The New England Patriots played the New York Jets in a battle for sole leadership of the division. The Patriots were riding a two game losing streak and were looking to get a win on the road. The Jets came into the night on a two game winning streak and were connecting in every area of their game. This game was going to come down to who can make the big plays.
In the first quarter the Patriots took a early 6-0 lead after two Stephen Gostkowski field goals. The defense for the Patriots played much better in that quarter and showed that they wanted to play at their best. In the second quarter the Jets were able to force a safety on to score their first two points of the game. Soon there after the Jets were able to score a touchdown to take a 9-6 lead. The Patriots for the first time in the game seemed to be losing momentum and the game. But in the last seconds of the half Tom Brady was able to connect with a 18 yard touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski. The Patriots went into the half with a 13-9 lead and would get the ball back in the second half. Also, the Patriots suffered another injury to their safeties position in that of Devin McCourty who didn’t return.
The Patriots punted the ball away after, but the Jets Joe McKnight fumbled and the Patriots were able to recover the ball. This lead to a Patriots field goal after a touchdown was overruled. The Patriots now lead 16-9 and were in control of the game. With 4:47 remaining in the quarter Rob Gronkowski caught a 5 yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady. This marked the fifth time in Gronkowski's career that he had at least two touchdowns in a game. This gave the Patriots a 23-9 lead that they wanted to protect. The Jets made two costly errors and the Patriots were able to pounce on those opportunities. The score remained the same at the end of the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter the Jets were able to get a touchdown to bring the score to 23-16. After 13 plays consisting of 6:51 minutes the Patriots were able to get a 8 yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady to Deion Branch to extend their lead. This was the best drive that the Patriots were able to get going in the last few games. They kept the Jets defense off balance and were able to get the ball down the field and get their defense time to regroup. This game would eventually turn into the Patriots favor as the Patriots were able to get a interception that was ran in by Rob Ninkovich to give the Patriots a 37-16 lead and the game. This was the second interception for Ninkovich and he was able to get the Patriots a quick score to put the Jets in a huge hole. This group of Patriots were able to play their best defense of the season in the biggest game of the season. The Jets would turn the ball over on downs in the red zone to end their threat. The Patriots would win the game with a final score of 37-16.
The defensive star of the game was Andre Carter who was able to collect 4.5 sacks with seven quarterback hits. He really played his best game by far this season. Also, Rob Ninkovich had a great game with his two interceptions and both lead to scores for the Patriots. This defense played very well and proved that they can keep a team from scoring. The Patriots proved that they are still the best team in their division even with all of the defensive concern. The Patriots now have sole possession of first place of the AFC East standings.
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