Rookie running back rushes for a career-high 133 rushing yards and a touchdown.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – During the first half, the cameras panned to Tom Brady on the sideline. Trainers were tending to the thumb on his right throwing hand. The next shot showed trainers working on Brady’s right knee, which was covered in a large bruise. Meanwhile, his left knee was in a brace.
After missing Friday’s practice with a knee injury/illness, the Patriots quarterback looked to be battling multiple injuries on Sunday as the Patriots were battling with the New York Jets inside MetLife Stadium.
This wasn’t the high-powered Patriots offense that anyone expected coming out of the bye week. That’s why the Patriots put the ball in the hands of their rookie running back, Sony Michel. The first-round pick rushed for a career-high 133 rushing yards and a touchdown to lead the Patriots to a 27-13 win over the Jets on Sunday.
The Patriots improve to 8-3, as all eyes will continue to be on the health of Brady, who finished 18-of-29 passing for 283 yards and two touchdowns. After missing three of the last four games, tight end Rob Gronkowski returned and added a touchdown along with three catches for 56 yards.
The Patriots weren’t able to accomplish their goal of starting fast on the road as the Jets took a 7-0 lead at 4:02 of the first quarter. There’s no sugarcoating it – the Patriots defense looked brutal on the Jets second series.
The group forgot to cover tight end Chris Herndon on a 19-yard pass play to start the drive. Next, Elandon Roberts missed a tackle on a 19-yard Isaiah Crowell catch and run. On third down, Deatrich Wise was flagged for roughing the passer to push the Jets into field goal range. Three plays later, Josh McCown hit Jermaine Kearse, who beat Jonathan Jones, for a 16-yard touchdown.
Brady was quick to respond and the Patriots tied the game, 7-7, on the ensuing series. The quarterback hit Josh Gordon (23 yards) and Chris Hogan (20 yards) to start the series. Then at 1:11 of the first quarter, on third-and-12, Brady hit Rob Gronkowski for a 34-yard touchdown. Gronk made a great grab in between two Jets defenders for his first touchdown since Week 1.
The defense settled down after that, but the Patriots offense wouldn’t see the end zone again until the end of the third quarter.
Both teams saw a copious amount of penalties over the next several drives as the pace stalled – the Patriots were called for a season-high 11 penalties on Sunday. Finally, at 2:27 of the second quarter, the Patriots took a 10-7 lead.
Brady was able to connect with Julian Edelman (11 yards) and Josh Gordon (13 yards) to move the chains. Michel also helped get the Pats in field goal range before stalling at the 16-yard line. Stephen Gostkowski capped the drive off with a 34-yard field goal.
Stephon Gilmore snatched his second interception with two minutes left in first half. Following a quick three-and-out, the Jets were able to tie the game, 10-10, with three seconds remaining before halftime thanks to a 55-yard Jason Myers field goal.
The Patriots slowly went down field to open the second half and took a 13-10 lead. Brady didn’t look right during this drive, as he didn’t complete a pass longer than 8 yards. The offense instead relied on Michel, who kicked off the series with a 31-yard gain. The rookie back, however, came off the field at 9:47 of the third with an apparent back injury. The Patriots stalled at the 9-yard line and Gostkowski hit a 32-yard field goal at 8:34.
The seesaw battle with the Jets continued. On the next drive, New York tied the game, 13-13, following a 38-yard field goal from Myers. The Jets converted 2-of-3 third downs to keep the chains moving in the drive.
At 1:52 of the third, the Patriots finally found the end zone. Brady looked fine on this drive as he completed a 27-yard pass to Hogan to kick things off. Next, White took a handoff 27 yards downfield to the 21-yard line. Two plays later, Brady hit Edelman for a 21-yard touchdown and the Patriots led, 20-13.
At 8:58 of the fourth, the Patriots finally pulled away from the Jets. Michel returned to the game after coming out with the back injury and took his first carry 33 yards down the field. He capped this drive with 1-yard touchdown run to extend the Patriots lead, 27-13.
The Jets made one last charge, but the Patriots secondary held strong. Gilmore deflected a pass in the end zone. Three plays later, on fourth-and-2 at the 4-yard line, Jason McCourty followed suit deflecting another McCown pass in the end zone.