Turning point
It felt like the Patriots winning this game was a foregone conclusion in the fourth quarter, but Wilson gave us a last gasp with a 9-yard Conklin touchdown pass -- their second end-zone hookup of the game. With 1:51 left in the fourth, it then came down to the onside kick.
The Jets are the only team this season to recover an onside kick -- as it led to a victory over the Cleveland Browns in Week 2. This time, however, they were unable to recover the loose ball.
Play of the game
With the trade deadline just a couple days away, all 32 NFL teams will be looking for ways to upgrade their rosters. One team could be interested in 25-year-old Jets wide receiver Denzel Mims.
Mims caught two passes for 76 yards on Sunday, including this impressive 63-yard catch-and-run. Maybe this caught the eye of a general manager.
Mind-boggling interception
If you're throwing the ball away, make sure you throw the ball away.
Down nine points late in the third quarter, the Jets needed to get something going. The elusive Wilson rolled out to the right and looked downfield trying to find an open receiver. With the pressure closing in, he decided to throw the ball away -- but failed in doing so. Instead, Wilson threw it to veteran defensive back Devin McCourty.
This was a bad mistake.
What's next
The Jets host the rival Buffalo Bills next week, the odds-on favorite to win Super Bowl LVII. As for the Patriots, they return to Foxborough to host the Indianapolis Colts.