Jets vs. Patriots Week 3 grades: Passing marks all around, and one A!
Will McDonald, who had two sacks, giving him five for the season, does the Jermaine Johnson signature hammer slam celebration after one of hsi takedowns in Jets' win over the Patriots on Thursday night. Credit: Jim McIsaac
OFFENSE: B
So this is what having a quarterback feels like? Aaron Rodgers completed 27 of 35 passes for 281 yards and two TDs in the Jets' 24-3 win over the New England Patriots on Thursday night. Rodgers also ran for 18 yards on three carries (yes, you read that last part correctly). More impressive than the raw numbers were that he hit eight different teammates with at least two passes and handed it off to three different runners. Even the Jets themselves though admitted there were a few places they can improve such as the still-developing connection with Garrett Wilson and a missed chance for a late touchdown pass to Mike Williams.
DEFENSE: A
The domination was impressive. The Jets recorded seven sacks, two of them by Will McDonald in his first game as the team’s leading edge rusher thanks to a series of injuries and holdouts. McDonald now has five sacks this season after just three as a rookie. They also allowed just 139 total yards and just one meaningful New England possession that went beyond six plays (the Patriots used eight in their drive for their lone field goal and then rattled off 16 on a drive that ended the game). Starting in place of C.J. Mosley (toe) at inside linebacker, Jamien Sherwood had five tackles. Most touching was that after each big play and stop, the Jets players celebrated with the overhead hammer slam that has become the calling card for Jermaine Johnson, their linebacker who was lost for the season in Week 2 with a torn Achilles.
SPECIAL TEAMS: C
Greg Zuerlein could have salvaged a disjointed drive late in the second quarter with a 45-yard field goal but he pulled it wide left and the Jets didn’t get any points from their kicking game. The Jets only punted once in the first half and Thomas Morstead’s effort should have been downed inside the 5 but the coverage instead allowed it to bound into the end zone for a touchback. Xavier Gipson’s punt returning remains solid; he had one long one for 21 yards and then was able to sneak a few extra yards ducking up the sideline on another. Every little bit helps!
COACHING: B+
The Jets’ second touchdown came when Robert Saleh challenged the spot on Breece Hall’s run that was originally spotted inside the 1, so give the coach a scoring play. He was also on top of that play clock Rodgers loves to let run down, twice jumping in to call timeouts and save the team from delay penalties. The Jets definitely showed some creativity in their offensive plays, including some funky motions with Jeremy Ruckert into the backfield as a fullback and even deploying defensive lineman Solomon Thomas as a blocker on short-yardage plays. The big blemish: Eight penalties for 106 yards, which handed the Patriots almost as many yards as they gained on their own.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
