National Football League

Amendola breaks out, Geno's wild ride & more thoughts from Pats-Jets

Published Oct. 17, 2014 12:47 a.m. ET

Ross Jones

Targeted just eight times entering Thursday night’s thrilling 27-25 win over the New York Jets, Amendola’s quiet start had some clamoring for answers.

In fact, it was Amendola who recovered a Jets’ onside kick later in the quarter, too. But even that wasn’t enough to stave off a final gasp attempt at a Jets’ comeback.

With one minute and six seconds remaining, Jets quarterback Geno Smith was able to move his offense inside field goal range without any timeouts. A Patriots’ field-goal block would put this one on ice, though.

Smith, who was sidelined for one play in the fourth quarter as a precaution to a possible knee hyperextension, had an admirable performance, riding a bludgeoning running game and converting on third downs more often than not.

Smith, though, was overshadowed by Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who despite not being his best, directed an offense that amassed more than 300 total yards and five scoring drives in an unconventional, gritty win.

For New England (5-2), it’s the third straight win in 12 days after concerns were raised regarding a Monday night onslaught against the Kansas City Chiefs. Since then, New England has played much more sound football and beat their opponents (Bengals, Bills and Jets) by a combined score of 107-64.

For the Jets (1-6), rock bottom just got a little worse. Losing their sixth straight game does head coach Rex Ryan no favors, but ownership should be inspired by the four-quarter fight they put up with an undermanned roster. Here are more thoughts from Thursday night.

This the Geno we know?

Let’s recap the past three weeks for the Jets franchise QB: After a poor performance against Detroit Lions, Smith cursed out some of owner Woody Johnson’s paying customers. While Smith admittedly said he lost his cool, he was fined $12K for yelling the expletive. Then, he uncharacteristically missed a team meeting before the following week’s game against the San Diego Chargers. After a miserable first half in San Diego, he was benched. Then, a day after losing to the Denver Broncos, Smith complained to Patriots’ beat writers that the local media often “misprinted” and “misunderstood” certain incidents involving him.

For as rocky of a road as it has been, Smith was able to block out the outside noise and play sharp on Thursday. His numbers (20-of-24 for 226 yards and a TD) certainly aren’t eye-popping, but he was able to not make mistakes by turning the ball over and was money on third down, often running for the first down.

After Amendola’s aforementioned score in the fourth quarter, Smith fired up a 12-play, 86-yard drive, punctuated by a 10-yard touchdown pass to Jeff Cumberland. While he lofted a pass high intended for Jets tight end Jace Amaro on the two-point converstion, it was a move in the right direction for the second-year quarterback. Smith’s highlight of the night was a perfectly placed 24-yard beauty to wide receiver Eric Decker on a flag route with cornerback Darrelle Revis in coverage.

New England’s new-look backfield

Running back Stevan Ridley’s devastating knee injury allowed Shane Vereen to be this week’s feature back. Vereen, who’s playing in the final year of his rookie deal, flashed vision, speed and the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. Actually, it was Vereen hauling in a 49-yard, Brady-thrown bomb three plays into the Patriots’ first series on a broken coverage. Later in the game, Ridley, who was flexed out wide before the snap, motioned into New England’s backfield and then ran an ankle-breaking out route on the defender. Brady connected for Vereen’s second scoring reception of the game. Vereen, appearing to be Bill Belichick’s most trusted running back, had some critical carries late in the game to preserve the lead.

Run it, run it, run it some more

Much of the night was led by the Jets’ ground-and-pound running game. Running backs Chris Ivory and Chris Johnson ran for 168 yards on 34 carries. The chain-moving offense allowed the Jets to dominate ball control with nearly 41 minutes in time of possession. Ivory, running like a bull in a china shop, ran with patience and power. Without Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo, who was placed on the season-ending injury list this week after rupturing his patellar tendon, New England’s defense lacked some stiffness against the run. Linebacker Dont’a Hightower and Jamie Collins finished the game with a combined 26 tackles, but the unit was gashed far too often.

So much for the Revis reunion

Locked up much of the evening on wide receiver Eric Decker, Revis’ first game against his former team was a wash. Called for two holding penalties and allowing several receptions, Smith wasn’t afraid to target Revis. The crafty veteran was able to swat away a ball on a key third down, despite it possibly qualifying for a holding call. We’ll call it very tight coverage.

That could be a problem

If you need a reason how or why the Jets are in the position they’re in, look no further than a few of their draft selections. While defensive linemen Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson are franchise cornerstones, the team has had its share of misses. It’s certainly not a good thing that first-round picks Kyle Wilson and Quinton Coples aren’t part of the game plan. Coples, actually, spent more time on the sideline than veteran outside linebacker Jason Babin, according to Pro Football Focus’ Nate Jahnke.

What’s up with the Jets tight ends?

It was only five months ago when Jets rookie tight end Jace Amaro said he had hoped to catch 100 balls. Seven weeks into the season, he’s on pace for about half that amount. Amaro, who has had his share of dropped passes this season, couldn’t catch a routine ball in the first quarter, drawing plenty of criticism. Fortunately, Cumberland was able to make a play when the team needed it.

How about that Gronk guy?

In the last three weeks, Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski has emerged as Brady’s go-to weapon. Over that span, Gronkowski has been targeted 30 times for 18 receptions, 252 yards and a touchdown.

Gang Green’s special teams

For as well as the Jets’ offense moved, it was an even more clutch performance by the special teams. Rookie kick returner Walt Powell had an electrifying 62-yard return in the second quarter. Kicker Nick Folk nailed 4 of 5 field goals, but the one that mattered most was blocked by Patriots defensive lineman Chris Jones.