Rich Cimini
Rich Cimini
ESPN Staff Writer
- Rich Cimini is a staff writer who covers the New York Jets and the NFL at ESPN. Rich has covered the Jets for over 30 years, joining ESPN in 2010. Rich also hosts the Flight Deck podcast. He previously was a beat writer for the New York Daily News and is a graduate of Syracuse University. You can follow him via Twitter @RichCimini.
Mike Reiss
Mike Reiss
ESPN Staff Writer
- Mike Reiss is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the New England Patriots. Reiss has covered the Patriots since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2009. In 2019, he was named Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. You can follow Reiss on Twitter at @MikeReiss.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Jets rolled to their second victory of the season on Thursday night against the New England Patriots, 24-3. Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers impressed in his return to MetLife Stadium, throwing two touchdowns in the first half and prompting the crowd to chant his name.
Here are the most important things to know from Thursday night for both teams:
Simply put, it was vintage Rodgers, whose second Jets home opener was a lot more joyous than the first.
This time, Rodgers dazzled the MetLife Stadium crowd with uncanny accuracy and an array of off-platform throws, passing for 281 yards and two touchdowns in the Jets’ second straight win.
By the end of the third quarter, the sellout crowd was chanting Rodgers’ name. Now think back to last season’s opener on Sept. 11. The stadium fell eerily silent when, on the fourth snap of the season, Rodgers ruptured his left Achilles and was helped off the field.
On Thursday night, Rodgers (27-for-35) resembled a point guard, distributing the ball to everyone around him. He completed passes to eight different receivers. Significantly, the 40-year-old quarterback moved well in and outside of the pocket, much better than he did in the first two games. That he did this on a short week — only three days’ rest — bodes well for the rest of the season.
The Jets began the season with Super Bowl aspirations. When Rodgers plays like this, all things seem possible in the Jets’ universe.
Describe the game in two words: Utter domination. The Jets controlled the ball for 40:04 and outgained the Patriots 400-139.
Promising trend: The Jets’ pass rush, sans Jermaine Johnson (season-ending Achilles injury) and Haason Reddick (holdout), was frisky. Led by defensive end Will McDonald IV (2.5 sacks), who now has 5.5 for the season, the Jets smothered quarterback Jacoby Brissett. They finished with seven sacks, bringing the season total to 14.
Does this mean the defense has returned to its top-five status? No. Some perspective: It faced two poor offenses in the Patriots and Tennessee Titans the past two weeks.
Buy Allen Lazard’s and Tyler Conklin’s performances: A year ago, Lazard was such a nonfactor that he got benched after signing a four-year, $44 million contract. He looks revived with Rodgers as his quarterback, giving the offense another weapon on the perimeter.
The former Green Bay Packers teammates connected in the first quarter on a 10-yard touchdown, Lazard’s third of the season. He finished with three catches for 48 yards. Conklin, a nonfactor in the first two games, erupted for five receptions for 93 yards. In games where Garrett Wilson is quiet, Conklin and Lazard can be good secondary options in the passing attack.
Biggest hole in the game plan: Maybe we’re nitpicking, but Rodgers and Wilson still seem to be working out some chemistry issues. They were on different pages on a couple of routes.
Wilson did score a touchdown on a 2-yard pass — a laser by Rodgers — but it was an otherwise quiet night for the star receiver, who was covered by cornerback Christian Gonzalez. Rodgers avoided that matchup, as he targeted Wilson nine times. Wilson is off to a slow start in his third season, drawing more attention from opponents.
Next game: vs. Denver Broncos (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Sept. 29)
All the good vibes the Patriots had generated in two competitive games to open the season evaporated in a New York minute on Thursday night. The score didn’t reflect how one-sided it was.
While Rodgers made it look easy for the Jets, it was a tractor pull for quarterback Jacoby Brissett and the Patriots, whose four first downs in the first half were the fewest the franchise has had in a half since 2000. The Patriots had 40 yards of offense in the first half, as they were outgained by 212 yards in the first 30 minutes.
Brissett was sacked five times and never seemed comfortable in the pocket. The Patriots started rookie Caedan Wallace at left tackle because Vederian Lowe was out with an ankle injury, and his growing pains were evident on one drive in the second half in which he was called for back-to-back holding penalties. It looked like a free-for-all at times.
Describe the game in two words: Thoroughly overmatched. From the opening kickoff, the result never felt like it was in doubt.
Biggest hole in the game plan: Blocking and tackling. It sounds simple, but head coach Jerod Mayo said that Thursday games usually come down to which team plays with better fundamentals. That had been an area of strength through the first two games, but there were too many free rushers allowed on offense, and too many missed tackles and bad angles on defense.
QB breakdown: Brissett was often running for his life because of the shaky protection. If there was one throw he’d want back, it was in the first quarter when he had tight end Austin Hooper down the field along the left sideline and misfired.
Rookie QB Drake Maye made his NFL regular-season debut with 4:24 left in the fourth quarter, down 24-3. He went 4-8 for 22 yards and was sacked twice.
Troubling trend: This is the second week in a row that the Patriots’ defense hasn’t been able to come up with decisive answers against the pass. Rodgers’ knack for getting the ball out quickly and delivering accurately made it difficult to generate pressure for a front seven playing without linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley (torn pectoral muscle).
And the coverage in the secondary, which had every starter available, wasn’t to its usual standard. Mayo had pinpointed the importance of keeping quarterbacks in the pocket after Week 2, and the Patriots had the same problems against Rodgers.
Next game: at San Francisco 49ers (4:05 p.m. ET, Sunday, Sept. 29)