The New England Patriots may have gotten a bit greedy last Thursday night against the New York Jets.
Entering their Week 3 matchup as one of the better running offenses in the NFL, they tried to capitalize on their previous success and catch the Jets off guard. As a result, offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt called seven passes on the first nine offensive plays.
The plan backfired. The Patriots were forced to punt twice, and as a result ended up holding the ball just 4:34 in the first quarter. The next time they were back in possession, they found themselves trailing 14-0 — a deficit too big to overcome at this point in New England’s offensive development.