Patriots escape New York with first win of 2023 season over Jets

On the strength of a 58-yard touchdown from Mac Jones to tight end Pharaoh Brown and a dominating defensive performance, the New England Patriots grabbed their first win of the 2023 campaign by a 15-10 final over the New York Jets. The Pats are now 1-2 on the season.

Jones and the offense got off to a decent start, after the defense forced a three-and-out on Jets quarterback Zach Wilson to begin the game. Jones stood in the pocket and completed an 18-yard pass to tight end Mike Gesicki to convert an early third-and-6, but the quarterback couldn't quite connect with DeVante Parker on third-and-3 down the field and near the end zone. Rookie kicker Chad Ryland converted from 48 yards to get the Pats on the board at 3-0.

New England's next promising offensive drive stalled out after a holding call on left guard Cole Strange. Ryland missed the 48-yard attempt this time, after a high snap from Joe Cardona appeared to throw off the execution. The pressure continued from the Patriots defense, as a 12-yard sack by Christian Barmore and Anfernee Jennings resulted in a minus-12-yard drive and another Jets punt.

And that's when the Patriots made a big strike. Jones got enough defenders to freeze on his play-action fake to free up Brown, whom Jones found wide-open for the touch pass and 58-yard catch-and-run, making it 10-0.

New York finally found a way to move the ball a bit during a late-second-quarter possession. The Jets called eight consecutive run plays at one point, eventually grinding into field goal range for Greg Zuerlein, who drilled the 52-yard field goal to make it 10-3 Patriots. That would be the score at halftime, after a solid last-minute drive by Jones to get into field goal range ultimately came up short.

The Patriots came out fairly strong on their first drive of the third quarter, manufacturing 42 yards in nine plays, as Ryland made his second field goal try of the day from 51 yards. But after getting another defensive stop, the Pats had their first possession of the game that could be described as ugly. Three penalties - an illegal block by JuJu Smith-Schuster, and consecutive false starts by Trent Brown and Mike Onwenu - set them back, leading to an easy stop for the Jets.

Ultimately, the teams traded punts after the early field goal, as the third quarter ended with the Patriots still up 13-3. It took until halfway through the fourth quarter for the Jets offense to finally show some life, as they put together a 13-play, 84-yard touchdown drive, cutting the Patriots' lead to 13-10 with just 5:24 remaining in the game.

New York couldn't quite close the gap, as they blew a big opportunity after the stop. Zach Wilson took a safety, on a clutch play by Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon to spin inside and bring him down. Overall, the Patriots defense held the Jets to 171 total yards of offense. Zach Wilson posted a 61.2 passer rating on the afternoon.

The Judon sack & safety made it 15-10, and that would go down as the final score. Jets receiver Randall Cobb had a chance for a miracle play on the final Hail Mary play of the game, but couldn't make the catch.

Up Next: The Patriots have a stiff test in Week 4, as they head on the road to face the Dallas Cowboys and their high-powered roster on both sides of the ball. But after escaping New York with a win, they'll have a chance to get to .500 on the season.

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The New England Patriots are 1-2 on the season after a 15-10 win over the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Here are 10 players we graded "UP" or "DOWN" based on their performance in the game...

Mac played a lot better than the stats would suggest. He completed just 51.7 percent of his passes for 201 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions, an 85.6 passer rating. But he played enough winning football to keep the offense moving the ball fairly well on a rainy, sloppy afternoon.

Most importantly, Jones played his first turnover-free game of the season. He's been decisive with the football all season, and this game was more of the same from him. He continues to make what he can out of a rough situation for the Patriots' weapons and offensive line.

Blemishes on Jones' day: a pair of fourth-quarter drives that came up short, when Jones had a chance to ice the game himself. Instead, the Patriots needed some clutch defense down the stretch and barely stopped a Hail Mary. But all in all, a good, winning effort from the third-year QB.

Only one catch for five yards, and Smith-Schuster also committed a bad illegal blocking penalty that torpedoed an early-third-quarter drive. He later fell down on a key third down play late in the fourth quarter, which nearly spelled trouble for the Patriots as they clung to a three-point lead.

The Patriots offense could start humming if Smith-Schuster can put it together, but he's not there yet. And there should be urgency for him to do so, because he's probably going to keep getting the playing time.

Brown caught the entire Jets secondary napping on his 58-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown, easily the biggest play of the game. And Brown wasn't a one-hit wonder, either, adding another catch for 13 yards. If Jones and Brown can occasionally connect on good play-calls that leave him wide open, that's a plus.

Strange must still be playing a little banged-up, or simply isn't ready to execute cleanly throughout the game, because he had another shaky afternoon. He also couldn't play the whole game, as rookie Atonio Mafi came in for him. Before that, Strange committed a holding penalty that fizzled out a drive. Plenty of football left, but it's been a slow start to the season for Strange.

Judon came up with the most clutch play of the game, when he made a perfect spin move to bring down Zach Wilson in the end zone for a safety. The play not only got the Jets off the field but extended the lead over three, which forced the Jets to have to score a touchdown on their final possession.

The Patriots' biggest defensive star certainly delivered overall, with two sacks and three total QB hits. But the safety alone would have landed him among the "UPs."

Parker appeared to stop running on an early third down play, which stalled out the Patriots' first drive from a possible touchdown. He finished with just two catches for 19 yards. A lackluster game for No. 1.

It was a big day going into the game for the rookie kicker, as the weather slowed everything down and he would need to hit his kicks in the wetness. Ryland also had to overcome some bad operation in front of him (more on that below), but he was able to convert two of his attempts, including a 51-yarder in the third quarter. Solid game for the kid.

Rain or no rain, you can't have multiple high snaps in a game when your only job is to snap the football. Cardona was off the mark on two separate field goal misses, throwing off the whole kicking operation. Cardona is pretty much always an "UP" as long as he snaps cleanly, but this was one of his worst days.

Gonzalez was largely tasked with covering Jets star receiver Garrett Wilson, and the results don't lie. Wilson finished with five catches for 48 inconsequential yards, failing to make any explosive plays against Gonzalez in coverage.

We'll see exactly how good Gonzalez can be, but the Patriots have landed a legit player in the impressive rookie corner.

Gonna close it out on the ol' double-UP on what was largely a good day for the Patriots, especially the defense. Peppers made valuable contributions on both defense and special teams. He made a team-leading seven tackles and returned two punts for 25 yards. Peppers is off to a great start in year 2 here.

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Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Check out all of Matt's content here.

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