It definitely wasn’t pretty for Patriots fans this weekend. In Mac Jones’s full return to the team, the Patriots edged out the Jets in a 22-7 victory on Sunday. Though it definitely didn’t feel like it was a game that New England won. It was more of a game that New York lost.
Don’t get me wrong, a win is a win. The Patriots’ season stays alive at 4-4, and they’re just outside the playoff picture. Even if the team remains last in the AFC East standings. It was a must-win game for all intents and purposes and the Pats got it. But the conversation immediately following has been pretty pessimistic.
The fact that the Jets were a roughing the passer call away from running away with this game definitely doesn’t paint this contest in a satisfying light for New England. Nor Zach Wilson seeing the same ghosts Sam Darnold did tossing three interceptions on the day. But let’s not pretend there’s absolutely nothing good to take away from Sunday.
For one, Mac Jones looks completely healthy and recovered from his high ankle sprain. Sure, he was far from the decisive, cerebral passer he was in his rookie campaign. He threw one interception that wasn’t entirely his fault, and the aforementioned pick-six that was taken back from a really fortunate John Franklin-Meyers roughing call. But he had some nice throws and was money on third down for a good chunk of the first half.
Is there still a lot of room to go before we’re in an ideal spot with McCorkle? Absolutely. But this was his first full start since week three. And he’s coming back at a great time in the schedule. After beating the Jets, the Patriots will have one more game against the Colts before going into the bye. When they come out of it? They’ll face the Jets again before the post-thanksgiving gauntlet.
It’s extremely important that the Patriots shake the rust off of their quarterback before Thanksgiving, and these are the opponents to do it against. They can’t afford to hand teams like the Vikings, Bills, Raiders, and Cardinals a turnover or two a game. With the Colts and Jets? It’s been shown that you might just be able to get away with it.
Rhamondre Stevenson makes life a whole lot easier for this Patriots offense. His do-all ability has kept them out of serious trouble through the Bailey Zappe games and this week against the Jets. Alongside Jakobi Meyers and Devante Parker? This Patriots offense has the makings of something solid. They just need to mesh together, and it all starts with the development of Mac Jones.
On the other side of the ball, the Patriots showed a ton of promise. Sure, Zach Wilson made it relatively easy being careless with the ball and oblivious to pass rush. But you can’t help but be impressed by the play of New England’s run defense. With the return of Lawrence Guy, and in spite of the absence of Christian Barmore, the Pats held the Jets to just 51 yards on 15 carries. Forcing the Jets to alter their game plan and force Wilson to throw the ball. Which he did to both his own receivers and the New England secondary.
It’s truly a sigh of relief that the Patriots can still beat up the Jets. Sure, a 22-17 final isn’t exactly a beatdown. But this game was 22-10 at one point and if the Patriots weren’t overly protective late? This could’ve been a mess. But instead of trying their luck running up the score, they calmed down and looked to end the game as quickly as possible. Not for the lack of trying to score, though. They had one drive in the second half where they attempted to throw but went three and out and gave the Jets an opportunity.
Overall, sure there isn’t a whole lot to write home about. It looks very much the same as it did the first three weeks of the season. But when the Patriots needed a win? They came through. New England put their head down and powered through the Jets and kept their season alive. We’ve seen this story too many times to count out the Patriots. Slow starts, questionable decisions, but more often than not? It works out better than the pessimists believe at times like these.
I have faith that Bill Belichick has a plan in place. As hard as it might be to believe, I think Mac Jones will get better as the season goes on. The offensive line will find their groove and keep their quarterback clean. This defense will be fantastic when all of their key pieces return to the lineup. I’m optimistic about the Patriots’ future. And you should be too.
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