The New England Patriots began this season with an almost mind boggling offensive outburst that saw them put up at least 30 points in all four of their early season games. Now, they find themselves in a different type of game against AFC East rival, the New York Jets.
The Pats have a 10-7 lead after a good start to the game that saw them force a pair of three and outs on defense, get good pressure on Mark Sanchez, and slow down the Jets vaunted running game.
On their second offensive possession Tom Brady, Wes Welker and Benjarvus Green-Ellis did the bulk of the heavy lifting, getting the Pats into the end zone and staking them to a 7-0 lead.
After a Stephen Gostkowski field goal made it 10-0, the Jets began to assert themselves on both sides of the ball. They began to hit Tom Brady with regularity, dialing up the pressure from their front seven, and Darrelle Revis became a more consistent presence on Welker.
Offensively, the Jets got their running game going behind Shonn Greene, who began bowling over Patriots defenders and picking up big chunks of yards. A 78 yard, 7 minute drive culminated in a 3 yard Greene TD run to get the Jets on the board with three minutes left in the half.
On the ensuing drive, with a chance to reclaim the momentum that had gotten away from them, the Patriots drove deep into Jets territory in the closing moments of the half before Aaron Herandez bobbled a sure touchdown pass from Tom Brady into the hands of Antonio Cromartie.
Stats:
Tom Brady: 13/17 157 yards 0 TD 1 INT
Benjarvus Green-Ellis: 8 carries, 51 yards 1 TD
Deion Branch: 4 catches, 57 yards
Mark Sanchez: 7/10 57 yards 0 TD 0 INT
Shonn Greene: 11 carries, 49 yards 1 TD
Plaxico Burress: 2 catches, 28 yards