Patriots Win Battle Of Depleted Rivals, Extend Division Lead
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots won the battle of banged-up teams with contributions from two running backs who returned from injuries.
Corey Dillon scored on a 1-yard run and Kevin Faulk made three big third down catches, leading New England to a 16-3 win yesterday over the Jets that kept the Patriots’ AFC East lead at two games.
A Patriot who hasn’t missed a game in his 10 years with the team set a club record for points. Adam Vinatieri kicked field goals of 21, 34, and 22 yards, giving him 1,134 points, four more than Gino Cappelletti.
Dillon missed the previous two games with a calf injury, and Faulk, his backup, sat out eight straight with a broken foot. They helped the Patriots, who have nine players on injured reserve, take control in a light snow that fell for much of the game.
The Jets have 10 players on injured reserve and lost their seventh straight game while their NFL-low average dropped to 11.9 points a game. They managed only 164 yards against a team that allowed at least 400 in seven of its previous eight games.
After the Jets tied the game at 3 on Mike Nugent’s 38-yard field goal late in the first half, Vinatieri answered with a last-second 34-yard field goal that put the Patriots ahead to stay.
The Jets punted on the first possession of the second half and the Patriots began on their 15 and marched down the field, culminting with Dillon’s eighth touchdown of the season on a one-yard jaunt. He finished with 65 yards on 16 carries.
The Jets struggled on the ground with center Kevin Mawae and tackle Jason Fabini on injured reserve. They began the day with the NFL’s third worst running attack and rushed for 41 yards. Former Patriot Curtis Martin was held to 29 yards on 15 carries, one week after becoming the fourth NFL player to rush for 14,000 yards in his career.
The Patriots have been hit hardest in the secondary, where six players are on injured reserve, and began the day with the second worst pass defense. But Brooks Bollinger struggled again, completing 15 of 37 passes for 135 yards, one week after throwing for a career high 251 yards in a loss to New Orleans. Brady was 27-for-37 for 271 yards, a week after throwing four interceptions in a loss at Kansas City.
New York failed to score a touchdown for its fourth consecutive road game, and Martin didn’t get into the end zone for his eighth straight game against New England.
