Stats on Pats Weekly Article by Joshua Bonneau, southcoast247.com correspondent Photo by Bill Kostroun, courtesy of Associated Press
Pats Beat Jets: 31-21
The Patriots’ 31-21 win over the New York Jets Monday night seemed second stage to the fact that it was ABC’s network finale of their Monday Night Football telecast, ending a 35-year run which, coincidentally, began on Sept. 21, 1970 with a 31-21 Jets loss. But back in Foxboro that is neither here nor there. All that matters is that the Patriots got the expected “W” and are now one step closer to a number 3 seed as they gear up for the postseason.
Now what does this all mean? Well as it stands now, the Patriots are currently seeded fourth, but can move up one notch to a third seed spot, contingent upon a win over Miami, a Cincinnati loss and a Pittsburgh win or tie. As is, a fourth seed spot would usher in Jacksonville to Foxboro as a first round contender, but on the flip side a third seed would see Pittsburgh. Without question, the Patriots would rather face Jacksonville, but the catch to facing an easier first round team is the absolute guarantee that they would match up against Indianapolis should they advance into the second round. My advice, Pats fans, is to pay no mind to these conditionals, because in all probability it could go either way. Roosevelt Colvin summed up the truth yesterday on WEEI sports radio when he said “The best thing we can do for ourselves is take care of Miami and then move on to whatever is after that.” Sounds like a Belichick ventriloquist act to me, but smart thinking nonetheless.
Offense
True to form for Belichick, it was evident from the beginning that he was trying to shore up an area of weakness by establishing the running game early. Although Dillon had only 77 yards on 26 carries, he had two touchdowns and was instrumental in taking pressure off of Brady’s passing game. Completing a good majority of third and fourth down conversions, by the way, allowed the pats to eat up over 40 minutes of time on the clock through possession. Other notables include Brady passing the 4,000 career yard mark and throwing for two touchdowns, both surprisingly enough to the tight end Mike Vrabel.
Defense
Another strong showing for Richard Seymour and the rest of the Patriot defense, who forced turnovers and stifled the Jets anemic offense through much of the game. A serious downside, however, happened when linebacker Tedy Bruschi went down and had to be helped off the field with a left leg injury which remains undetermined. He walked out of the locker room on his own accord though, which is optimistic.
The Patriots’ 31-21 win over the New York Jets Monday night seemed second stage to the fact that it was ABC’s network finale of their Monday Night Football telecast, ending a 35-year run which, coincidentally, began on Sept. 21, 1970 with a 31-21 Jets loss. But back in Foxboro that is neither here nor there. All that matters is that the Patriots got the expected “W” and are now one step closer to a number 3 seed as they gear up for the postseason.
