Week Nine Live Blog: Patriots vs. Jets, November 9, 2020

Welcome to the Week Nine Live Blog! The Patriots travel to New Jersey to try and salvage their season against a Jets team that is terrible but always a threat because they’re a division opponent. There is no need to beat around the bush- the Patriots need to win or this season is essentially done as far as playoff hopes. Sitting at 2-5, another loss would put them in a win-out scenario to finish at best 10-6, which likely won’t happen. Tonight is the night to get better, and that is exactly what the Patriots, particularly the offense, intends to do.

The second half of last week’s painful Buffalo loss did provide positives to build on for the offense. Damian Harris has shown to be a legit back, and Jakobi Meyers is showing the flashes of being a legit NFL receiver that they desperately need right now with age, injuries, and busts throughout the wide receiver depth chart. Cam Newton WAS MUCH BETTER last week; yes, he fumbled away the game when they had a chance to win, but the only reason they had a chance to win was that he played so much better than he had the three weeks prior. He made good throws, which for some reason are not talked about at all, and it looks like he is starting to get comfortable with certain aspects of the Patriots offense. He is not as effective a short-ball thrower as the Patriots would like, but he is very good at intermediate and deep in-routes, which is an area they can work if they can protect him long enough.

Here are the inactive players for tonight’s game:

Patriots- CB Stephon Gilmore, WR N’Keal Harry, TE Dalton Keene, RB J.J. Taylor, DT Lawrence Guy, ILB Ja’Whaun Bentley, QB Brian Hoyer

Jets- QB James Morgan, K Sam Ficken, QB Sam Darnold, WR Vyncint Smith, ILB Blake Cashman, T Cameron Clark, NT Quinnen Williams

Obviously some big names on that inactive list for the Patriots, but that will force them to use ALL their young players.

The Patriots have always found a way to win, even in the few down years of the Belichick Era. This is as low as they have been since 2000. The difference now is the culture is in place, and that is half the battle. Ask teams like Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and Dallas- once you get to that level, there is a level of RESPONSIBILITY to the franchise and an aura of winning that doesn’t just go away. The Patriots are going to be OK, and tonight is a good night to start feeling a little better after the roughest start in two decades.

Stick with the Week Nine Live Blog because you know we are going to stick with the Patriots and continue to provide the best in-game coverage there is. Enjoy the game everyone!

FIRST QUARTER

15:00- The Jets offense will begin the night. Joe Flacco leads the way tonight. 1st & 10…

14:55- Gore for five off left tackle; 2nd & 5…

14:22- Gore gains four up the gut; 3rd & 1…

13:42- Blown tackle in the backfield and it leads to a 1st down. Missed tackles, a problem this year. 1st & 10…

13:10- Griffin gains five; 2nd & 5…

12:33- Mims gains 26; not a good start for the Patriots defense. 1st & 10 from the NE 33…

11:55- Gore for two; 2nd & 8…

11:17- Gore for three more, another missed tackle; 3rd & 5…

10:33- Seven yard completion; another 1st down.

9:57- Perrine gains three; 2nd & 7…

9:16- Perrine for two; 3rd & 5, New England needs a stop here…

8:37- Perriman drops the touchdown with some assistance from JC Jackson (great play). The Jets get three on the field goal, but as we’ve seen even with this subpar Patriots defense, they play well in the red zone. Jets 3, Patriots 0

8:33- Newton and the Patriots take over at their own 25; 1st & 10…

8:22- THERE YA GO!! Damien Harris for 12, three of them the entire team driving. I love that. 1st & 10…

7:43- Harris for three more on the draw; 2nd & 7…

7:03- Newton to Meyers for ten; 1st & 10 from their own 48…

6:23- No gain for Harris; 2nd & 10…

5:41- Burkhead gains five on the catch; 3rd & 5 after a good play by Newton…

4:57- Byrd for seven and another 1st down; 1st & 10 from the NYJ 38…

4:15- Meyers with a gain of 33 on the corner route; great throw. 1st & Goal from the five…

3:34- TOUCHDOWN, PATRIOTS!! Newton dives in after a tough run and a beautiful drive. That was the best drive of the season. Balanced, efficient, and they finished with a touchdown for the first time in the first quarter this season. Good stuff for the offense; Patriots 7, Jets 3

3:23- Gore for five on the catch; 2nd & 5…

2:44- McCourty (Devin) misses the pick-six; 3rd & 5…those plays need to be made.

2:39- Gain of 11 on the catch; 1st down…

2:09- Gore runs for 13 more; 1st & 10…

1:32- Perrone for three; 2nd & 7…

:55- Incomplete pass; Becton on the sideline getting looked at; 3rd & 7…

:48- Mims gained four on the catch, but the Jets were called for a hold. The Patriots will decline the penalty, making it 4th & 3…the Jets punt. New England will try to replicate their last strong series. Patriots 7, Jets 3

:22- Harris for one; 2nd & 9…Becton is headed to the locker room and that is a killer for the Jets offense. That is the end of the first quarter. It wasn’t pretty on defense, but the offense had their best drive of the season and scored in the first quarter, finally. Patriots 7, Jets 3

SECOND QUARTER

15:00- Meyers for nine and a first down; 1st & 10…

14:30- Harris misses out on a long run after slowing up; 2nd & 9…

13:46- Burkhead for two, Langi (ex-Patriot) makes his second straight tackle; 3rd & 6…

12:59- Pass was complete to White but not even close to 1st down; Wynn had to come out of the game so we’ll keep an eye on that. 4th & 6…

12:34- Gain of seven; 2nd & 3…

11:19- Berrios gains 12 on the reception; 1st & 10…

10:51- DPI on JC Jackson, automatic 1st down.

10:45- 17-yard gain by Mims; 1st & 10…

9:49- Touchdown, Jets. Perriman beats Jackson for a 50-yard bomb from Flacco. Jets 10, Patriots 7

9:43- Harris runs for five; 2nd & 5…

9:22- Burkhead runs for 10; 1st & 10…

8:55- Olszewski runs for 12 on the end-around; 1st & 10…

8:10- Harris for one; 2nd & 9…

7:37- Burkhead for five on the catch; 3rd & 5…

6:56- Meyers gains five but they are just short; they’ll go for it. 4th & 1…

6:13- This team simply can’t make plays when they need them, which is the sign of youth and lack of talent. Also- why not just line Cam up under center and not get cute? It’s 4th & 1; putting him in gun puts the ball three yards back after the snap. Sorry, I’m sneaking or running a traditional dive there. Terrible play call leads to a lost opportunity, something this team can’t afford. Jets 10, Patriots 7

5:56- Griffin gains 23 on the catch as the Patriots continue to get torn up on defense. 1st & 10…

4:44- Finally a little pressure and the pass is incomplete; 3rd & 8…

4:37- Incomplete pass to the end zone; Castillo connects from 50 yards out to extend the Jets lead to six. Jets 13, Patriots 7

4:22- Johnson picks up six on the catch in the flat; Wynn is back in the game. 2nd & 4…

3:44- Meyers for 13 more; 1st & 10…

3:03- Newton got leveled, but that looked like helmet to helmet and illegal contact. Roughing the passer is accepted for 15 yards. Tough call, but that is the rule. 1st & 10…

2:41- Olszewski with the gain of one; 2nd & 9…

2:11- Harris runs for three; 3rd & 6…Newton looks a little rattled.

2:00- Newton to Meyers for 11 and another 1st down…

1:24- Illegal shift on Meyers, 1st & 15…

1:21- Newton with his first missed throw on the slant; 2nd & 15…

1:!6- Olszewski loses one on the play; another weak call. Go down the field. 3rd & 15…

1:06- Meyers for eight, which isn’t close to a first down. Folk will come on to attempt the field goal.

1:03- FIELD GOAL, PATRIOTS! Folk connects from 45-yards out and the Patriots cut the lead to three. Decent drive, but it should have ended in six. They shot themselves in the foot a couple of times on that series. Jets 13, Patriots 10

:49- Mims for 15 and the Jets are attacking the Patriots, which they should.

:28- Wow. 42 yard DPI. I have no words.

:25- Touchdown, Jets. Apparently, Joe Flacco is good again… Nah, the Patriots defense sucks. Jets 20, Patriots 10

:21- Hopefully they take a knee and get the hell out of this nightmarish half. The offense was ok. The defense (FRONT SEVEN ESPECIALLY) is a joke.

NEW YORK JETS 20, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 10

HALFTIME

THIRD QUARTER

15:00- Harris runs for 11 on 1st down; 1st & 10…

14:21- Harris runs for two more; 2nd & 8, Patriots need a drive here. A touchdown drive…

13:39- Meyers gains 15 on the play; 1st & 10…

13:20- Burkhead for five on the run; 2nd & 5…

12:41- Byrd for eight and another first down; 1st & 10…

12:08- Burkhead for five tough yards; 2nd & 5…

11:25- Burkhead for two; 3rd & 3…

10:45- Burkhead with the nice cutback read and run for six; 1st & 10…

10:10- Johnson for a loss of one; 2nd & 10…

9:25- Meyers gains seven more; 3rd & 3…

7:59- Harris runs it down to the one; 2nd & Goal…

7:27- TOUCHDOWN, PATRIOTS!! Burkhead punches it in from one yard out to cut the lead to three. Newton and Meyers are putting on a clinic. Newton is 17-18 for 154 yards, an impressive night for the guy who “can’t throw”. Jets 20, Patriots 17

7:20- Gore underneath for eight; 2nd & 2…defense needs to make something positive happen…

6:40- Gore for four; 1st & 10…

5:52- Catch and run for six; 2nd & 4…

5:16- Gore for three; 3rd & 1…

4:39- Perrine for two; 1st & 10, Patriots desperately need to make a play.

3:51- Perriman for 20 more; wow, they just can’t stop…the Jets. 1st & 10…

3:!6- Gore for no gain; 2nd & 10…

2:27- Winovich FINALLY PLAYING and makes another tackle; great play. 3rd & 9…

1:48- Blitz, didn’t come close to working. A gain of 11, 1st & 10…

1:16- Gore for five; 2nd & 5…

:30- Touchdown, Jets. Jackson falls down, that’s that. New England likely will continue to score, but they aren’t stopping anyone with THIS defense. Jets 27, Patriots 17

:20- Olszewski for two on jet right; 2nd & 7…that is the end of three. Not much more to say; the Patriots defense is letting the Jets do whatever they want. Newton and the offense have been good, but when one side of the ball plays well, the other struggle. Jets 27, Patriots 17

FOURTH QUARTER

14:46- Gain of four by Burkhead; 3rd & 6…

14:19- Byrd for seven; 1st & 10…

13:45- Newton takes a shot but it was literally just chucked down the field. 2nd & 10…

13:34- NEWTON! Wow, what a play. Meyers for 12 after Newton’s amazing escape. 1st & 10…

12:57- Burkhead for seven; 2nd & 3…

12:36- Burkhead runs for two; 3rd & 1…

12:01- Newton slams ahead for three; 1st & 10…

11:24- Burkhead slams ahead for eight; 2nd & 2…

10:52- Harris runs for six more; 1st & 10…

10:22- Harris for two; 2nd & 8…

9:39- Byrd for seven; 3rd & 1…

9:09- The Jets blew that mistake by New England with one of their own. 1st & 10…

8:06- Burkhead for two; 2nd & Goal…

7:46- Burkhead again, and this time they get called for a hold. Throw more in the red zone please. 2nd & Goal from the Jets 17…

7:20- White gets tackled by his shoestring after basically gaining five. 3rd & Goal…

6:08- Newton escapes pressure…and falls down again. What the hell is up with him falling all the time? Folk came in and connected on the field goal. Jets 27, Patriots 20

6:00- INTERCEPTION! Flacco took another shot down the field, but this time it burned him as J.C. Jackson makes his 5th pick of the year. The Patriots now have life as Newton and the offense will try to come out and tie this game up. Jets 27, Patriots 20

5:45- Newton throws it away to avoid the sack; 2nd & 10…

5:39- Newton misses a wide-open Meyers but misses; 3rd & 10…

5:34- DPI on the play but they called a hold; either way, it’s a first down.

5:27- Harris runs for 21 very tough yards; 1st & 10…

4:53- Another killer hold, and Damien Harris got hurt on the play. 1st & 20…

4:45- Meyers for 17; it looks like it hit the ground. That was quite the throw, but Ashton Davis broke up the play. 2nd & 20…

4:43- Incomplete on the out pattern; 3rd & 20…

4:29- Meyers..come on, man! He had the 1st, went back, lost the 1st. 4th & 1…

3:52- Newton for FOUR yards on the sneak. They should do that more. 1st & 10…

3:16- Byrd for 31 yards and the Patriots have a 1st & Goal from the three; huge play.

3:05- Newton to the one (looked like he extended across); 2nd & Goal…

2:31- Newton stuffed; 3rd & Goal…we have hit the two-minute warning. 3rd & Goal…

2:00- Here we go, the play of the game…

1:57- TOUCHDOWN, PATRIOTS!! Newton takes it in on the sneak right for six and Folk comes in to tie it up! Great drive with a little help from Jet’s mistakes. Patriots 27, Jets 27

1:43- Perrine for eight; 2nd & 2…

1:20- SACK! Wise gets to Flacco for a much-needed sack. 3rd & 7…

:55- Incomplete pass; 4th & 7 and the Jets will punt. The Patriots actually have a chance to win in regulation. HORRIBLE game management by the Jets. 1st & 10, Patriots…

:42- Newton pressured but gets the ball away; 2nd & 10…

:34- White makes the catch on the screen for 12 and gets out of bounds; good stuff. 1st & 10 from the Patriots 33…

:30- Stupid draw to White. Come on, Josh. 2nd & 6…Timeout, Patriots.

:29- White for nine and the Patriots are running this drive oddly. 3rd & 1…

:08- Newton spikes it; now the goal is to find someone for 15-20 and call timeout…

:03- Meyers with the catch at the Jets 33; here we go!!!!

:00- FIELD GOAL!! PATRIOTS WIN! FOLK CONNECTS FROM 51 AND THE PATRIOTS FINISH THE IMPROBABLE COMEBACK! Impressive stuff on that drive from Newton, White (the draw call wasn’t his fault), and of course, Jakobi Meyers, who sits atop the wide receiver depth chart. Byrd also played well tonight. This wasn’t pretty (the defense was terrible but made the ONE play they needed) but Newton and the offense were good tonight and that won the game for New England.

Thank you for being with us tonight. Be sure to join us next week when the Patriots face a difficult test in the Baltimore Ravens. Hopefully, the Patriots defense will be more healthy.

FINAL SCORE: NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 30, NEW YORK JETS 27