No Fly Zone: Patriots Grind Out Key Division Win

John Ahern

As most of us expected, yesterday's game between the Patriots and Jets would be a physical affair, and it was. It was close on the scoreboard as well, as the undefeated Pats remained just that after grinding out a 30-23 win in front of 66,829 rowdy fans at Gillette Stadium.

The visiting Jets were dominant on the defensive line for virtually three quarters, forcing Tom Brady into some hurried throws, and subsequent dropped passes in key moments, but in the end, specifically the fourth quarter, Brady borrowed a page from his own legacy. The legend to be was a mere 14-17 in the final frame with a pair of scores, one 8 yards to Danny Amendola  and a 15 yard strike to Rob Gronkowski on a rare but costly breakdown by the Jets defense which provided the winning margin. Gronkowski led way in receiving with 11 grabs for 108 yards and the one score, but the story here was TB12.

For the game, Brady was 34-54 for 355 yards and 2 TDs, but he stayed strong in the pocket during what seemed like constant pressure from a hungry New York defense that got to him 3 times and forced all kinds of pressure throughout.

The heady quarterback adjusted, as he always does, created space with his new found mobility, and was able to force the Jets defense to move laterally, and the secondary to respect him all the while creating space for the Pats' receivers. The rest, as they say, is history.

He also led the team in rushing with 15 yards on 4 carries.

The Jets, who will be a thorn in the side for New England when the next meet in New Jersey on December 27th, were not without some good individual performances. Signal caller Ryan Fitzpatrick, who is having his best season thus far, went 22-39 for 295 and 2 scores with no interceptions, while shaking off a shaky first drive resulting in him fumbling and turning the ball over. Eric Decker caught 6 passes for 94 yards and Brandon Marshall reeled in 4 for 97 yards.

​"I felt like we had them," said defensive lineman Willie Colon. "I felt like we were the better team out there, but obviously we were not...They beat us fair and square."

The beat goes on in New England.