Patriots squeak by winless Jets
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Cam Newton and the New England Patriots appeared headed to a fifth consecutive loss — this one against the winless New York Jets, of all teams.
Then came the fourth quarter, and potential embarrassment turned into bigtime relief.
Nick Folk kicked a 51-yard field goal as time expired to win it 30-27 on Monday night after Newton rallied the Patriots from a 10-point deficit to avoid the franchise’s first five-game skid since 1995.
“It shows the character of this team,” said Rex Burkhead, who had a 1-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. “Just battling, fighting. It shows the strength we have. We’re not going to quit. We’re not going to lay down.”
Newton had two touchdown runs, with the second tying it at 27-27 with 1:57 remaining.
He also brushed off his struggles of the past few weeks, including a fumble against Buffalo last week that sealed a loss.
“I ’ m getti ng t i red of sucking,” said Newton, who was 27-of-35 passing for 274 yards. “It’s simple. As a competitor, you know what your standard is. Taking pride in your work, that’s what it comes down to.”
After the Jets (0-9) went three-and-out for the first time all night, the Patriots (3-5) got the ball back with 47 seconds left and went to work.
Newton had a 5-yard run on third and 1 from the New England 42 and then spiked the ball with 8 seconds remaining.
He followed with a 20yard pass to Jakobi Meyers to put Folk — who made several big kicks for the Jets from 2010-16 — in position for the winning field goal.
“I had a lot of good memories here at MetLife [Stadium],” said Folk, who had been dealing with a back injury. “I just added one to the other sideline tonight.”
Meanwhile, the Jets dropped to 0-9 for the first time in franchise history.
“It’s a tough pill to swallow,” said wide receiver Jamison Crowder, whose 20yard touchdown catch shortly before halftime gave the Jets a 20-10 lead. “That was a tough loss right there. That was a game we should’ve won.”
After Folk’s 29-yarder with 6:04 left cut the Patriots’ deficit to 27-20, quarterback Joe Flacco — having a solid night until that point while starting for an injured Sam Darnold — tried to put the game away.
Instead, he swayed the momentum in New England’s favor.
Flacco’s deep pass down the middle for Denzel Mims was picked off by J.C. Jackson. That set up Newton’s tying touchdown.
“I don’t think I would’ve made a different decision in the moment,” Flacco said. “But, obviously, I’d like to have that one back.”
Flacco was 18 of 25 for 262 yards and 3 touchdown passes — two to Breshad Perriman and one to Crowder — but had the game-changing interception.
With the Patriots down by 10 points at 20-10, Newton marched them down the field to open the second half, capping a 14-play drive with Burkhead’s 1-yard plunge into the end zone to make it 20-17.
But the Jets answered right back, with Flacco finding a wide-open Perriman in the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown and a 27-17 lead with 30 seconds left in the third quarter.