Patriots Squeak into First Place in AFC East After Win
Rob Gronkowski's two touchdowns also helped put the Jets away.
Shonn Greene opened up the score giving the Jets the lead at 8:55 in the first quarter after rushing one yard. Tim Tebow and Mark Sanchez swapped quarterback positions to move the chains from their own 24-yard line.
Immediately after, Devin McCourty ran for 104 yards to return the the ball for a touchdown, keeping the Patriots in the game tied 7-7.
Sanchez tried to hand off the ball to Greene early in the second quarter and the ball slipped out and squirted into the end zone. Sanchez kicked the ball out of bounds which then resulted in a safety giving the Patriots a 16-7 lead.
Alfonzo Dennard intercepted a pass thrown by Sanchez intended for Stephen Hill midway through the second quarter. The Patriots could not convert on their possession and forced them to punt. During the kick-off, there was a face mask penalty which resulted in the Patriots getting the ball back with a 15-yard penalty and an automatic first down. The Patriots, however, did not capitalize on the drive and the Jets came back to give Nick Folk a chance to kick for a field goal. The score was 16-10 for the Patriots going into the half.
The Jets had possession of the ball going into the second half, and started at their own 32 yard line. The Jets had to settle for another field goal closing the gap to 16-13.
Driving for almost seven minutes in the third quarter, the Patriots gained 83 yards and finished it off when Brady threw to Gronkowski again for a two-yard touchdown pass to give New England a 10-yard lead.
Dustin Keller recorded a seven yard touchdown to keep the Jets in the game as they trailed the Patriots 23-20.
Folk tied the game for the Jets after he kicked a 43-yard field goal at 2:06 in the fourth quarter. McCourty, with hopes of returning the ball for another touchdown, fumbled the ball at the New England 18 yard line, where the Jets recovered the ball. Folk kicked a 43-yard field goal with 1:37 left in the game.
Stephen Gostkowski brought the Patriots into overtime as he kicked a 43-yard field goal leaving the score 26-26.
Sanchez, with pressure to get his team at least a field goal, was sacked, causing a fumble, where Ninkovich recovered the ball, ending the game.
Going into the game, the Bills lost against the Titans and the Dolphins were on a bye, which means that Patriots' win puts them into first place of the AFC East.
New England scored on offense, defense, and special teams.
Wes Welker hit a milestone as he had his 700th career reception.
