| After feasting on the Jets' defense in a 49-19 Patriots' win Thursday night, New England quarterback Tom Brady enjoyed some Thanksgiving turkey. (US Presswire) |
It started rather benignly, with a scoreless first quarter, as the New York Jets hosted the New England Patriots on Thanksgiving night at MetLife Stadium. But things went off the rails for the Jets after that and the Patriots took the win, 49-19.
At the end of the first quarter, which was the first time the Patriots haven’t had a first quarter score all season and during which K Steve Gostkowski missed a 39-yard field goal (his sixth miss of the year), Patriots S Steve Gregory picked off a pass by QB Mark Sanchez intended for RB Bilal Powell. On the next drive, at the top of the second quarter, WR Wes Welker scored off a pass from QB Tom Brady.
At that point, it all fell apart for the Jets (4-7) and the Patriots (8-3) profited.
First, Gregory recovered a fumble by Jets RB Shonn Greene, which launched bizarrely in the air. On the next play, Patriots QB Tom Brady (18-28, 323 yards, 3 touchdowns) threw an 83-yard touchdown pass to RB Shane Vereen . On the ensuing Jets offensive drive, Sanchez, after a bad snap, inexplicably ran into the backside of RG Brandon Moore and fumbled. Sanchez, who was 26-36 for 301 yards with a touchdown and an interception, called running into Moore a “mental error” and bad luck. “I was thinking a different play in my head,” he said, adding that he was trying to get down but slid into Moore.
Once again, it was Gregory on the fumble recovery, and this time he took it in 23 yards for a touchdown.
That made for three Patriots touchdowns in 52 seconds.
“I’ve never seen it before personally,” Vereen said. “But that’s what happens when you play hard.”
Gregory said: “It was a good one for me today. Some of that stuff is just the ball popping out and being in the right place at the right time, so you know it was a team effort.”
Just when it looked like things couldn’t get worse for the Jets, RB Joe McKnight fumbled on the next kick return. Patriots RB Julian Edelman recovered and ran the ball in for yet another touchdown.
And, it wasn’t over yet, after a five-minute break, the Patriots were at it again with a 56-yard touchdown pass from Brady to Edelman. Five touchdowns in the second quarter -- which helped New England easily overcome the loss of TE Rob Gronkowski, who missed the game with a broken arm and will be out at least a month.
“That (second quarter) was a nightmare, to say the least,” coach Rex Ryan said. “Thirty-five points in a quarter? That’s almost impossible to do.”
The Jets finally got on the board at the end of the second quarter with a 23-yard field goal by Nick Folk. They got two more points on a safety in the third quarter, and a touchdown on the next offensive series on a 4-yard run by Powell.
Brady was never under much pressure -- he wasn't sacked the entire game -- and the Patriots defense sacked Sanchez twice.
Although the crowd was screaming for backup QB Tim Tebow, he remained on the sideline for the entire game. He didn’t even perform his usual role as personal protector on the punt team. After the game, he said that the rib injury that has been listed on the injury report is actually two cracked ribs suffered in the game against Seattle. Ryan didn’t want to put him in unless it was an absolute emergency.
The last time the Jets had a loss like this to the Patriots was December 6, 2010; the final score was 45-3. Small consolation for the Jets that this was a smaller deficit.
Where do the Jets go from here? Ryan said, “We’re about as wounded as you can possibly can be, but we’re not dead.”
For Patriots coach Bill Belichick, it was somewhat of a different experience -- this game marked his 200th win.
"It’s been a privilege and a great opportunity to coach the players that won those games," he said. "I never made a block, didn’t make a tackle, didn’t throw a pass, didn’t kick a ball, the players won them."
And against the Jets, it was a convincing win.
When the game turned: S Steve Gregory intercepting Jets QB Mark Sanchez in the middle of the first quarter. It ultimately sent the Patriots to their first score and they never looked back.
Highlight moments: The Patriots' four touchdowns within six minutes in the second quarter.
Top-shelf performances:
- Patriots S Steve Gregory -- 1 INT, 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 touchdown
- Patriots QB Tom Brady -- 18-28, 323 yards, 3 touchdowns
- Patriots RB Shane Vereen -- 2 receptions for 91 yards and 1 touchdowns, 10 rushes for 42 yards
What the Patriots said about the win:
- Bill Belichick: "The preparation we had this week was really outstanding by the players. They were very attentive in the meetings, in walk-throughs, films. The walk-through we had this morning was one of the best sessions we've had all year. They really put a lot into it, and I think it showed out there today."
- Tom Brady: "There's no other coach I'd ever want to play for than him; he's so consistent. As players we really appreciate him. He's tough and he's disciplined, but that's what we need. ... He has high expectations in practice every day, and I think that's what you look for in a coach -- someone who gets the best out of all the players that he coaches, and he certainly does that."
Numbers you should know: The Jets turned the ball over five times, the Patriots just once.
Injury update: Jets -- WR Clyde Gates left with a head injury. DL Muhammad Wilkerson left with a neck injury but returned. WR Chaz Schilens suffered a head injury at the end of the game. QB Tim Tebow didn’t play because of fractured ribs he suffered against the Seahawks and that may have been aggravated against the Rams. Patriots -- RB Julian Edelman left with a head injury.
Going forward: Jets -- The Jets (2-3 in the AFC East) have more than a week to prepare for their Week 13 game against the Cardinals (4-6), but any real playoff hopes they had are all but gone. The Patriots (4-0 in the AFC East) head to Miami (4-6) in Week 13 before returning home to host the Texans, who they may end up facing in the playoffs.
Stay dialed in on the New York Jets by following correspondent Lisa Zimmerman on Twitter @CBSJets and @LisaZimmerman.
Nick Underhill covers the Patriots for MassLive.com. Follow him on Twitter @CBSPats or @nick_underhill.