New England Patriots 41, New York Jets 3
Here are the top-graded players and biggest storylines from New England’s 41-3 win over the New York Jets in Week 16:
Quarterback grade: Tom Brady, 91.9
Brady makes a statement in MVP race
Even with heavy rain early in the game, Brady was sharp from start to finish, hitting 8-of-13 (one was dropped) for 163 yards and three touchdowns on passes thrown at least 10 yards downfield. Perhaps his best throw of the day came on deep pass interference penalty at the end of the half as put a 51-yard pass right on WR Malcolm Mitchell’s hands, but the penalty prevented the completion. Brady took advantage on the very next play with another strike on a corner route to RB James White for a touchdown and New England rolled behind one of Brady’s sharpest outings of the year.
Top offensive grades:
OT Marcus Cannon, 85.1
C David Andrews, 80.1
OT Nate Solder, 79.9
WR Julian Edelman, 75.0
TE Matt Lengel, 74.3
Offensive line makes their mark
One of the biggest stories of the season for the Patriots is the development of the right side of their offensive line as RG Shaq Mason and RT Marcus Cannon have both made major strides and fueled their man/gap running scheme. Saturday was more of the same as they both had success in the running game against a strong New York defensive line. The rest of the line did their part as well as Brady was only pressured on six of his 28 dropbacks.
Top defensive grades:
CB Malcolm Butler, 89.8
CB Logan Ryan, 82.8
CB Eric Rowe, 82.1
S Devin McCourty, 81.8
S Patrick Chung, 78.4
Patriots defensive backfield shuts Jets offense down
Although it helps that they went up against a Jets offense that struggled all game, the strength of the Patriots defensive backfield in this game shouldn't be understated. Cornerback Malcolm Butler didn't allow a single pass to be completed into his coverage, but came away with two interceptions, while Patrick Chung, Eric Rowe and Logan Ryan all had pass breakups. No Patriots defender was responsible for more than two catches in coverage over the course of the game.
Quarterback grade: Ryan Fitzpatrick, 48.1
Fitzpatrick fails to make the most of another chance
When Bryce Petty went down early in the game, Fitzpatrick got yet another chance to get into the starting lineup, but it once again ended in disappointment. He completed just eight of the 21 passes he attempted, and had two interceptions. One of those was as a result of a nice play on a tipped pass by Malcolm Butler, but another was a Christmas gift to the Patriots via an underthrown pass. By the time the game was over, Fitzpatrick had completed just one of the five passes he attempted travelling 20 yards or further downfield.
Top offensive grades:
OT Brandon Shell, 80.5
G Dakota Dozier, 78.2
C Wesley Johnson, 77.2
G James Carpenter, 75.3
WR Brandon Marshall, 69.9
Jets offense fails to get going until late
This was always going to be a tough game for the Jets, but the level to which they lost highlights just how much of a struggle this season has been for them. They averaged just 3.9 yards per carry, saw just one pass completed traveling 20 yards or further downfield, and had two dropped passes on just 24 passing attempts. One bright spot was their pass protection, with Bryce Petty and Ryan Fitzpatrick under pressure on just five dropbacks, but ultimately that wasn't enough to help that generate anything on offense.
Top defensive grades:
CB Buster Skrine, 86.8
CB Juston Burris, 77.5
LB Darron Lee, 76.5
DI Muhammad Wilkerson, 70.8
CB Darrelle Revis, 63.2
Few bright spots defensively for the Jets
Outside of a few red-zone stops, the Jets defense did little to slow down the New England offense, though the poor field position the offense gave them did not help matters. Only pressuring Brady on six of 28 dropbacks was the first issue, as Muhammad Wilkerson was the only Jets player to manage more than one pressure. Rookie CB Juston Burris made a strong impression with two pass breakups though he did have a bad holding call in the end zone. In the end, the lack of pressure made it difficult to cover on the back end and Brady had his way when throwing the ball down the field.
PFF Game-Ball Winner: Patriots QB Tom Brady, 91.1
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