FOXBOROUGH, Mass. _ Todd Bowles rushed back from the hospital just in time to see his team get embarrassed once more.
After an overnight stay in a New Jersey hospital, Bowles joined the Jets in New England and coached against the Patriots from the sideline. But what he witnessed was more of the same ills that have plagued his team all season.
There was no pass rush, no running game, and certainly no decent quarterback play to speak of. And in the end, the Jets didn't give much of a fight in a 41-3 loss at Gillette Stadium on Christmas Eve.
The Jets did, however, escape being shut out for the first time since 2014 (vs. the San Diego Chargers) with a 29-yard field goal by Nick Folk with 6:16 remaining.
Meanwhile, the AFC East division champion Patriots improved to 13-2 and took a step closer toward clinching the No. 1 seed in the AFC and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Things went off the rails quickly for the Jets, as starter Bryce Petty opened the game 0-for-3 for zero yards, plus an interception on their second offensive drive that led to the Patriots first TD.
But the young quarterback's outing didn't last long.
Petty injured his left shoulder while trying to make a tackle after backup running back Khiry Robinson fumbled the football and it was recovered by Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler and returned to the Jets' 28 early in the second quarter. After being checked out on the sideline by team doctors he was escorted to the locker room and never returned.
Petty's injury paved the way for another Ryan Fitzpatrick sighting, but the quarterback change did little to swing the momentum in the Jets' favor. Instead, Fitzpatrick helped provide the Patriots with some more points.
One of his second-quarter passes to Brandon Marshall was intercepted by defensive back Eric Rowe later in the second quarter and resulted in a Patriots field goal that made it 20-0.
And from there, Tom Brady packed on the points.
The future Hall of Fame quarterback threw three first-half TDs en route to his 204th victory, the most of any other quarterback in NFL history.
And while the Jets were being blown out on the field, the injuries kept piling up on their sideline. Along with Petty, Leonard Williams (chest), Sheldon Richardson (undisclosed) and Brandon Marshall (left hip) all left the game at one point.
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