After taking a 14-7 lead through one quarter of play, the New England Patriots began the second frame around midfield. However, a holding penalty against lineman Donald Thomas would set them back and force the Pats into a punt.
On the Jets' first offensive play of the second quarter, a mishandling of the football by quarterback Mark Sanchez and running back Shonn Greene would end with a safety and two points awarded to the Patriots. When the ball squirted out and was rolling around in the endzone, Sanchez kicked it out of bounds to avoid a complete disaster and a Patriots' touchdown.
Midway through the quarter, the Jets had a wide open Stephen Hill in the corner of the endzone for what should have been a 40-plus yard touchdown pass. However, Sanchez would throw one of the worst passes that I've seen in quite some time, right into the hands of rookie cornerback Alfonzo Dennard, who was standing a solid 5-10 yards in front of Hill, for an interception.
Unfortunately for the 67,000-plus fans in attendance, the Patriots were unable to get any offense going for the remainder of the quarter, despite multiple opportunities with the ball. The Jets would make it a one-score game with just two seconds left in the half, thanks to an impressive 54-yard field goal from Nick Folk. After thirty minutes of play, the Patriots lead the Jets, 16-10.