This article is part of our NFL Observations series.
Sure it would have been embarrassing for the Pats to lose to the Jets, but until the Joe Flacco interception with five minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Jets played a good game. After that, they gave up a 3rd-and-20, and they ran no clock on their last drive. But even with Flacco, they looked like a credible NFL team for once.
- Cam Newton played well. He only ran for 16 yards on 10 carries, but he scored twice and scrambled out of trouble, turning would-be sacks into incompletions or positive plays. He was mostly accurate except for a miss on a wide open deep ball to Jakobi Meyers.
- Speaking of whom Meyers (14-12-169-0) was everywhere and caught everything. Had Newton hit him on the deep ball, we're talking about a 230-yard game too.
- The Patriots running. game wasn't dominant, but it worked. Damien Harris (14-71-0) and Rex Burkhead (12-56-1, 3-3-11) both played well, but James White (5-4-24) is the pass catcher and Newton the goal line back, so the upside is limited. Harris left late in the game with a chest injury after taking a big hit, too.
- Flacco played well aside from the late pick. He got 10.9 YPA, threw for three TDs, took only one sack and was largely poised and accurate. Unlike Newton, he didn't miss on the deep ball to Breshad Perriman.
- Perriman (7-5-101-2) looked like the guy the Jets were excited about when they signed him. He's one of the league's burners, but also big and physical. Denzel Mims (8-4-62) made a couple plays, and Jamison Crowder (2-2-26) was either still compromised or the player the Patriots decided to stop.
- A Jets game wouldn't be complete without the obligatory Frank Gore suck-up fest, and naturally it occurred, though I caught only part of it on the 40-minute condensed version. My loss, no doubt.
- Remember the Chris Herndon hype this preseason?
