Halftime numbers and notes
Well, that couldn’t have gone much worse for the Patriots.
A dropped pass in the end zone by Alge Crumpler ultimately cost the Patriots four points (they salvaged the drive with a field goal). A scoring run by nemesis LaDainian Tomlinson. A botched fake punt on special teams that led to another touchdown, a Sanchez-to-Braylon Edwards 15-yarder in which Devin McCourty finally looked like a rookie.
And to punctuate it all, a boneheaded 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on Logan Mankins, killing a potential scoring drive on the final possession of the half.
In one regard, the Patriots are lucky to be down just 14-3. Remember, Nick Folk missed a 30-yard field goal, so the margin could be even greater than 11.
But the Jets are emboldened. The Patriots broke their will early in their last meeting Dec. 6, taking a 24-3 lead into halftime, and a fast start this time might have done the same. Instead, the Jets are 30 minutes from making Rex Ryan look like a motivational genius.
Some key stats from the first half:
Tom Brady: 10 for 17, 99 yards, no touchdowns, one pick, three sacks
Danny Woodhead: three catches for 25 yards, six carries for 19 yards.
Alge Crumpler: Two catches, 37 yards. He has the Patriots’ longest play of the day, a 28-yard reception. In the Dec. 6 rout, three different receivers had at least one catch of 25 or more yards.
Deion Branch, Rob Gronkowski, and Aaron Hernandez have combined for two catches, both by Gronkowski. That may be the most telling stat of all.
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