Patriots 13, Jets 7

I'm not really sure how to go about writing about a loss. Hasn't happened until now. I've been spoiled so far, only having to write about wins.

I think we have a better idea after Sunday of where the Jets are. They are a very good team, perhaps not good enough to get to the Super Bowl right now, but a very good team. And, I think, the Jets are a lot more like the Patriots than I thought. Both teams are very similar defensively. I thought the defenses were weak, letting each other's offense drive up and down the field in the first half...but when it mattered, both defenses stepped up big time.

I can't get Jerald Sowell's fumble out of my head. The Jets should have won this game. That fumble is what makes this loss so tough. Still, the Jets had a chance to win it late, and didn't come through. That's the thing about this team, and I've mentioned it before - they always have a chance. Chad Pennington always gives the Jets a shot to win the game. He made a couple of bad passes on that final drive, but, who knows, if some things broke the Jets way earlier in the game, Pennington might have been in a position where he could have been running out the clock later on.

I'm starting to ramble a bit here. Let's go sequentially, in case you missed the game. First drive, Patriots kick a field goal. The defense bent, but didn't break. The Jets' first drive, they came all the way down the field, were on the verge of scoring, and Sowell dropped the ball around the five yard line. The Patriots came back and kicked a field goal. With about a minute and a half left in the first half, Pennington ran the ball into the end zone on a patented play-fake, giving the Jets a 7-6 lead. Then Tom Brady came back down the field, and found David Patten in the end zone for a 13-7 halftime lead. There would be no more scoring, and it's a shame the Jets only rushed three defenders, because Brady had about 30 seconds to find someone in the end zone. A man in his face could have forced a throwaway, and a field goal, and perhaps a different outcome.

The Jets had a few chances later on, but some dropped passes, and a couple of misfires by Pennington on the very last drive added up to a Patriots win. I'm going to take a little bit of issue with some of the playcalls in the third quarter. In a couple of instances the Jets kept running the ball and going nowhere when a pass mixed in might have moved the ball downfield. I think there were a couple of three and outs where the Jets ran three straight times. Wayne Chrebet only had one catch on the day, just FYI. And I think Santana Moss was pretty unsure of his hamstring. The Jets used him on a couple of fake reverses, once on a real reverse, and in my mind, I think they only threw his way twice. One pass was off his fingertips (he should have had it), and another was, I think, over the middle, and it wasn't the greatest throw. But my theory is that Moss couldn't sell his patterns too well, because of his leg. We'll see how he is next week. Actually, when Pennington underthrew Chrebet on the Jets' last play of the game, Moss was wide open shorter, but still past the first down marker. Oh well.

Justin McCareins had his biggest game as a Jet. I think the Jets tried to exploit his matchup with Asante Samuel, and they did a good job of it, for the most part. McCareins looked shaky at times, though - maybe it was the wet ball, maybe it was just me. But I'll tell you where he really looks shaky - and that's returning punts. McCareins had one really good punt return, the rest were, "Just make a fair catch, and hold on. Don't drop it!!" types of punt returns.

So all in all, the Jets matched up well with the Patriots. Which is what most of us, I think, expected. They should have won, which is what I expected, but I don't think most others thought that...and by 'should have', I mean the Sowell fumble - it wasn't a forced fumble, he just dropped it. Looking at the Jets schedule, the Jets have Miami, Buffalo, Baltimore, Cleveland, and Arizona coming up. All of those games are very winnable, with just Baltimore presenting another measuring stick. The Jets need to pile up wins against those teams, because after that, it's December, and the Jets will have to face Houston, Pittsburgh, Seattle, the Patriots, and the Rams. Not a tough schedule this year, which basically means, win the games you're supposed to win, and get into the playoffs. Hopefully by that second game with New England, the Jets will figure out a way to beat the Pats, and hopefully it'll be another game with first place on the line.

Before I wrap up, here's the Patriots' remaining schedule: at Pittsburgh, at Saint Louis, Buffalo, at Kansas City, Baltimore, at Cleveland, Cincinnati, at Miami, at Jets, and San Francisco. That schedule matches up pretty well with what the Jets have left. And looking at their opponents, I don't know which of those teams will beat the Patriots. It sure would be wild if the Patriots come into that Week 16 matchup with the Jets with a perfect season on the line...but now we're getting a little ahead of ourselves.

The Jets have the Dolphins next week, on Monday night. Hopefully on their way to 6-1. It would be bad news if the Jets take this Patriots loss hard, and drop one at home against Miami. Your e-mails tomorrow....Send 'em on in: johnnyjetsmail@yahoo.com.