new york jets

As someone who has tracked third down defense obsessively the last two seasons this was a must-post for me. The numbers vs. the Jets were definitely a bit inflated due to the Jets offense being out of sync, but I definitely saw some positive growth on the Patriots defense.

The push that Haynesworth provided up the middle alone caused some hesitation from Sanchez.  Mike Wright could make even more of an impact in this department, hopefully he can get back this week because we’ll need him against the pass-happy Cowboys.

Great stuff, here’s a nice little nugget on Andre Carter that confirms what we wrote about yesterday.

For a player who was signed to upgrade the pass rush, DE Andre Carter may have surprised his new employers by his stellar play against the run to this point (+6.0 Run Def on the season). On Sunday, Carter graded at +2.1 overall on and +2.6 Run Def. He was all over the field, making seven tackles, six of which were Stops. Carter showed great strength and leverage to beat LT D’Brickashaw Ferguson at the point of attack on two run plays. He then flashed his speed by attacking down the line of scrimmage, to hold HB LaDainian Tomlinson to a short gain. Carter was easily the best defender on the field for the Patriots and he is making a case to be considered one of the best 4-3 DEs in the league.

Obviously I’m having trouble turning the page to the Cowboys this week and I’m sure the Pats probably are as well. Jets week always brings so much hype, now we’re on to a non-conference game. At least it’s at home.

The Pats really have an opportunity to go into the bye on a high note, especially if they can take down a passing offense. I liked what I saw out of the Pats D vs. the Jets but the Cowboys provide just the kind of challenge the Pats need to improve most upon.