
Bill Belichick has the Jets’ number again.
I didn’t think it could get to 11 straight regular-season games, but it did. And this one was convincing and wasn’t pretty.
With the Patriots, it wasn’t pretty either, but the Patriots played their typical mundane game with their new businesslike — or boring– new rookie and vanilla quarterback Mac Jones.
Against rookie head coach Robert Saleh, Belichick was truly the teacher against the pupil.
Besides Belichick, the Jets issues continue to mount. Reality set in Sunday afternoon.
Sunday’s 26-3 defeat to Belichick and his band of methodical merry men may have some long-reaching repercussions for the Jets.
What began as the infamous resignation on a napkin can lead to whether or not the Jets made the right choice for their next franchise quarterback. The flamboyant Wilson wouldn’t work in New England.
Belichick did have the perfect coverage for Zach Wilson, but the rookie quarterback made too many mistakes on his own.
He was sacked four times, and seemingly had more time in the pocket than last week. Yet, Wilson had been sacked 10 times in the first two weeks, and has taken his share of hits.
On his side of the ball, Belichick may have the last laugh of the 2021 quarterback class with the drafting of Jones with the 15th overall pick.
Through two games, the Patriots have allowed Jones to do enough and not be forced to win the game. He was a respectable 22-for-30 for 186 yards. Jones also has a respectable running game behind Damien Harris and James White.
On the other hand, Wilson has to better read coverages with his four interceptions from his 19 of 33, 210-yard performance Sunday.
The Jets did produce an adequate running game behind rookie Michael Carter’s 59 of his team’s 152 overall yards.
The Jets’ defense was more complete than last week, but they still have things to clean up.
Marcus Maye again was solid and he will be worth every penny of the contract extension the Jets should award him, and end John Franklin-Myers continued to make his mark
CJ Mosley had 10 tackles and was more active, but the linebacker needs sacks.
The rest? There is more to be desired.
Remember Nick Folk? I was disappointed the Jets let him go, and they have yet to find a suitable replacement. It was only fitting that he kicked three field goals for the Pats.
Tommy Ammendola had the Jets’ lone points, but he still has something to prove.
It’s time to shelve the thoughts of a close to or .500 season, and time to look at the big picture.
This will take time.
That is, all except the quarterback. Saleh and the brass need to settle and focus the quarterback with whom they have signed off their future. Wilson needs to put the bright lights and the hype behind him.
“Those are things that we’re going to have to go look at,” noted Saleh. “When you have a rookie quarterback – and they have a rookie quarterback, too – it’s just having the confidence to know that it’s OK to play a boring game of football.”
Just ask Belichick. He has a low profile quarterback, and once had a relatively unknown one named Brady.