A lesser man would pluck the ripest fruit off the tree and tell you the Patriots finally won a game because Zach Wilson played quarterback for the Jets on a rainy, windy Sunday at MetLife Stadium. That lesser man would have a point. The last time I saw a signal caller this indecisive was the last time I watched Wilson in person last November against these Pats. There is a reason Joe Douglas and Robert Saleh moved heaven and earth to acquire Aaron Rodgers, even at the age of 39, with questions about his overall commitment to the game. Anything, they decided, would be better than Wilson. They were right, even as Rodgers is likely out for the year with that torn Achilles.
That said, while there is certainly truth to that storyline of Wilson being ultimately the reason for the Jets' demise, he still nearly did the unthinkable, and that's end the Pats win streak against Gang Green. A Hail Mary as time expired was almost answered by Randall Cobb. What. In. The. Hell? Too close for comfort on an afternoon when it shouldn't have been.
"When it's our time, we gotta answer the call, we gotta answer the bell," said Matthew Judon. "That's what we want to do. We want to end the game in our hands. We don't want it to be in thrilling fashion, but if that's the case, Hail Mary, we go out there and stop it."
There was a collective heart-in-the-throat moment at the end, but the flip side is what this coach believes his team can be: a monster on defense. The Jets scored just one touchdown and had 13 drives that produced jack squat, mainly. One hundred seventy-one total yards, an average of 2.8 per play. The Pats can take their share of credit for how this game trended for the first three-plus quarters and again at the close. They knew Saleh and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett would want to take the weight off Wilson's incapable shoulders, so they decided to dust off their base defense in first and second-down situations far more than they had at any point in the first two games. The Pats had played just three snaps in a 4-3 before, all against the Eagles. Knowing that Breece Hall and Dalvin Cook would be the Pepto-Bismol to Wilson's nauseating play, they unleashed their big bodies with Sam Roberts alongside Lawrence Guy, Davon Godchaux, and Keion White up front. But they also added Anfernee Jennings as an edge setter, something he does very well, with Ja'Whaun Bentley and Jahlani Tavai at linebacker. It paid dividends early and often. It was just the second play where Jennings knifed down and jackhammered Breece Hall for a 6-yard loss. That was tone-setting.
"It was a great job defensively, especially in the first half," said Bill Belichick. "Those guys really played well, responded."
In their first five drives of the first half, the Jets had 2 yards rushing on eight carries. With Hall. With Cook. With a reworked offensive line that has plenty of draft capital and free-agent money invested in it. Four of the five series were three-and-outs. Your guys versus theirs. That's an ass-whipping, plain and simple.
In the second half, after surrendering that touchdown to make it a one-score game, the defense bowed up on back-to-back drives, getting a safety after Judon unleashed a nice spin move on Mekhi Becton, then forcing the Jets to turn it over on downs at midfield on the next possession, that included Wilson checking it down to a tight end on 4th and 10 for a two-yard gain. Then there was the wing and prayer and, finally, a win.
"Winning is everything," said Jabril Peppers. "You know we gotta do more, gotta be better out there, still plays we wish we could have back on both sides of the ball, but it's always nice when you can correct the things after a win."
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the play of rookie Christian Gonzalez. While he didn't shadow Garrett Wilson for the entire game, he got that assignment in different doses throughout the afternoon. True to form, he handled it like he's been here and done this before years. The kid is the definition of cooler than the other side of the pillow, a 20-year-old who plays like he's 30. There is a calmness to his play that breeds confidence, not just amongst his teammates but in the coaching staff, and that is evident in the trust they've shown him. I still would have traded up to snag him on draft night, but the Pats played that one perfectly, and Gonzalez has become a critical chess piece for what the defense is doing and will do going forward.
"We can't be like we made it," said Judon. "It's only one win. We really haven't done anything yet. We gotta come back and continue to prepare and work hard like we still ain't got any wins."
The test next Sunday is far more legitimate than this one - let's start with Dak Prescott being a damn sight better than Zach Wilson - but the building blocks for this defense are all in place to complicate his afternoon/evening, and who knows, maybe make him wish he was anywhere else. The Pats are due. They haven't beaten a good quarterback in a long time (today certainly doesn't qualify). But they have the horses. Time to let 'em run.