The Jets dominated the Patriots on Thursday night in every aspect during a 24-3 victory at MetLife Stadium. The Jets now have a 2-1 record for the first time since 2015. Here are some thoughts and observations from the game:
1. The Jets needed a game like this. A week after proving they can win a dirty game on the road when they don't play perfectly, they showed they can dominate an inferior opponent at home. That's what good teams do. The Jets have now proven they are a good team. They're not a great team yet. A great team would have come out of the house and at least taken the 49ers all the way. But they are a good team.
The Jets are clearly in the second tier of NFL teams right now and that's a good place to be three weeks into the season. They don't need to be at their best in September. That will come in December and January if the Jets are who they think they are.
On a night when the Patriots looked awful, it's important to remember a lesson that can be learned from Patriots dynasty teams. They often had slow starts to the season. Bill Belichick felt like the first month was an extension of the preseason. How many times have people written off the Patriots early on only to see them reel off 10 straight wins en route to the Super Bowl?
It's now clear that the Jets lost the opener in San Francisco to a better team under tough circumstances. But the Jets have now beaten two lesser opponents in different ways. Thursday night's win was dominant by all accounts. The offense racked up 400 yards and had no turnovers. The defense allowed no touchdowns and sacked the Patriots' quarterbacks seven times.
This was a blowout and it's exactly what the Jets needed to show in this spot.
2. Here's the thing about Aaron Rodgers' night: I'd be hard-pressed to name one pass that I thought was the most impressive of the night. He didn't have any jaw-dropping, “Wow” throws in this game. Instead, he was just deadly accurate and set up his receivers for long runs after the catch. The longest pass play of the night was a 27-yard pass to Allen Lazard and most of those yards came after the catch.
The term “game manager” has taken on a negative connotation, but I mean it as a compliment to Rodgers. He has complete control of the game and puts the Jets in the right spot in virtually every situation. It’s amazing to watch a quarterback who doesn’t seem to panic or make bad throws. Rodgers’ only interception this season was on a tipped pass. It wasn’t a great throw, but it wasn’t one I’d call risky either.
Rodgers minimizes risk. That means you won't see him throw the ball 50 yards downfield too often, but you also won't see a meaningless pass into double coverage for an interception, something Jets fans have seen from their quarterbacks for years.
Rodgers' performance on Thursday was a thing of beauty to watch. He tore the Patriots apart and threw to eight different targets. This version of Rodgers isn't going to put up prolific numbers, but he'll be so efficient that it won't matter.
3. Last week in this space, I argued that Haason Reddick had gained leverage following Jermaine Johnson’s season-ending injury and that it was time for Joe Douglas to find a solution. I still think the Jets need Reddick long-term, but Will McDonald has quieted the short-term complaints. McDonald had two sacks on Thursday night after making three against the Titans last Sunday. McDonald is living up to his first-round draft pedigree and the Jets’ pass rush looks good without Reddick right now.
McDonald's emergence is a big deal for the Jets, who need someone to replace the production they got from Bryce Huff last year. McDonald looks like he can do it. I still think the Jets need Reddick if they want to win big games down the stretch. I'm thinking about a game at Arrowhead in January, when Patrick Mahomes might not be as easy to hit as Jacoby Brissett. The Jets need Reddick to counterbalance McDonald in games like that. But McDonald has calmed the panic about Reddick for now with his performances the past two weeks.
4. There was a lot to like about the Jets' offense on Thursday night, but one piece that still looks off is the timing between Rodgers and Garrett Wilson. They missed each other several times in the game where it seemed like they weren't on the same page. Rodgers either threw before Wilson came out of his break or Wilson made a move and Rodgers held on to the ball. Rodgers credited his first three opponents for their focus on getting the ball away from Wilson. The Patriots had top cornerback Christian Gonzalez after Wilson on Thursday night. Yes, it's true that defenses are determined to stop Wilson, but he's a No. 1 wide receiver and Rodgers is a four-time MVP. They should be able to counter what defenses are throwing at them and get more production out of Wilson, who had five catches for 33 yards and a touchdown on Thursday.
Revealing statistics
The Jets have 14 sacks this season after getting seven on Thursday night. It's the first time the Jets have had that many sacks in the first three weeks of the season since sacks became an official statistic in 1982. It's the first time since 1985 that the Jets have recorded at least three sacks in each of their first three games of a season.
Amazing snapshot count
Rookie defensive tackle Leonard Taylor played 24 snaps (46 percent). Clearly, the Jets wanted more punch in the middle of the defensive line against the run-heavy Patriots, but I was surprised to see Taylor, who was inactive the first two games, get more playing time than fellow defensive linemen Micheal Clemons, Jalyn Homes and Javon Kinlaw.
game ball
On Thursday, Rodgers fulfilled every Jets fan's dream. He completed 27 of 35 passes for 281 yards with two touchdowns and proved he can still move. He escaped the pocket several times and even had an 11-yard run.
