New England Patriots vs. New York Jets Final Score: Pats Escape, Win 27-25

That was one hell of a game.

We knew the New York Jets would come out and give the New England Patriots their best shot, and that is exactly what they did tonight. The best way to beat a Tom Brady-led team is to keep him off the field, and the Jets did just that by doubling up the Patriots in time of possession. They dominated in the run game, didn’t turn the ball over, and got a solid game from Geno Smith.

The Patriots opened up the game with a bang, as Brady hit Shane Vereen for a 49-yard touchdown one and a half minutes in the game, and at that point, I was honestly ready for an easy Pats blowout. But the Jets showed some fight, and proved once again why this is one of the best rivalries in the NFL.

New York scored on their first four possession, as the Pats didn’t get a defensive stop until late in the third quarter. Chris Ivory obliterated New England’s run defense, accounting for 107 of the Jets’ 218 rushing yards, and he repeatedly gashed the middle of the defense from start to finish. This is something the Pats need to fix over the next 10 days, and I am confident they will get that done. They have a decent front seven, they just need to execute, and get in the correct scheme.

Tom Brady completed 54% of his passes for 261 yards, and three touchdowns. More importantly, the offensive line, minus Bryan Stork and Dan Connolly, held up very well against one of the best defensive fronts in the league, and didn’t allow a single sack (technically Brady was sacked once, but it was essentially a run). If this offensive line can play like that against the Jets banged up, they can hang in there against anyone.

Danny Amendola also surprised us, catching an absurd 19-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, returning a few good kicks, and recovering the all-important onside kick. I hope this will kick-start his game, because if he begins to contribute, this Pats’ offense will be ridiculously lethal.

And of course, Chris Jones came up with the huge blocked field goal to preserve the win. It had to be sweet redemption for Jones, who was called for a bizarre pushing penalty in last year’s loss to the Jets, which came on a missed Nick Folk field goal. Folk took advantage of the flag, and converted the next attempt, which gave New York the win.

The Patriots just beat two divisional opponents in a span of four days. They now have 10 days to fix their run defense and third down problems, and get ready for the Bears and Broncos.

Well take it.