WEEK TWO
Patriots
vs.
JETS
Old Football Curmudgen Versus Rookie Head Coach
Week One - The Patriots were moving in for the kill last week against Miami when they fumbled away the ball with less than five minutes left in the game. The Dolphins ran out the clock to win 17-16 at New England.
That was one of two lost fumbles for the Patriots. We know that's not happening again, at least not this upcoming Sunday.
Rookie Mac Jones was 29/39 for 281 yards and a touchdown. Four different receivers caught at least five passes, and he was sacked just once. Damien Harris rushed for 100 yards by himself, and the Patriot defense held the Dolphins under twenty points while allowing only 259 total yards.
This is what the Jets face in Week Two.
Not coincidentally, the Jets managed 252 total yards against Carolina, but only 45 yards came on the ground. Making matters worse, this week and moving forward, they'll be without standout offensive lineman Mekhi Becton. That obviously negatively affects both the passing and running game. The Jets yielded six sacks last week, but Zack Wilson stayed poised and threw two TD passes.
We all know Bill Belichick will take away what little rushing ability the Jets have, play cover-two, and force Zack Wilson into making mistakes between the numbers. The million-dollar question is, will Zack Wilson get baited into Belichick's traps. He played last week with a less than full complement of ball handlers. Some of those players should be available on Sunday.
Otherwise, Sam Darnold and Mac Jones performed very similarly last week. Carolina amassed 381 total yards against the Jets defense in just over 31:00 minutes in time of possession.
Then there's the coaching. This is Sensei versus Grasshopper, Bill Belichick against Robert Saleh, an old football curmudgeon opposed by a rookie coach.
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger ...
Hang in there, Jets fans.
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