Just inches from the goal line and with a final chance to win, the New England Patriots showed they could take down Aaron Rodgers and the struggling New York Jets.
Rhamondre Stevenson charged through the line for his second touchdown with 22 seconds remaining on Sunday, leading the Patriots to a 25-22 victory after first-round draft pick Drake Maye left the game with a concussion early on.
Jacoby Brissett, who started but then became a backup, stepped in for Maye and guided the Patriots (2-6) to two scoring drives in the fourth quarter. This victory ended a six-game losing streak for New England and handed the Jets (2-6) their fifth straight loss.
“There’s chaos going on, he never wavers. That’s why he’s a team captain,” tight end Austin Hooper said about Brissett. “You’ve got two options: You can either fold or you can fight. Thank God Drake’s going to be all right, but when you have a guy like Jacoby, who’s won here, you don’t really blink.”
Stevenson also caught a 2-point conversion pass that put New England ahead by three points. Rodgers took control at his own 30 with no timeouts left. He missed one deep throw but then connected with Davante Adams for 16 yards, which wasn’t close to the sideline.
As the clock ran out, the Patriots defense celebrated on the field. This was their first home win in over a year, marking an end to a losing streak that had led their coach to call them “soft.”
“We got a challenge earlier this week. The guys came out and responded well,” Brissett said. “We pushed it in at the end to score the win. I think that encompassed a lot of things throughout the season. Just hoping this is a snowball effect, the start of something special.”
Instead of being at the bottom of the AFC East alone, the Patriots are now tied for last with the Jets, sitting four games behind the division-leading Buffalo Bills. Interim Jets coach Jeff Ulbrich, who is now 0-3 since taking over after Robert Saleh was fired, described the loss as “a moment of darkness,” and Rodgers agreed with him.
“I’ve been in the darkness,” he said. “You’ve got to go in there, make peace with it.”
Brissett, who started the first five games for the Patriots, completed 15 of 24 passes for 132 yards. Maye went 3 of 6 for 23 yards, and he also ran for 46 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown run. He left the game after a helmet-to-helmet hit from Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood that wasn’t penalized.
“I don’t look at it as redemption,” said Brissett, who has played with five teams over nine seasons and is back with New England for a second time. “I think this is a testament to me believing in myself. … I was very fortunate to have this opportunity. To go out there and get a win with our guys, it was sweet. You can’t put it into words.”
Rodgers completed 17 of 28 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns, connecting with Garrett Wilson five times for 113 yards. Breece Hall ran for 80 yards on 16 carries, and Braelon Allen scored on a 2-yard run to put the Jets ahead with three minutes left.
Greg Zuerlein missed two kicks—badly missing an extra point and also pulling a 44-yard field goal attempt to the left after New England took a 17-16 lead. Star edge rusher Haason Reddick made his Jets debut but did not record any tackles or assists, mostly playing in third-down situations.
A year after losing Rodgers to a knee injury just four plays into his first game with the team, the Jets started the season with high hopes. However, they haven’t won since their victory over the Patriots on September 19, which was their only win after also beating the one-win Tennessee team.
“The NFL is hard. It’s hard to win,” Rodgers said. “Harder when you make it difficult on yourself.”
Including last year’s finale, which was Bill Belichick’s last game as New England’s coach, New York had beaten the Patriots twice in a row after losing to them 15 times in a row. But unlike their Week 3 game, where the Jets won 24-3 and allowed only 139 yards of offense, this time New England fought back.
Maye scored a 17-yard touchdown in the first quarter, outpacing Jets linebacker Chazz Surratt to give the Patriots a 7-0 lead. However, the No. 3 overall draft pick had to go to the medical tent after he scrambled for an 18-yard gain and got hit while sliding.
Brissett came in after Maye, who had not played since being replaced in Week 6 and had not won since the opening game. He set up Joey Slye’s 23-yard field goal, giving the Patriots a 17-16 lead.
Rodgers connected with Wilson for a 22-yard pass and Adams for a 17-yarder to reach the New England 3 before Allen ran it in from there. The 2-point conversion attempt failed, leaving the Jets ahead 22-17.
With 2:57 left, Brissett took over, scrambled for 14 yards on a third and 9, and threw a 34-yard pass to Kayshon Boutte to the 9-yard line. Boutte caught a third-and-5 pass at the goal line, landing on his knees just short of the end zone.
On the next play, Stevenson barely crossed the line for the touchdown.
“There comes a point in time where they know — everyone knows, the fans know — it’s a run play,” Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said. “You’ve got to really just defeat the man across from you. Fortunately our guys got movement and we scored.”
