Week 17 Live Blog: Patriots vs. Jets

Welcome to the final week of the 2018 NFL Regular season, where the Patriots will take on the Jets in what is always a heated game between two hated rivals. New England needs to win to gain a bye next week so they can avoid the Wild Card Round, a round New England typically never appears in. The last time they did, they got blown out by Baltimore (2009), so Belichick and Co. understand how important this game is. The Jets :come into this game banged up and not interested, but a couple plays go their way, and they could sense the momentum. That would be a recipe for disaster, exactly what New England is trying to avoid.

Here are the inactive players for today:

Patriots: OL James Ferentz, DE Adrian Clayborn, TE Jake Hollister, CB Duke Dawson, S Obi Melifonwu, DL Keionta Davis, WR Cordarelle Patterson

Jets: QB Davis Webb, WR Jermaine Kearse, CB Trumaine Johnson, DB Brandon Bryant, OT Eric Smith, DL Destiny Vaeao, DL Folorunso Fatukasi

Be sure to join us at kickoff to get real time updates, opinions, and potential moments of anger. Enjoy the game!

FIRST QUARTER

15:00- The Jets won the toss, deferred, and now they will kick off. Let’s see if the Patriots passing game can get it going early.

14:54- Michel runs for nine; 2nd & 1…

14:25- Michel for 3/4 of a yard; 3rd & short…

13:48- Three yard run by Michel; 1st & 10 from their own 36…

13:00- Edelman picks up 12 on the catch; 1st & 10…

12:30- Burkhead hemmed in, loses two on the run; 2nd & 12…

11:50- Six yard catch by Hogan; 3rd & 6…

11:22- White drops a perfect throw that should have been a 1st down. Ladies and gentleman, this is your 2018 New England Patriots. Self. Inflicted. Wounds. Here we go.

11:12- Incomplete pass to Herndon on 1st down; 2nd & 10…

11:06- Hightower with the tackle for a loss of one; 3rd & 11…

10:26- Three-and-out for the Jets; Van Noy drilled Darnold and forced a quick throw; 4th & 11…

9:41- Gain of five on first, gain of one on 2nd; 3rd & 3…

8:58- Brady hits Dorsett for a gain of eight; 1st & 10…

8:19- “Flash” throw to Hogan (screen) and he eludes the tackler for a gain of nine; finally getting Hogan involved. 2nd & 1…

7:29- Edelman is late on the jet motion and messes up the play; 3rd & 1…

7:00- Burkhead runs for two yards; 1st & 10…

6:21- Develin picks up two yards on the catch; 2nd & 8…

6:00- Gronk with a great catch for a gain of 10; 1st & 10…

5:30- TOUCHDOWN, PATRIOTS!! White makes the catch and runs it in from 17 yards out. The Patriots offense looked very good on that drive (except for Edelman’s brain cramp), and the main reason is Brady, the receivers, protection, and good timing. Brady can still get it done at a high level if his teammates do the same. Patriots 7, Jets 0

5:00- McGuire runs for 12; 1st & 10..

4:38- McGuire runs for no gain; 2nd & 10…

3:53- Darnold runs for 28, and the Patriots defense is now showing their Jekyll & Hyde tendencies. 1st & 10 from the Patriots 33…

3:17- Incomplete pass to Herndon on the overthrow; 2nd & 10…

3:05- Shelton with the tackle for no gain; 3rd & 10…

2:22- Horrible coverage, 1st down. It is hard to watch this team sometimes. They struggle on 3rd down, which is not something this Patriots team has done in the past. Run for one on 1st; 2nd & 9…

2:06- Incomplete pass to Herndon in the end zone; 3rd & 9…

:58- Gilmore knocks it away from Robby Anderson; great play. The Jets will attempt the field goal…

:54- Field goal is good, and Jets cut the Patriots lead to four. New England better get 3rd down figured out because they’ll be one-and-done if they can’t. Patriots 7, Jets 3

:52- Incomplete pass on 1st down; 2nd & 10…

:45- Brady throws a dime to Edelman for an 18-yard gain; 1st & 10…

:19- White with no gain on the catch; 2nd & 10…

SECOND QUARTER

15:00- Edelman picks up 20 on the catch; 1st & 10…

13:34- White runs for 21 yards on the jet-misdirection toss; they needed that. 1st & 10…

12:53- TOUCHDOWN, PATRIOTS!! Brady hits Burkhead from 25 yards out, a perfectly thrown ball. If this is a sign of what Brady is going to look like in the playoffs, the NFL should be very scared. Patriots 14, Jets 3

12:43- FUMBLE!! McCourty recovers it and returns it, with a ton of help, inside the 10. What a push by the defense on that return, that was simply awesome. 1st & Goal from the eight…

12:33- Holding on Trent Brown (that should be his middle name) and now the Patriots are facing 2nd & Goal from the 18…

12:05- Brady with his first bad miss of the day, and it cost them a score. 3rd & 10…

11:56- Brady was throwing it away on 3rd down, and the moronic Jets hit him late. 1st & Goal from nine…

11:12- Two plays, one a run for nothing, and an incomplete pass. This is gross right now. The playcalling has been horrible too, which has happened all year in the red area.

11:03- TOUCHDOWN, PATRIOTS!! They made it look harder than they had too, and they also needed a dumb penalty from the Jets, but they finally punched it in on the nine-yard pass to Chris Hogan. The Patriots now lead by 18 as they try to close out this up & down season with a much-needed win. Patriots 21, Jets 3

10:13- 1st down on the catch for the Jets; Darnold has clearly improved, and he will be a problem for New England for years to come. 1st & 10…

8:54- Van Noy does a great job setting the edge, forcing McGuire back into inside traffic and a loss of two; 3rd & 4…false start, Jets, which makes it 3rd & 9…

7:46- The Jets are driving again. Seriously, this defense is annoying. They are SOOOOOO inconsistent from one series to the next.

4:51- The Patriots looking for a big stop on 4th & 3…

4:28- After the stop on 1st down, Brady hits Hogan for a gain of eight…

3:50- Michel gets tripped up after a gain of 14…

3:02- Edelman gets hung out to dry, but he made the catch and got down immediately to avoid the big hit. 1st & 10 from the Patriots 44…

2:18- 11-yard run on the jet sweep to Dorsett, and the Patriots pick up another 1st down at the two-minute warning. 1st & 10, Patriots…

2:00- White picks eight on the run; 2nd & 2…

1:19- Pass knocked down; 3rd & 2…

1:07- Another playcall that I hated. Throw it there; it stops the clock, and the Jets were clearly playing run. It appears the Patriots will go for it on 4th down with :33 to go in the 1st half…

:25- Wow. Just….wow. The Patriots run right into the teeth of the defense with three wide and no fullback. When they saw the Jets alignment, they should have checked to a throw. McDaniels, who I know everyone seems to love, may be the most overrated offensive coordinator in football. The Patriots get the sack to end the half, but they clearly left points on the board. Don’t forget about the horrible series of playcalls before the bail-out penalty and touchdown to Hogan. That’s the half; I need a drink.

PATRIOTS 21, JETS 3

HALFTIME

THIRD QUARTER

15:00- Squib kick works out, and the Jets will start at their own 23.

14:50- McGuire runs for four; 2nd & 6…

13:54- SACK, PATRIOTS!! Trey Flowers, the Patriots best player on defense, makes the play on 3rd & 2, forcing the punt. The Patriots could force the Jets to their breaking point with another long drive and score on this series. Patriots 21, Jets 3

13:01- The refs just made an awful call, costing Gronk about 30 yards. Horrible, horrible call (OPI on Allen). After an incomplete pass, the Patriots are facing 2nd & 20.

12:35- Edelman didn’t run his route hard enough, and that cost them a huge play; 3rd & 20…

12:29- Hogan drops a sure 1st down; that was another infuriating series where the Patriots look like they are going to do something, but penalties and a lack of execution forced a punt. Brady must be so frustrated.

11:44- Van Noy ran with the guy, but that ball should have been caught; get your hands up! 2nd & 10…

11:35- McGuire runs for half a yard; 3rd & 10…

10:46- TOUCHDOWN, PATRIOTS!! Kyle Van Noy scoops up the fumble forced by Trey Flowers and takes it to the house! Flowers has been very good today, which isn’t a surprise. Patriots 28, Jets 3

10:35- Devin McCourty is still out; it appeared that he took a shot to the head, so clearly the Patriots need to finish this to allow McCourty to get healthy.

9:40- After picking up just one yard on 1st & 2nd down, the Jets face 3rd & 9…

8:58- 14 yard catch for the 1st down…

8:18- McGuire runs for six; 2nd & 4…

7:39- McGuire runs for 15 more; 1st & 10…

6:55- No pressure whatsoever, and the Jets pick up 15 more through the air; 1st & 10 from the Patriots 18…

6:06- The Patriots are tackling the ball instead of the legs, which isn’t going to work. Turnovers are forced by the second and third defender coming to help, but the first guy needs to make the actual tackle. 2nd & 4…

5:48- Incomplete pass, and Anderson got away with OPI…3rd & 4…

5:35- The Jets pick up just under four yards, forcing a 4th down attempt by New York; 4th & inches…

5:08- STUFFED!! Elandon Roberts makes the play in the Jets backfield, and the Patriots offense will take over at their own nine.

5:00- Michel runs for one; 2nd & 9…

4:25- Gronk makes the catch and runs for an 11-yard gain; Gronk has looked good when they’ve gone to him today. 1st & 10…

4:00- 14-yard run by Michel; 1st & 10…

2:44- Three yard run by Michel; 2nd & 7…

1:49- The short yardage issues continue as Michel is stuffed on 3rd & 1; the same problems just keep cropping up, which is not a good sign. For an offensive line that is this talented, they should be able to get a push for one simple yard. 4th & 1…

:37- Incomplete pass to Anderson, and now the Jets face 3rd & 6…

:17- Great throw by Darnold, and a great catch by Burnett (Trojan connection) gives the Jets a 1st down. The score is ugly, but Darnold is definitely showing signs of being very good. 1st & 10 for the Jets as we head to the 4th quarter. Patriots 28, Jets 3

FOURTH QUARTER

15:00- SACK!! Lawrence Guy makes the play! 2nd & 19…

14:02- Wise does a great job setting the edge, shedding, and making the tackle. 3rd & 17…

13:30- That was weak; the Jets RAN it on 3rd & 17, down 25, with a 4-11 record, and a lame-duck coach. Throw the ball!! That is why they are the Jets. Edelman field the punt, and the Patriots offense will take over.

12:23- Hogan picks up 11 & a 1st down…

11:56- Brady to Hogan for 20 more; 1st & 10…

10:59- Brady sacked for a loss of one; 3rd & 11…

10:07- Brady hits White for a gain of nine, and they’ll attempt a field goal…

9:40- FIELD GOAL, PATRIOTS! Gostkowski connects, and the Patriots extend their lead to 28. It is starting to look like the Patriots, as flawed as they are, will be the #2 seed in the AFC. Who knows, maybe KC & SD will both lose; it is not out of the realm of possibility, and the Pats would have homefield throughout. They may not be great, but they are good enough to win it all in this crazy season. Patriots 31, Jets 3

9:00- Darnold can’t hit his target on 3rd & 10, and the Jets will be forced to punt again.

7:50- Michel runs for a loss of four; 2nd & 14…

7:08- Edelman runs the end-around for a gain of 17; 1st & 10…

6:13- Michel runs for one; 2nd & 9…

5:44- Dorsett runs for five on the jet sweep. Just an FYI from a coach who runs jet, A LOT- if you block it right, it is unstoppable. It also forces teams to prepare for it. 1st & 10..

4:34- Edelman for six more on yet another end-around; 1st & 10…

4:15- Burkhead runs for nine on a tough run; 2nd & 1…

3:42- Dorsett makes the catch on quick throw and gains six more; 1st & 10…

3:30- White picks up seven on the catch; 2nd & 3…

3:26- TOUCHDOWN, PATRIOTS!! Edelman makes the catch, and Brady picks up his 4th touchdown pass of the day. The Patriots wanted a blowout today, and they got just that. Patriots 38, Jets 3

2:22- Three and out, and the Jets will punt. Edelman fields it at the 10, and the Patriots will be led onto the field by backup Brian Hoyer; that’s a wrap!

2:12- Two yard loss on the run as we hit the two minute warning. Patriots 38, Jets 3

:34- The Patriots punt it away, and after the Jets run their plays, the Patriots will start their preparation for the AFC Divisional Round in Foxborough two weeks from now. Of course the Jets fumbled on the final play, and the Patriots recover to end the regular season.

Thank you for joining us not only today, but all season. Personally, this has been a challenging season, which is why we were gone for two weeks, but we are back up and running strong. In two weeks, the Patriots will host the winner of one of the Wild Card matchups. The reason it sounds vague is because we simply don’t know who they’ll be playing, we just know they’ll be playing someone. We’ll be here, hopefully you’ll all join us for the biggest game of the season.

FINAL SCORE: NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 38, NEW YORK JETS 3