FLORHAM PARK, NEW JERSEY—The New York Jets are indirectly responsible for unleashing the wrath of Tom Brady upon the National Football League. A fateful September 2001 game in Foxboro featured a brutal Mo Lewis hit on Drew Bledsoe with the latter’s departure giving way to the backup quarterback from Michigan.
The Jets won the game. The Patriots won five (and potentially counting) Super Bowls.
At this point, it’s fair to draw similar comparisons to a hit Trent Cole, then of the Indianapolis Colts, laid down a season-ending hit on Derek Carr on Christmas Eve 2016.