Jets down: Meadowlands meltdown avoided

After going up 24-0 in the 3rd quarter against the New Jersey Jets in the Meadowlands yesterday, the Pats gave up 17 strait points before a long drive and a defensive stop secured a 24-17 victory. The Pats are now 2-0 and more importantly 2-0 in the AFC East, putting them in good shape against the 1-1 Jets (1-1 in the East), 0-2 Dolphins (0-1 in East) and 1-1 Bills (1-1 in the East).

The win was the 7th strait over the Jets (last Jet win was in December 2002 at Foxboro) who haven't beaten the Patriots at home, er the Giants' home, since 2000. Troy Brown (above) was once again Tom Brady's go-to guy leading the Pats with 4 catches for 51 yards. Brady spread the ball around with more targets this week. Rookie Chad Jackson had 2 grabs for 42-yards and his first NFL touchdown.

Laurence Maroney and Corey Dillon once again provided the Pats with a dominant 2 headed monster of a running game. The duo combined for 145-yards and 2 touchdowns. Dillon appeared to suffer a shoulder injury which was humorously covered up by patriots assistants on the sidelines. One of the guys looked like Ving Rhames at the end of "Dave", stepping in front of the camera with arms folded.

The game's biggest sub-plot came from the coach's. Things have been visibly cold between Bill Belichick and his protege Eric Mangini since the one year defensive coordinator left the Pats for a job as the HC of the NYJ. Mangini praised Belichick when he got the job but since then all the talk from the two was how it was Pats-Jets not a one on one bout between Belichick and Mangini. After the game they shared a chilly handshake that is sure to keep the "Boarder War" going for years to come:

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The Patriots run defense was solid, not allowing the Jets a rushing 1st down all day. The pass D was not as hot, specifically Eugene Wilson who once again let up big plays and is becoming a week-to-week concern for fans and the team.

Next up the Pats take on Denver at home on NBC's Sunday Night Football, hoping to get a little revenge on the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last season and ended their record 10 playoff games winning streak.