Pats Cast Episode 16: Patriots Narrowly Escape an Embarrassing Loss to the Jets

Birthday boy Jakobi Meyers had a career night on Monday, firmly solidifying himself as the Patriots' top healthy wide receiver. (Photo: Getty Images)

The Patriots stole victory from the hands of defeat on Monday night. They had what appeared to be a soft matchup against the winless New York Jets, but they managed to make it close – even requiring a come-from-behind effort from Cam Newton and the offense.

As always, you can find my in-depth takeaways from the game in podcast form.

Links to podcast via Anchor, Breaker, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, Spotify and Apple Podcasts

The Offense

The offense was a mixed bag, but that's understandable given the misalignment of player personnel.

The breakout player – although he somewhat already had broken out – was Jakobi Meyers. There was no defense for him all night, and he finished the game – on his 24th birthday – with 12 catches for 169 yards.

Cam Newton also had a solid night, completing nearly 80 percent of his passes – although still rarely throwing downfield – for 274 yards. Perhaps most importantly, he chipped in two touchdowns on the ground and didn't turn the ball over – nor did the team as a whole.

The two-headed monster of Damien Harris and Rex Burkhead added 127 rushing yards and a touchdown.

The Defense

The Patriots tried to play a bit bigger up front than they often do, which resulted in less play time for guys at other positions than I expected.

Overall, this was the weaker unit on Monday night. Without Stephon Gilmore, the entire secondary struggled – although J.C. Jackson saved an what was otherwise a horrendous night for him with a fourth-quarter interception.

The linebackers – confusingly led by practice squader Terez Hall – were a mixed bag at best, and the defensive line was only marginally better, generating minimal pressure.

Overall, despite containing the running game for the most part, they made Joe Flacco and the aerial attack look really good. Flacco averaged 10.5 yards per attempt – which is very high – with three touchdowns and Breshad Perriman topped 100 receiving yards with two scores.

Thankfully for them, the Jackson interception and a dominant performance from the offense in the fourth quarter – during which they possessed the ball for over 13 minutes – bailed them out.

Up Next

New England will need to play better next week, when they host the Baltimore Ravens in primetime on Sunday night. They'll be getting reinforcements at receiver – including recent acquisitions Isaiah Ford and Jordan Thomas, and potentially N'Keal Harry – and ideally will be more healthy as a team, but the Ravens and the Jets are polar opposites.

The good news is that the Patriots improved to 3-5 and ended a four-game losing streak. Doing so at least gives them a chance at playoff contention moving forward – not to mention removing a bad taste out of their mouths.

How might things look in Week 10? Check back in later this week!