With Maye out, 'soft' Patriots come back to send Rodgers and Jets to 5th straight loss

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- — Inches from the goal line with one last chance to punch in the game-winning score, the New England Patriots proved to be tough enough to beat Aaron Rodgers and the stumbling New York Jets.

Rhamondre Stevenson plunged through the line for his second touchdown with 22 seconds left on Sunday and the New England Patriots recovered after first-round draft pick Drake Maye left with a concussion early to beat Aaron Rodgers and the much-hyped New York Jets 25-22.

Starter-turned-backup Jacoby Brissett replaced the quarterback who replaced him and led the Patriots (2-6) on two fourth-quarter scoring drives, snapping a six-game losing streak and sending the Jets (2-6) to their fifth loss in a row.

“There's chaos going on, he never wavers. That's why he's a team captain," tight end Austin Hooper said of 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 the 2-point conversion pass that gave New England a three-point lead. Rodgers took over at his own 30 with no timeouts and missed one deep pass before connecting with Davante Adams for 16 yards, but far from the sideline.

As the final seconds ticked off the clock, the Patriots defense leapt for joy on the field. It was their first win at home in more than a year – since the seventh week of last season — a slump that led their own 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 alone in the AFC East cellar, the Patriots are now tied for last with the Jets, four games behind the division-leading Buffalo Bills. Interim Jets coach Jeff Ulbrich, who fell to 0-3 since taking over when Robert Saleh was fired, called the loss “a moment of darkness,” and Rodgers agreed.

“I’ve been in the darkness,” he said. “You’ve got to go in there, make peace with it.”

Brissett, who started the Patriots’ first five games, completed 15 of 24 passes for 132 yards; Maye was 3 of 6 for 23 yards and ran for 46 yards and a 17-yard touchdown run. He left after an unpenalized helmet-to-helmet hit from Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood.

“I don’t look at it as redemption,” said Brissett, who has played with five teams over nine seasons and is in his second stint with New England. “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, hitting 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 give the Jets the lead with three minutes remaining.

Greg Zuerlein missed two kicks — badly shanking 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 without registering a tackle or assist while playing mostly in third-down situations.

A year after losing Rodgers to a season-ending knee injury four snaps into his first game with the team, the Jets came into the season with massive expectations. But they haven't won since beating the Patriots on Sept. 19 — a week after beating one-win Tennessee for their only other victory.

“The NFL is hard. It’s hard to win" Rodgers said. “Harder when you make it difficult on yourself.”

Counting last year’s finale – Bill Belichick’s last game as New England coach – New York had beaten the Patriots twice in a row after losing to them the previous 15 times. But unlike in the Week 3 matchup that the Jets won 24-3 and allowed just 139 yards of offense, this time New England put up a fight.

Maye ran for a 17-yard TD in the first quarter, beating Jets linebacker Chazz Surratt to the corner to give the Patriots a 7-0 lead. The No. 3 overall draft pick went to the medical tent after scrambling for an 18-yard gain and getting hit as he slid.

In came Brissett, who had not played since Maye replaced him in Week 6, and had not won since the opener. He set up Joey Slye’s 23-yard field goal that gave the Patriots a 17-16 lead.

Rodgers connected on a 22-yard pass to Wilson and a 17-yarder to Adams to the New England 3 before Allen carried it in from there. The 2-point conversion failed, leaving the Jets up 22-17.

Brissett took over with 2:57 left, scrambled for 14 yards on a third and 9 and connected with Kayshon Boutte for 34 yards to the 9. Boutte caught a third-and-5 pass at the goal line, landing on his knees with the ball just short of the end zone.

On the next play, Stevenson barely broke the plane for the score.

"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.”

Injuries

Jets: LB C.J. Mosley did not start and was announced with a neck injury early in the game.

Patriots: Maye left in the second quarter and entered the concussion protocol.

Up next

Jets: host the Texans on Thursday night.

Patriots: visit the Titans next week.

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