The New England Patriots proved to be tough enough to beat Aaron Rodgers and the stumbling New York Jets.
Rhamondre Stevenson plunged into the end zone with 22 seconds left and the New England Patriots recovered after first-round draft pick Drake Maye left with a concussion early to beat Aaron Rodgers and the much-hyped New York Jets 25-22 on Sunday.
Starter-turned-backup Jacoby Brissett replaced the quarterback who replaced him and led the Patriots (2-6) on two fourth-quarter scoring drives to snap a six-game losing streak and send the Jets (2-6) to their fifth loss in a row.
Stevenson scored two touchdowns and also caught the 2-point conversion pass that made gave New England a three-point lead. Rodgers took over at his own 30 with no timeouts and missed one deep pass before connecting with Davante Adams for 16 yards, but far from the sideline.
As the final seconds ticked off the clock, the Patriots defense leapt for joy on the field. It was their first win at home in more than a year – since the seventh week of last season — a slump that led their own coach to call them “soft.”
Instead of being alone in the AFC East cellar, they are now tied for last with New York, which fell to 0-3 since firing coach Robert Saleh and replacing him with Jeff Ulbrich.
Brissett, who started the Patriots’ first five games, completed 15 of 24 passes for 132 yards; Maye was 3 of 6 for 23 yards and also ran for 46 yards on three carries – including an 18-yard scramble that ended with an unpenalized helmet-to-helmet hit from Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood.
Rodgers completed 17 of 28 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns, hitting Garrett Wilson five times for 113 yards. Breece Hall ran for 80 yards on 16 carries, and Braelon Allen scored on a 2-yard run to give the Jets the lead with three minutes remaining.
Greg Zuerlein missed two kicks — badly shanking an extra point and also pulling a 44-yard field goal attempt to the left after New England took a 17-16 lead. Star edge rusher Haason Reddick made his Jets debut without registering a tackle or assist while playing mostly in third-down situations.
A year after losing Rodgers to a season-ending knee injury four snaps into his first game with the team, the Jets came into the season with massive expectations. But they have won only one game — against the Patriots — since Sept. 19, when they beat one-win Tennessee for their only other victory.
Counting last year’s finale – Bill Belichick’s final game as New England coach – New York had beaten the Patriots twice in a row after losing to them the previous 15 times. But unlike in the Week 3 matchup that the Jets won 24-3 and allowed just 139 yards of offense, this time New England put up a fight.
Maye ran for a 17-yard TD in the first quarter, beating Jets linebacker Chazz Surratt to the corner to give the Patriots a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. The No. 3 overall draft pick scrambled for an 18-yard gain in the second quarter, but he took a head shot as he slid and went to the medical tent.
In came Brissett, who had not played since Maye replaced him in Week 6, and had not won since the opener. He set up Joey Slye’s 23-yard field goal that gave the Patriots a 17-16 lead.
Rodgers took the Jets down the field, connecting on a 22-yard pass to Wilson and a 17-yarder to Davante Adams to the New England 3 before Allen carried it in from there. The 2-point conversion failed, leaving the Jets up 22-17.
Brissett took over with 2:57 left, scrambled for 14 yards on a third and 9 and connected with Kayshon Boutte for 34 yards to the 9. Boutte caught a third-and-5 pass at the goal line, landing on his knees with the ball just short of the end zone.
On the next play, Stevenson barely broke the plane for the score.
Injuries
Jets: LB C.J. Mosley did not start and was announced with a neck injury early in the game.
Patriots: Maye left in the second quarter and entered the concussion protocol.
Up next
Jets: host the Texans on Thursday night.
Patriots: visit the Titans next week.
