As we saw in our first half edition, the Jets dialed back their usual pressure on third downs and had success, especially in the second quarter, by flooding the short zones with defenders. Not once in the first half did they rush more than 4 on third down, which is a severe departure for a team that blitzed on 80% of third downs in the regular season.
Let’s see if they would continue with that tactic in the second half, or if anticipating the Patriots to adjust to a lack of blitzes, they went back to their heavy pressuring ways.
3Q, 13:13, 14-3 Jets, 3rd & 1 on Pats 46.
Pats: Power I right. Jets: 3 down lineman to defensive left side. Pats run to their left away from Jets down lineman, but Koppen totally whiffs on Devito and he blows the play up. Light almost could’ve saved the day but he misses Devito too. Put it this way, in a short yardage situation if your left tackle is on the ground on top of your center you’re probably not going very far. After a couple good plays to start the second half this stop was a killer and definitely a key moment that would be etched on the 2010 Pats tombstone.
3Q, 8:25, 14-3 Jets, 3rd & 22 on Pats 22.
This was the play after Brady got hammered by Calvin Pace for the SI cover (see below, I kept it small to avoid making anyone vomit). They mailed it in, underneath pass to Hernando for a couple yards. This is where things went from bad to worse. For like the fourth time in the game. So worse to worser?
Only thing worth noting is that the Jets did send 5 rushers here for the first time on 3rd down in the game. They wanted to drill Brady again if the Pats were going to attempt to actually pick up a first with a long pass. Aggressive defense at it’s finest.
3Q, 2:52, 14-3 Jets, 3rd & 9 on Jets 42.
Pats: Empty set, 5 receivers (incl Woodhead/Gronk). Jets: Only 1 down lineman, rest walking around to cause confusion. Rush 5, overloading strong side. Brady gets quick throw off to Branch who eludes Eric Smith’s tackle. Jets are now bringing more pressure and it seems almost like Brady is more conmfortable. One less guy in coverage seems to be opening things up. Pats fans got their first glimmer of hope after this conversion.
Pats scored a few plays later and converted the 2 pointer to close within 3 points. The sad part is that just as the offense found a groove the defense lost their groove. The Jets scored on their next possession to regain a 21-11 lead.
Quick note:
- Avg Jets scoring drive: 4 plays 45 yards.
- Avg. Pats scoring drive: 8 plays, 57 yards.
Telling stats there.
4Q, 11:28, 21-11 Jets, 3rd & 1 on Pats 27
Pats: Single back, Welker & Branch at opposite sides, Gronk at H-back. Jets: 3 down linemen, confusion getting set. Quick pass to Welker picks up the first. Ballsy play by Pats to go to the air on this short yardage 3rd down they needed to stay in the game. First time Welker has been targeted on 3rd down. Jets rushed 4 but Pats picked it up. Seems like the Pats are finally hitting their stride again.
4Q, 10:04, 21-11 Jets, 3rd & 6 on Pats 39
Pats: Empty set, Woodhead and Gronk split out. Jets rush 3. Finally Brady looks calm and collected with the Jets dropping 8. Branch beats Revis and Pats pick up another 1st. Unfortunately the Jets D is doing what the Pats D aspires to do… just giving up small chunks of yardage as the clock continues to run out.
4Q, 5:31, 21-11 Jets, 3rd & 13 on Jets 34
Pats: Trips right with Woodhead in the backfield, and Gronk in line on the offensive left. Jets: 3 down lineman, rest walking around to create confusion. Jets rush 4. Brady has plenty of time, can’t find open receiver.
4Q, 2:21, 21-11 Jets, 3rd & 10 on Jets 18
Pats: Empty set, Woodhead split wide. Jets: 2 down lineman, rush 3. Short pass complete to Welker, stopped well short of first down.
Final Thoughts
In the second half the Jets did mix in some additional pressure but for the most part kept with their 3 and 4 man rushes. The Pats half time adjustments included some expanded plays for Julian Edelman with misdirection and screens (great when the Jets were dropping into short zones), as well as some additional power runs for The Law Firm. Really the two key weapons for the Pats in this game were Gronk and Woody, and neither had flawless games.
While the Pats did make some noise in the second half it was too little too late, and they just didn’t make the clutch plays they needed to make. When it came down to a do or die situation the Jets made the plays.
While some may say it’s foolish to read to much into one game I found this exercise on both sides of the ball to be incredibly enlightening and I hope my readers feel the same way. Belichick vs. Ryan is football chess at it’s finest and it’s hard to really grasp what’s going on until you put the game under a microscope.
Like any football game it comes down to execution, especially early on so that you can set a tone. The Pats offense was executing early and late, but in the middle they looked out of sync especially at key moments.If Crumpler holds onto that TD and the Pats are up 7-0 it’s probably a different game.
But there is no question that the Jets were the better team on this day, though I still feel that even without a “deep threat” the Patriots clearly know what it takes to defeat this Jets game plan, and have the personnel to do it. It’s just a question of executing.