Road to MetLife Stadium: Observations from the stands

It was both a great day and a horrible day for a Patriots fan to watch their team play on the road in MetLife Stadium.

I was on the scene in the stands at MetLife Stadium to witness the return of Rob Gronkowski but also the Pats' second loss of the season.

For one, it was one of the most exciting games the Patriots have played this season. An overtime thriller that unfortunately ended due to a controversial call. Also, comedian Louis CK was in attendance.
Your first biggest concern when going to an away game, especially the Jets, is the fans. I was fortunate enough to be in a section with many nice and classy Jets fans. Probably nowhere near this guy.

One thing that was painfully apparent was the play of Kyle Arrington. He was abused regularly by Jeremy Kerley early on in the game, and eventually lost his job to Logan Ryan and barely played the rest of the way.

Aside from a few drives, the Patriots coverage was actually pretty good. A lot of the sacks the team had on Geno Smith seemed to be coverage sacks with Geno having nowhere to really go with the ball. The loss of Talib was still apparent though as the Jets converted way too many third and longs.

It was also easier to appreciate the work of Devin McCourty in person, seeing the entire field. McCourty largely lined up against the Jets tight end Jeff Cumberland, and did a great job limiting him, including breaking up a pass in the endzone.

The importance of field position also becomes so much more obvious in person and it was a battle the Patriots seemed to be losing all game. Especially in that second half. That probably killed the Pats as much as anything else. It also didn't help that Brady was constantly getting sacked on first down.

On the offensive side of the ball, obviously seeing Rob Gronkowski live is impressive. He's so much bigger than everyone on the field. You could tell Brady was excited to have him back as he forced the ball to him quite a bit, including one pass that was picked and brought back for a Jets touchdown.

That pick six lit a fire in a dejected Jets crowd that never went away the rest of the game. Jets fans were obviously overjoyed at the end of the game. You could tell this was sort of like their Super Bowl. I've been to Gillette when the Patriots beat the Jets, and no one really cares. It was the complete opposite in New Jersey, with fans heckling Pats fans on their way out and talking about how bad Tom Brady is.

Of course, they maybe shouldn't get that excited since the Pats were playing with so many injuries, and it still took a controversial penalty to win them the game. Anyway, good for them, it was bound to happen every once in awhile.

“In the spirit of full-disclosure, I’ve partnered with MetLife as part of the Road to MetLife Stadium Preferred Blogger Program. Throughout the year I’ll be receiving special access to MetLife Stadium events and be conducting reader giveaways, with prizes provided by MetLife. However, no payment was given or expected for posting about the program, and as always, all opinions given here are fully my own. “

“I am currently a member of the Road to MetLife Stadium Preferred Blogger Program and this post is part of my involvement. While MetLife provides me material and necessary resources to complete various activities, all statements and sentiment in PatriotsLife are my own.”