Chalk another loss up to the quarterback.
It's always something with this team, and for the third time this year, it was the quarterback taking the lion's share of the blame. Five turnovers doomed the Jets. He helped dig a 24-0 hole in the first half, and then he couldn't make plays down the stretch. Hell, he couldn't even keep the ball!
I'm not saying bench Mark Sanchez because at this point in the season, there is no point to bringing in Kellen Clemens. Let Sanchez get his run. But clearly this is a pretty good football team completely hamstrung by a lack of a passing game.
The defense allowed 24 points (7 were on a Leigh Bodden interception), but they struggled early in the football game yet again, digging the offense into a hole that they simply could not come out of.
Wes Welker is still running wide open. Darrelle Revis shut down Randy Moss as expected, but the Jets had no answer for Welker. 15 catches for 192 yards. He killed the Jets on 1st down, 2nd down, 3rd down, and if the Jets want to consistently beat New England in the future, they need to find an answer for him.
Thomas Jones ran for 100 yards, but most of it was late in the game when the Patriots were playing pass. In the first half, Sanchez had 15 yards passing, and the Jets had no hope offensively. Sanchez was making bad reads and inaccurate throws, and his receivers weren't making plays for him (looking at you, Braylon), and the running game was struggling.
The pass rush struggled early in the game, giving Brady all day to find Welker. Brady threw for 310 yards, and Welker was on the receiving end of most of them.
Now, the season is all about watching Sanchez, trying to get some wins, and trying to get some confidence under the belts of this team. They are now 1-6 in the last 7 games. This team is in a tailspin, and they need a win badly. If they lose next week, they would be on a 2-14 pace for a full season.
The defense played alright, but without Kris Jenkins, and without a #2 cornerback, it's hard for them to beat a team as good as the Patriots. And they definitely missed Leon Washington as a guy who could break a big play and be respected offensively.
But that can't be an excuse anymore. The Jets are what they are: a 4-6 team. They are not going to the playoffs, and now the focus needs to be on winning games now and evaluating which players can help the Jets win games next year.
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