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It took them four tries, but the New England Patriots eventually won their third game of the season to move to 3-5 on the year. Their victory over the now 0-9 New York Jets on Monday night was tough at times, but in the end the team made enough plays to return home with momentum under their belt after playing a solid complementary football.
That said, let’s take a look at the players who stood out in the contest – for better or for worse. So without further ado, here are this week’s winners and losers, as always without the benefit of a movie review.
Winner: WR Jakobi Meyers
After losing N’Keal Harry and Julian Edelman to concussion and knee surgery, respectively, the Patriots turned to a former undrafted former free agent to serve as the guy of choice in the game. Passing: Jakobi Meyers was the best of the team. wide receiver over the past two weeks, and he’s delivered a career performance against the Jets. The sophomore gained 169 yards catching 12 passes on 14 targets – including a 20-yard one that established the winning field with just three seconds on the clock.
Winner: QB Cam Newton
It was the Jets and their worst pass defense, yes, but Cam Newton still showed additional signs of progress having already taken a step forward last week. The Patriots’ starting quarterback completed 27 of 35 pitches for 274 yards and also gained 17 yards on nine rushing attempts, finding the end zone twice in the process. Newton still had a few games he would probably like to grab back, but overall he played an encouraging game. This is especially true in one category: he played a game with no turnover for the first time since week 1.
Losers: CB JC Jackson and CB Jason McCourty
While Stephon Gilmore was still out with a knee injury, JC Jackson and Jason McCourty were the top two outside cornerbacks for the second week in a row. After a strong outing against the Buffalo Bills last Sunday, however, they struggled to contain the deep pass against the Jets. Jackson gave up a pair of deep touchdowns, while McCourty gave up another score. Additionally, both have been reported for defensive pass interference at one point. While it wasn’t all bad – Jackson had a huge interception in the fourth quarter – the team need more of both, especially with Gilmore out.
Winner: K Nick Folk
New England kicker quietly preparing for quality campaign: Nick Folk hasn’t missed a kick since Week 3 and is now 14 of 16 with goals from the field and 14 of 15 with extra points after have made all six attempts. Monday evening. Not only was he good on the three extra points tries, but he also scored goals at 45, 29 and 51 yards. The third of those kicks was arguably the biggest of his Patriots career, dividing the amounts over time to secure a victory over his former team.
Winners: LB Chase Winovich and LB Terez Hall
The Patriots linebacker remains one in turnover, but two players saw significant playing time in the top seven along the way – an encouraging development for a number of reasons. On the one hand, there’s Chase Winovich, whose playing time has dropped significantly since Week 5 in New England. Against the Jets, however, he saw more action again and was even used regularly as a race defender early on. Winovich generally looked good and pleaded for more shots again.
Terez Hall, on the other hand, was the best option for the Patriots all night. With Ja’Whaun Bentley out, the team turned to the sophomore after raising him from the practice squad. It shows how the team sees Hall’s development, but it also doesn’t paint a rosy picture for the linebacker body as a whole. Nonetheless, Hall can feel good about his position on the team, even though he had some volatile times during his NFL debut.
Losers: LB Tashawn Bower, LB Josh Uche and LB Anfernee Jennings
Winovich and Hall saw an increased workload at the expense of some other players including Tashawn Bower, Josh Uche, and Anfernee Jennings. Bower started the game as an outside linebacker on the weak side against John Simon, but after missing a tackle on a third down in the first set, he was substituted in the roster. He wasn’t benched for good, but it became apparent that the team felt more comfortable with Chase Winovich.
Uche and Jennings, meanwhile, once again played only marginal roles. While not as experienced as Hall and slightly different types of linebackers – Hall is more suited to the mold of Mike-linebacker, Uche and Jennings are better suited to play on the rim and as options of versatile move – the Patriots had experienced both in an off-the-ball role over the past two weeks. In a end-to-end context, however, the team chose to go with the elevation of the practice squad instead of the rookies.
Winner: RB Rex Burkhead
Even before Damien Harris left the game at the end of the fourth quarter with a chest injury, Rex Burkhead saw plenty of opportunities as the rotation’s second running back. The veteran certainly ran hard, finishing the contest with 56 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. In addition, he has 11 yards on three receptions. While the numbers weren’t necessarily impressive, Burkhead was a productive member of the Patriots’ offense capable of scoring tough yards.
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