3 Takeaways from Jets' Week 7 Loss vs. Patriots

Just when you thought the New York Jets had figured it out, the New England Patriots had to spoil things.

New York had two weeks to ride the momentum of a win over the Buffalo Bills and to prepare for New England. Of course, Bill Belichick and the Patriots had two weeks to prepare as well.

The result was a grueling defensive struggle that nearly carried a 3-3 tie into overtime. Then, disaster struck. New York punted with only 26 seconds in regulation, and Patriots rookie cornerback Marcus Jones returned the kick 84 yards for a walk-off touchdown.

This marked the 14th straight loss to the Patriots and perhaps served as a sign that the Jets aren't ready to dominate the division.

At 6-4, New York does remain very much in playoff contention, but this one stings. Here are our three biggest takeaways from the Jets' Week 11 loss to the Patriots.

Jets coach Robert Saleh deserves a ton of credit for turning the team around this season. New York has already won as many games this year as it did in the previous two combined. Wins over the Bills and Miami Dolphins show that New York is close to being a legitimate contender.

But the Jets can't do things like allow a walk-off punt return and hope to get over the proverbial hump.

To be fair, New York benefited greatly from two missed field goals by Patriots kicker Nick Folk. Perhaps they shouldn't have been in this position to end the game in the first place. They were, however, and the special teams unit only had to deny a big play to realistically force overtime.

Poor execution is the players' fault, but special teams coordinator Brant Boyer deserves a little blame for not having his group prepared.

Overtime wouldn't have guaranteed the Jets a victory, of course, but it would have given them a chance. Even a tie would have helped, as it would have left New York a half-game behind the Dolphins and Bills with head-to-head tiebreakers in the Jets' favor.

Instead, the Jets fell a full game back and into the AFC East basement. This was a game the Jets desperately needed to win, and they blew it in the most shocking of scenarios.

OK, so the final play hurt, but it wasn't the real reason why the Jets lost this game. New York lost because it did next to nothing against a Patriots defense that is good but not great. New England came in ranked sixth in points allowed but 17th in yards allowed.

The Patriots looked like the '85 Bears against New York, while Jets quarterback Zach Wilson (9-of-22 for 77 yards) performed like he was playing the wrong position. In all, the Jets tallied just 103 yards of offense and were a miserable 3-of-4 on third down.

"We're out here looking sorry -and we know that we're not sorry.," rookie wideout Garrett Wilson said after the game, per ESPN's Rich Cimini. "That's why it really hurts. We know we're better than that. That's why it hurts."

Wilson's pitiful performance was a problem, but the Jets didn't get much going on the ground. They rushed for just 59 yards and 2.6 yards per carry, with 26 yards coming on three Wilson scrambles.

The Jets second-year quarterback should have run more. He's a tremendous athlete, and the Patriots have been hurt by scrambling quarterbacks this season. Chicago Bears signal-caller Justin Fields ran for 82 yards and a touchdown back in Week 7.

Offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur should have called more designed runs for Wilson in this game, and he needs to do exactly that moving forward. Wilson is far from a finished product as a passer, but he can hurt teams with his legs if he's given the chance.

The Jets offense needs any spark it can get over the final seven weeks.

If there's a silver lining to be found, it's this. The playoffs are very much a realistic goal for the Jets.

Their defense—which surrendered 297 yards but only three points on Sunday—is on the verge of being special. The offense has weapons like Wilson, Michael Carter, Corey Davis and Elijah Moore. Saleh is establishing himself as a good head coach, and New York knows that it can beat Buffalo and Miami down the stretch.

However, the Jets cannot take their time getting back on a playoff track. New York will host the Bears on Sunday, and while Chicago is a three-win team, it's proving that it can be a problem.

After Chicago, the Jets travel to face the 8-2 Minnesota Vikings. Yes, the Vikings just got crushed by the Dallas Cowboys, but Minnesota remains one of the most complete teams in the NFL.

The Jets also have rematches against the Bills and Dolphins upcoming, and a Week 17 matchup with the resurgent Seattle Seahawks. Even the Detroit Lions, who have won three in a row, cannot be considered an easy out.

The Jets can pat themselves on the back for showing progress this season, and they can take a day to let Sunday's loss sink in. However, they cannot mire in disappointment or be satisfied with progress.

The postseason is within reach, but New York must regroup in a hurry. If it can continue doing what it's going defensively, find a few answers on offense and stop with the head-numbing miscues, this team can reach the postseason for the first time in more than a decade.