Instant analysis of Patriots’ interception-filled win against Jets in Week 2

The running back crew and secondary were the biggest bright spots in the New England Patriots’ 25-6 win over the New York Jets in Week 2.

By no means, was it a pretty win.

Backup right tackle Yasir Durant allowed Mac Jones to get sacked three times for 29 yards, while left tackle Isaiah Wynn had a pair of penalties. Jones completed 22 of 30 passes for 186 yards, but he still didn’t show the big-play ability that will be necessary against opponents like the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the coming weeks.

With all that being said, the chemistry is building brick by brick and this group is coming together around their rookie quarterback who has an extremely high ceiling.

As aforementioned, the secondary is shaping up quickly without star cornerback Stephon Gilmore in the mix. J.C. Jackson led the Patriots with two interceptions and he put the clamps on highly-touted rookie receiver Elijah Moore. Adrian Phillips had an impressive diving interception and Devin McCourty put an exclamation point with the fourth pick.

New England had a shaky start offensively, but the reliable James White kicked the team in gear. White finished the day off with 20 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown along with six catches for 45 yards. Damien Harris had a slow start, but his explosiveness was present in the second half and it led to a remarkable 27-yard touchdown.

Keeping in mind, this was all against the Jets and a rookie quarterback who had a similar look in his eyes as Sam Darnold when he was “seeing ghosts.”

The Patriots will turn the corner and host back-to-back matchups against two of the league’s most prolific offenses with the Saints and Buccaneers. Jameis Winston had an incredible Week 1 showing and Tom Brady, well, is Tom Brady. The mistakes will quickly add up and put the Patriots in holes too big to recover from with the lack of big-play ability.

There’s a lot of positive takeaways, including the not-yet mentioned performance of Nick Folk who now has broke the Patriots’ record for consecutive field goals with 33.

New England is trending in the right direction, but there’s still plenty of room to grow and the struggles against the Jets proved it.

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