Game Notes: Redemption for Jones as Blocked Kick Locks up Patriots Victory Over Jets

Call it an evening of redemption for Chris Jones.

It was nearly a year ago in Week 7 of the 2013 season that the Patriots’ lineman cost the team a win against the Jets after getting flagged for pushing another player into the line of scrimmage during a failed Jets field goal try in overtime.

The penalty gave the Jets the second chance they needed to win the game.

Fast forward to Week 7 of the 2014 season and a similar situation arises. With Nick Folk lined up to kick a 58-yard field goal to win the game for the Jets, it was a block by Jones that sealed up a 27-25 win for the Patriots over the rival New York Jets.

“A few people have told me about it,” Jones said of the similarities. “That was last year and it just feels good to get the win this year.”

“Obviously really happy for Chris [Jones] at the end. After what happened last year, I thought it was so fitting that he made that play. That was awesome,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said after the game

New England improves to 5-2 though seven games this season.

Tom Brady continued his recent offensive tear, throwing 20-37 for 261 yards and three touchdowns.

Since the week four defeat against Kansas City, Brady has gone 70-109 for 914 yards and nine touchdowns.

Shane Vereen was responsible for two of Brady’s three touchdown passes, streaking down the right sideline for a wide-open 49-yard touchdown reception on the first play of the game.

“ We ran a double outside route, it looked like the corner sat on and just dropped Shane. It was like he was out to practice early. It was good by Tom to see it because Shane was kind of a clear-out guy on that route but Tom had time, he was able to scan downfield. You don’t want to give him those kind of opportunities. He’s not going to miss many of them,” Belichick said.

Vereen’s second touchdown came on a third and goal with 4:28 to play in the first half. A quick pass to the running back over the middle put the Patriots up 14-12.

While the Jets manages to score on their five drives of the game, The good news, is that the Patriots’ defense were able to hold the Jets to only field goals on the first four. Nick Folk was arguable the reason why the Jets were only down 19-12 at the half, kicking field goals from 22, 47, 46, and 27 yards in the first half.

The Jets took their first lead of the game on their first drive of the second half, going 80 yards on 11 plays in 6:02.

Chris Ivory and Chris Johnson gave the Patriots nightmares, combing for 168 yards on the ground. Ivory started the first drive of the second half with runs of 16 and 14 yards to get to the Patriots’ 44-yard line. A pair of passes by Geno Smith got the Jets down to the eight where Ivory would eventually dive over the top to score a 1-yard touchdown.

On the next drive, Stephen Gostkowski nailed a 36-yard field goal, his second of the game, to put the Patriots back up 20-19.

Mainly being used for kick returns during the game, Patriots fans were treated to a rare occurrence as Danny Amendola scored on a 19-yard touchdown reception on the left side of the goal-line which put New England up 27-19 with 7:49 to play

New York would respond on their next possession, capping off a 12-play drive with a short touchdown pass from Smith to Jeff Cumberland with 2:31 left. An attempt for two points was no good after Smith’s pass was just out of the reach of Jace Amaro and kept the Patriots up by two points late in the game.

The Patriots will enjoy a few extra days of rest before hosting the Chicago Bears on Oct. 26.

The following are game notes provided by Patriots Media Relations:

TEAM NOTES

PATRIOTS HAVE NOW WON 16 STRAIGHT AT HOME AGAINST THE AFC EAST

The Patriots won their 16th consecutive home game against AFC East opposition. The last time the Patriots lost a home game against an AFC East opponent was on Nov. 13, 2008, when the New York Jets left Gillette Stadium with a 34-31 overtime win. The Patriots are now 32-5 against the AFC East at Gillette Stadium.

The most consecutive home wins against division opponents since 1970:

Team Years Streak

Green Bay 1994-98 18

Buffalo 1988-92 17

Patriots 2009-present 16

Dallas 1991-95 16

Miami 19971-75 16

PATRIOTS ARE WICKED GOOD IN OCTOBER

The Patriots are an NFL-best 40-9 in the month of October since the 2003 season. The Patriots are now 24-1 in October home games since 2003. Their last home loss in October was on Oct. 2, 2005 (a 41-17 loss vs. San Diego).

MOST WINS IN OCTOBER SINCE 2003

Team W L T Pct.

New England Patriots 40 9 0 .816

New York Giants 34 12 0 .739

Indianapolis Colts 29 13 0 .690

Green Bay Packers 29 15 0 .659

Pittsburgh Steelers 28 15 0 .651

MOST HOME WINS IN OCTOBER SINCE 2003

Team W L T Pct.

New England Patriots 24 1 0 .960

Indianapolis 14 3 0 .823

Pittsburgh 16 5 0 .762

THE PATRIOTS GOOD WITH NO INTERCEPTIONS

The Patriots have thrown just two interceptions in the first seven games. New England has not had an interception in October, as Tom Brady has nine touchdowns and no interceptions in the month of October Since 2002, the Patriots are an NFL-best 93-11 when throwing no interceptions.

Team Games without INT W-L-T Win Pct.

New England 104 93-11-0 .894

Jacksonville 93 56-37-0 .602

Philadelphia 89 64-25-0 .719

Indianapolis 88 74-14-0 .841

Kansas City 88 53-35-0 .602

DIVISIONAL DOMINANCE

The Patriots improved to a 65-18 (.783) record in regular season AFC East games since the beginning of the 2001 season with the win over New York. That is the best intra-division record in the NFL over that span (Indianapolis, 60-23).

HOME SWEET HOME FOR THE PATRIOTS;

IMPROVE TO 33 STRAIGHT HOME WINS AGAINST THE AFC CONFERENCE

The Patriots improved to 84-15 (.848) at Gillette Stadium in regular season games.

With today’s victory over the New York Jets, New England has now won 33 straight games at home against AFC conference opponents. The Patriots’ 33 straight home wins against a conference is the longest in NFL history (following the 1970 merger). The Miami Dolphins are second in NFL history with 21 straight home conference wins (1971-1974). The Patriots last loss at home against an AFC opponent was a 33-10 loss vs. Pittsburgh on Nov. 30, 2008.

TEAMS WITH HIGHEST WIN PCT. AT STADIUM SINCE 1970 (MIN. 25 GAMES)

Team Stadium W-L-T Win Pct.

New England Gillette Stadium 84-15-0 .848

Miami Orange Bowl 101-22-1 .819

PATRIOTS WIN 12th STRAIGHT HOME GAME

The Patriots won their 12th consecutive home game, extending the longest current home winning streak in the NFL. The Patriots have not lost a regular-season home game since December 16, 2012, when San Francisco left Foxborough with a 41-34 win.

MOST CONSECUTIVE HOME VICTORIES (Current Streaks)

New England 12

New Orleans 10

Philadelphia 8

San Diego 6

PATRIOTS EXTEND STREAK TO 44 STRAIGHT HOME GAMES WITH AT LEAST 1 TD PASS

The Patriots extended their streak 44 straight home games with at least one touchdown pass, the longest streak in post-merger NFL history. New Orleans has the second longest streak with 40. The last time the Patriots did not have a touchdown pass in a home game was in a 33-10 loss vs. Pittsburgh on Dec. 30, 2008.

MOST CONSECUTIVE HOME GAMES WITH A TOUCHDOWN PASS SINCE 1970

Team Gm Start End Record

New England Patriots 44 12/21/08 Current 41-3

New Orleans Saints 40 10/18/09 Current 31-9

Green Bay Packers 36 10/05/08 12/02/12 29-7

Miami Dolphins 32 09/11/83 12/22/86 26-6

Green Bay Packers 29 11/03/96 09/03/00 24-5

PATS HAVE WON 70 STRAIGHT HOME GAMES WHEN LEADING AT THE HALF

The Patriots have now won 70 straight home games when leading at halftime, adding to their NFL record. The last time the Patriots lost at home after leading at halftime was on Dec. 24, 2000 (vs. Miami) when they Patriots lost 27-24 after leading 21-17 at halftime. Tonight, the Patriots were leading 17-12 at halftime and won the game 27-25.

DEFENSE PRESERVES LEAD

The Patriots defense forced three consecutive New York punts to preserve a 20-19 New England lead in the third and fourth quarters. Casey Walker, Chandler Jones, and Darrelle Revis each came up with big third-down plays to end New York drives and keep the Jets from taking the lead. After the third straight Jets punt, the Patriots put together a touchdown drive that ended in a 19-yard touchdown catch by Danny Amendola that gave the Patriots a 27-19 lead.

PATRIOTS DEFENSE DOES WELL

The Patriots defense is the only one in the NFL that has not allowed a pass play of over 40 yards. The longest pass the Patriots have allowed was when Cincinnati QB Jason Campbell completed a 38-yard pass to WR Jeremy Hill on Oct. 5, 2014.

RARE FINAL SCORE

Tonight’s game was only the fifth game in NFL history to end with a final score of 27-25, and it was the first tme a Patriots game ended with that score. The last time an NFL game ended in a 27-25 score was on November 20, 2005, when Seattle scored a 27-25 win at San Francisco.

PATRIOTS CONTINUE STRING OF STRONG STARTS TO SEASONS

The Patriots have won five of their first seven games to start the 2014 season. It is the 10th time in the last 12 years and eighth time in the last nine years that the Patriots have started the season with at least five wins in their first seven games.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

TOM BRADY BECOMES THIRD PATRIOTS PLAYER TO PLAY IN 200 GAMES

Tom Brady played in his 200th NFL regular season game and joined Bruce Armstrong (212) and Julius Adams (206) as the only Patriots players to play in at least 200 games with the Patriots.

MOST GAMES PLAYED IN PATRIOTS HISTORY

Player Games Played

Bruce Armstrong 212

Julius Adams 206

Tom Brady 200

TOM BRADY WINS 41st STRAIGHT HOME GAME AGAINST AFC

Tom Brady won his 41st straight regular season home game as a starting quarterback against an AFC opponent. Brady is now 67-8 in his career as a starting quarterback against AFC teams. The last time that Brady lost a home regular season game to an AFC opponent was on Nov. 12, 2006 when the Patriots lost to the New York Jets, 17-14.

BRADY BECOMES ONE OF FIVE NFL QBs WITH AT LEAST 370 TOUCHDOWNS;

TIES DREW BREES FOR FOURTH ALL-TIME

Tom Brady’s 49-yard touchdown pass to RB Shane Vereen was his 370th career touchdown pass. He is now one of just five NFL players with at least 370 career touchdown passes. He added a 3-yard touchdown to Vereen in the second quarter and a 19-yard touchdown pass to WR Danny Amendola in the fourth quarter. With three touchdowns tonight, Brady finished the game with 372 career touchdowns and is tied with Drew Brees for fourth all-time on the NFL’s touchdown list.

MOST TOUCHDOWN PASSES IN NFL HISTORY

Name Touchdowns

Brett Favre 508

Peyton Manning 506

Dan Marino 420

Tom Brady 372

Drew Brees 372

BRADY REMAINS UNDEFEATED ON THURSDAY;

HAS 13 TD AND NO INT IN LAST FIVE THURSDAY GAMES

Tom Brady improved to a 7-0 record as a starter in Thursday games, including 3-0 on Thursday against the Jets. In his career on Thursdays, Brady has thrown 16 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. In his last five Thursday games, Brady has 13 touchdowns and no interceptions.

BRADY HAS WON 7 STRAIGHT HOME GAMES AGAINST THE JETS

Brady is now 19-5 all-time against the Jets as a starter, including 10-2 in home games following tonight’s win. It was his seventh straight home win against the Jets in the regular season.

VEREEN SCORES ON A 49-YARD TOUCHDOWN PASS;

LONGEST TD CATCH BY A RUNNING BACK IN GILLETTE STADIUM HISTORY

RB Shane Vereen scored on a 49-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady on the game’s fourth play. It was the second longest touchdown reception of his career. His career best was an 83-yard touchdown pass from Brady at the New York Jets on Nov. 22, 2012. Vereen’s 49-yard touchdown reception is the longest by a Patriots running back in Gillette Stadium history. The previous best was a 43-yard touchdown by RB Kevin Faulk from Tom Brady vs. Houston on Dec. 17, 2006.

VEREEN HAD FIRST REGULAR SEASON 2-TD GAME

Vereen caught a 49-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter and a 3-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter for his first NFL two-touchdown regular season game. He had two receiving touchdowns in the 2012 AFC Divisional Playoff game vs. Houston on Jan. 13, 2013.

DEFENSE HAS THIRD DOWN STOPS ON THREE CONSECUTIVE DRIVES

• Casey Walker sacked Smith for a 5-yard loss in the third quarter, setting up a third-and-long that the Jets did not convert, helping to force the first New York punt of the night and preserve the Patriots’ 20-19 lead.
• Chandler Jones sacked Smith for a 15-yard loss on third-and-5 in the fourth quarter to force a New York punt. The sack raised Jones’s season sack total to a team-high 4.5 sacks and ended a New York drive with the Patriots holding a 20-19 advantage.
• Darrelle Revis broke up a Smith pass intended for Eric Decker on third-and-5 to force New York to punt for the third consecutive drive and help preserve the Patriots’ 20-19 lead.

JONES PRESERVES WIN WITH BLOCKED FIELD GOAL ON FINAL PLAY

Chris Jones blocked a 58-yard field goal attempt by the Jets on the final play of the game to preserve New England’s 27-25 win. It was the first blocked field goal for the Patriots since Chandler Jones blocked a 39-yard try by Miami’s Caleb Sturgess on October 28, 2013.

DANNY AMENDOLA RETURNS FIRST KICKOFF AS A PATRIOT

Danny Amendola returned a first quarter kick 27 yards for his first kickoff return as a member of the Patriots. He had four returns for 105 yards, including a 31-yard return.

DANNY AMENDOLA HAS FIRST TOUCHDOWN OF 2014

Danny Amendola scored on a 19-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter to record his first touchdown of 2014 and his third scoring catch with the Patriots.

CASEY WALKER RECORDS FIRST NFL SACK

Casey Walker dropped Jets QB Geno Smith for a 5-yard loss in the third quarter for his first NFL sack.

GOSTKOWSKI ON A GOOD PACE IN 2014

Stephen Gostkowski has 18 field goals so far in 2014, putting him on pace to finish with 41 field goals, which would be the third highest single-season total in NFL history.

Most Field Goals Made in a Season/NFL

Player Field Goals Year

David Akers (San Francisco) 44 2011

Neil Rackers (Arizona) 40 2005

Olindo Mare (Miami) 39 1999

Jeff Wilkins (St. Louis) 39 2003

Stephen Gostkowski (Patriots) 38 2013

Justin Tucker (Baltimore) 38 2013

GRONKOWSKI EXTENDS HIS STREAK TO 57 STRAIGHT GAMES WITH A RECEPTION

Rob Gronkowski caught an 3-yard pass in the first quarter and has caught at least one pass in all 57 regular season games that he has played.

LONGEST CURRENT STREAKS OF CONSECUTIVE GAMES WITH A RECEPTION BY TIGHT ENDS

94 Owen Daniels (Houston/Baltimore)

93 Jason Witten (Dallas)

87 Heath Miller (Pittsburgh)

57 Rob Gronkowski

LINEUP NOTES

BRANDON BROWNER SEES FIRST ACTION OF THE SEASON

Brandon Browner made his Patriots regular season debut with a start at cornerback.

FIRST-YEAR RB JOANS GRAY PLAYS IN FIRST NFL REGULAR SEASON GAME

First-year RB Jonas Gray was signed from the practice squad to the practice squad prior to the game and saw action in his first regular season game.

JORDAN DEVEY MAKES FOURTH NFL START; FIRST AT LEFT GUARD

Jordan Devey, who started the first three games of 2014 at right guard, made his first start at left guard against the Jets.

Photo Credit: New England Patriots