Sports

Patriots-Jets Recap: A Much-Needed Rebound

The New England Patriots looked like a much-improved team Sunday night against the New York Jets.

After last week's loss against the Giants, it was hard to believe the Patriots could beat any good team.

The defense played well for three quarters, but suffered a devastating collapse in the game's final minutes. The team's vaunted offense looked lost, as Tom Brady was uncharacteristically inaccurate and the running game made no headway.

What a difference a week makes.

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After some initial misfires, the Patriots regained their form of the first few weeks. Brady shrugged off some early errant passes (including a couple that could have turned into interceptions) and started to look elite once again.

The defense, despite being ravaged by injuries, showed some definite signs of improvement. This is surprising, given that the Jets had some clear matchup advantages (most notably, their receivers against the Pats corners). Andre Carter turned in a masterful performance with 4.5 sacks, easing some of the pressure on the patchwork secondary.

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As easy as it was to overreact after last week's loss, it is equally easy to overreact after the Jets win. This is still a seriously flawed team.

The offense needs to be less feast-or-famine. Brady's performance in the first half was off. The team could not establish a rushing attack. The Pats are still looking for a deep threat.

The defensive secondary is still a weakness. The Jets inexplicably went run-heavy, despite being down in the second half. It remains to be seen if they can perform against a quarterback less mistake-prone than Mark Sanchez.

We should focus on one game at a time, though. As a game, this one felt pretty good.


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