Pats Escape New York With 17-16 Win

Monday, December 22, 2014

Matt Lapan, GoLocal Sports Reporter

Division games are never easy. Even when your opponent is mired in a losing system and you are fighting for the top seed in the AFC. That was clearly the case for the New England Patriots on Sunday as they battled to a 17-16 win over the struggling Jets. The Patriots got a huge contribution from an unlikely source to secure the win, Danny Amendola.

Nerve wracking Game

Both teams defenses flexed their muscles early in the game as neither sustained a drive longer than eight plays through the entire 1st quarter.

The Patriots finally got the scoring started in the 2nd quarter. The drive was sparked by a 39-yard punt return by Danny Amendola that set the Patriots up at the Jets 36. From there it was just six plays before Tom Brady found Rob Gronkowski for a three yard touchdown to make the score 7-0, Patriots.

The Jets answered right back with an impressive 12-play, 87-yard drive. Geno Smith looked very comfortable in the pocket against the Patriots defense that had harassed him all day on the drive before finding tight end Jeff Cumberland for a 20-yard touchdown to tie the score 7-7.

The Jets defense continued to force problems for the Patriots, forcing them to go 3-&-out on their next drive. The Jets used that momentum to get a quick field goal from Nick Folk to take the 10-7 lead into the half. The Jets defensive line, namely Sheldon Richardson, harassed Tom Brady throughout the half but Darrelle Revis and the Patriots defense stayed on pace.

The 2nd half started much like the 1st half ended, the Patriots struggled to move on offense and the Jets put through another field goal, this time from 23-yards out to take the 13-7 lead. This appeared to spark the Patriots offense as Tom Brady led the offense on a 13-play, 81-yard drive. They ended up stalling in the end, settling for a 24-yard Stephen Gostkowski field goal to cut the deficit to 13-10.

Defense Saves The Day

The Patriots defense continued to impress as they intercepted Geno Smith just two plays later. Jamie Collins grabbed the interception before lateral to Brandon Browner.

The interception once again sparked the offense as Brandon LaFell played a huge part in setting up a 1-yard go-ahead touchdown from Jonas Gray. The score gave the Patriots the 17-13 lead at the start of the 4th quarter, a lead that the defense would not relinquish.

The Jets were able to mount a drive that ended in a 35-yard Folk field goal, and even intercepted Tom Brady to set up a potential game-winning drive. It was a huge play on special teams that sparked the Patriots, a constant theme in 2014. Nick Folk lined up for a 52-yard go-ahead field goal but the kick was deflected by Vince Wilfork and gave the Patriots the ball back.

The Patriots offense was able to run down the clock behind the play of Danny Amendola. The unlikely hero led the Patriots with eight receptions and the Pats escaped with the 17-16 win. The win secured a 1st Round bye in the playoffs for the Patriots and moved them to 12-3.

Ugly Win

The Patriots won despite being out gained 231-307. Jamie Collins and Dont'a Hightower led the Patriots with 11 and nine tackles receptively. The Jets front-7 dominated a majority of the game, with Sheldon Richardson, Muhammad Wilkerson and others consistently beating the Patriots offensive line and disrupting Tom Brady's timing.

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