Jets' grades vs. Patriots: Defense gets an 'A' in season finale
New York Jets linebacker Jermaine Johnson (11) and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams (95) sack New England Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe (4) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. Credit: AP/Steven Senne
OFFENSE: C
Breece Hall was certainly busy. The running back wound up with a career-high 37 carries (plus another two catches including a snazzy one-handed one in the fourth quarter) for 178 rushing and 190 all-purpose yards. That was a staggering 74.8% of the Jets’ total offensive tally (254). He capped his day with a 50-yard scoring run down the left sideline, the only offensive touchdown of the game, and added the two-point conversion run. Good thing he’ll have the next eight months to rest up. Besides him there wasn’t much of note. The Jets were 3-for-15 on third downs. Trevor Siemian completed 8 of 20 passes for 70 yards.
DEFENSE: A
Holding the Patriots to 119 net yards and no touchdowns was partly due to the weather and New England’s own offensive shortcomings, but the Jets did a good job of keeping them from ever getting any traction in this game. Quinnen Williams and Bryce Huff each had two sacks while Quincy Williams had a team-high eight tackles. After missing at least three opportunities for interceptions that were dropped, the Jets managed to come up with two on one late fourth-quarter drive. Ashtyn Davis fumbled on his pick return but two plays later Tony Adams sealed the win when he caught a deflected pass … and stayed down on the ground with it.
SPECIAL TEAMS: A
The Jets’ first points of the game were set up by a Thomas Morestead punt downed at the 3. Greg Zuerlein did a decent job battling the conditions on his first two field goals of 21 and 40 yards but as the snow got worse his 49-yard try late in the second quarter went off the left upright. He rebounded with a 32-yarder midway through the fourth.
COACHING: B
Ending the Curse of the Patriots, even in a meaningless game, counts for something. The Jets could have done better on their last drive of the second quarter; with first-and-10 on the 31 and a little less than two minutes left they seemed happy to settle for a long field goal rather than get closer for Zuerlein who eventually missed from 49. After some atrocious penalties throughout the season the Jets did a decent job of avoiding them (1 for 5 yards) although they were slapped with an illegal formation flag that was declined after a sack.
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.
