A deer in the headlights stare from New York Jets rookie quarterback Luke Falk told the entire story of the team’s Week 3 visit to Foxborough to take on the New England Patriots. In the aftermath of the Antonio Brown fiasco, it was back to business as usual for the reigning Super Bowl champions as they feasted on the vulnerable Jets in a 30-14 shellacking.
Here are five takeaways from the Patriots’ performance.
Receiver depth tested
Patriots receiver Julian Edelman left the game in the second quarter with a chest injury, and Josh Gordon took a few plays off as well to get his fingers taped after apparently suffering a hand injury. Brady was essentially down to the two rookies, Jakobi Meyers and Gunner Olszewski, and veteran Phillip Dorsett as his main group of receivers.
Gordon did return to the game eventually, but there is still no official word on the severity of the injury to Edelman, who was ruled out for the rest of the game. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, however, there was “cautious optimism” after the game.
With Patriots rookie N’Keal Harry currently on injured reserve, there is a bit of concern surrounding the depth of the current unit. Gordon hasn’t played in 16 games since his rookie year, and although Edelman is viewed as the unbreakable man, he is also a 33-year-old receiver that may not be able to consistently take the same kind of punishment he typically absorbs.
Moving on from Antonio Brown was a no-brainer for the Patriots, but if Jets wideout Demaryius Thomas gets healthy enough to play, that’s a recent trade coach Bill Belichick might wish he had back.
Defense building towards juggernaut status
The Patriots offense and special teams has given up more points than the defense in the first three games of the season. They were on complete lockdown mode and held the Jets to no points and only 105 yards of total offense. The only scores from the Jets came off a pick-six thrown by rookie quarterback Jarrett Stidham and a muffed punt by return man/receiver Gunner Olszewski scooped up by the Jets’ special teams unit for a touchdown.
Outside of those two blunders, the Patriots defense has only allowed three points this season.
There have already been comparisons to the Patriots’ earlier Super Bowl defenses, but even those units couldn’t match up across the board on paper like the one that was on the field on Sunday. This might be the greatest defense Belichick has ever coached in his tenure with the Patriots.
Granted, they were facing a rookie quarterback with the Jets, but it isn’t like this is the first we’re seeing of the defensive dominance. They showed glimpses of being special throughout the playoffs last season, including Super Bowl LIII, when they held the Los Angeles Rams’ high-flying offense to only three points. If this is the new norm for the Patriots, good luck stopping them this season.
Not a good start for Stidham
Rookie quarterback Jarrett Stidham had an opportunity to come into the game late and take some reps from Brady in garbage time. After completing a couple passes, he made the ultimate no-no mistake by throwing a pick-six to Jets Pro Bowl safety Jamal Adams. Belichick has never been one to mix patience with costly turnovers.
So Brady was sent back onto the field and the rookie was benched the rest of the day.
There is obviously going to be growing pains for any young player, and Stidham should have another chance if the Patriots continuously steamroll opponents. He did show great decision-making abilities in the pocket during the preseason. However, this was his first real test in a regular season game against a legitimate first-team defense, and he threw a pass that he’ll spend the rest of the season wishing he could have back.
Should the Patriots be concerned with the run game?
Patriots lead running back Sony Michel did manage to punch a goal line run into the end zone, but he hasn’t taken off like most expected he would coming off a spectacular rookie season. Rex Burkhead actually led the team in carries in Sunday’s game against the Jets with James White officially being listed as out due to the birth of his child.
Michel, who was so instrumental in the Patriots’ Super Bowl run last season, only mustered nine carries for 11 yards and one touchdown. In the season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he had 15 carries for 14 yards and no touchdowns. Perhaps it has something to do with all of the changes on the offensive front in light of so many injuries.
It’s definitely something to monitor as the season goes on. The ability to establish balance on offense was the secret ingredient to the winning sauce in 2018. It’s going to be a long season of Patriots fans holding their breath if a 42-year-old Brady has to drop back and throw the football 40-plus times every game.
Gostkowski finds his confidence
Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski had a rough start to Sunday’s game a week after missing three field goals, including two PATs. He whiffed on the first PAT of the game against the Jets.
Then came the resounding dread that something was indeed amiss with the 35-year-old placekicker.
Yet, he managed to shake off the initial miss and rebounded by drilling his next four attempts through the uprights. Patriots fans in attendance made sure to cheer him on after each made kick. There was also the support of his teammates and coaching staff sticking with him through a rough couple weeks.
It hasn’t been the easiest transition with Gostkowski kicking with a new holder after Ryan Allen was cut in training camp after six seasons with the team. So it could take time for punter Jake Bailey and Gostkowski to formulate a similar connection.
