Our offseason countdown continues with the No. 5 Best Patriots Moment of 2024.
We’re officially into the slowest time on the NFL calendar, so I’m going to do my best to take advantage of these next few weeks so I can get this Top 10 list done and dusted. Only five to go.
The list so far:
10. Jerod Mayo out, Mike Vrabel in.
9. Drake Maye hits Austin Hooper for a 38-yard TD on 4th-and-15 against the Miami Dolphins.
8. Joey Slye nails a 63-yard field goal to close out the half against the San Francisco 49ers.
7. A free play gets DeMario Douglas into the end zone vs. the Los Angeles Chargers.
6. A nine-sack day helps list the Patriots over the Chicago Bears.
There are a few ways to guarantee a spot on this countdown. Setting any kind of franchise/NFL record is one. And beating the New York Jets is for sure another.
5. A late 70-yard touchdown drive hands the Jets their fifth consecutive loss, and the Patriots their second win.
The Patriots went to MetLife Stadium in Week 3 of the 2024 season and got their doors blown off by the Jets, to the tune of a 24-3 beatdown. The win moved the Jets to 2-1 on the year while the Patriots fell to 1-2. Much of the early-season optimism surrounding that Week 1 win at Cincinnati dissipated with that loss as the Jets, helmed by Aaron Rodgers, were generating whispers as a possible playoff team this year.
That 24-3 win would, for all intents and purposes, represent the high point of New York’s season, as it represented the last back-to-back win they’d string together all year. The Jets would go on to lose the next five games, capped off with a trip to Gillette Stadium on October 27th in which Jacoby Brissett – yep, that Jacoby Brissett – pulled out the W.
Drake Maye got the start in this one, but after taking a nasty hit to the head on an 18-yard scramble late in the first quarter, he was pulled four plays later to enter into concussion protocol. In came Jacoby Brissett, much to the chagrin of Patriots Nation. Brissett had done very little for the team during his brief stint as starter, and with the season already a wash at this point, meaningful reps for Maye and figuring out who could help the team in 2025 and beyond was all that mattered.
The game was, as expected, more than a little messy, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. The teams traded punts, then touchdown drives. There were some three and outs, some questionable decisions, and all of the other stuff you’d expect from two bottom feeder teams. The Jets took a 13-7 lead into the locker room at halftime, and there was no real reason to think it was a lead that would change hands at all.
But change hands it did, as the second half saw some rare sparks from both offenses. A touchdown and a field goal saw the Patriots up 17-16 with just over seven minutes to go in the game, and a defensive stop on the next drive could all but seal it. Unfortunately, the most disappointing unit of the season did what it had more or less been doing since Week 2, and Aaron Rodgers was able to take the Jets 70 yards on 10 plays to make it 22-17 with less than three minutes to go.
Loss number seven, here we come. The only thing standing between the Patriots and 1-7 was 70 yards and Jacoby Brissett.
But somehow, some way, Brissett turned into a machine. He hit Hunter Henry for 12 yards, picked up 14 more on the ground, then launched a 34-yard dime to Boutte to bring the Patriots to the Jets nine nine-yard line with 1:14 on the clock.
The Jets defense stiffened, though, and every single yard was a grind. Rhamondre Stevenson picked up two yards each on first and second down, and then on third and goal, a pass to Boutte came up just short of the end zone.
Fourth and goal at the one, 22 seconds to play. One more shot to beat the Jets.
What do you do here if you’re the Patriots? Mondre hadn’t been able to get anything going on the ground; his 19 carries for 47 yards wasn’t giving anyone any confidence. But who was the sure-handed end zone receiver? Maybe Brisette tries to take it in himself?
The playcall ended up being a handoff to Stevenson, who powered across the goal line for the score. Stevenson was also on the receiving end of the two-point conversion, which put the Patriots up 25-22.
While there was some legitimate and justifiable concern that the Jets would somehow manage to get into FG range in the 22 seconds remaining, there just wasn’t enough time on the clock. The score stood, and the Patriots got their second win of the season.
I don’t want to hear a word about how the wins screwed the Pats out of a draft pick, and that goes double for when you’re playing the Jets at home. To be able to add to New York’s misery in what was an objectively exciting (and rare) game was a genuine bright spot in a lost season. And it was also nice to see Jacoby Brissett deliver big, as I have nothing but respect for that guy. So I think this moment has more than earned its spot in the Top 5.
Check out the game here.