How the New York Jets can take down the New England Patriots

The New York Jets have already established a very solid, young defense, but their next steps on offense could be the undoing of the New England Patriots.

The New England Patriots are the reigning Super Bowl champions in the NFL. They have been the most dominant force in the league since the early 2000s, but there might finally be a changing of the guard in the AFC East.

At the very least, things are going to be much more competitive.

For the first time in a long time, I feel pretty confident in saying there are multiple really good quarterbacks competing in the AFC East, and they are not both on the Patriots’ roster.

The New York Jets traded a bunch of draft picks to move up in the 2018 NFL Draft to eventually take Sam Darnold, who went through a rollercoaster of a rookie season.

That seems cliché to even say, but it’s exactly what it was. Darnold’s ride started off with a splash of cold water, however, as his first pass was a pick-six on Monday night football. After throwing the pick-six, Darnold settled in and the Jets dominated their first game of the season on the road in Detroit.

In the eight games that followed Darnold’s season opener, he struggled and looked like a rookie most of the time. He was even upstaged on a Thursday night game where he played pretty well by fellow rookie Baker Mayfield, who helped the Browns to their first win in what felt like a decade.

After he was injured in November, Darnold was able to sit back and watch Josh McCown work for a few weeks and he learned a lot from that experience.

His rookie season was not a tale of two halves, but more of thirds.

In the first two-thirds of his rookie season, Darnold looked like a rookie. In the final four games? He was absolutely outstanding.

First 9 games (pre injury)

Completion percent: 55.02%
Yards: 1,934
TD: 11
INT: 14
Rating: 68.3

Final 4 games (after injury)

Completion percent: 64.0%
Yards: 931
TD: 6
INT: 1
Rating: 99.1

The Jets will go as Darnold goes, which seems like pointing out the obvious, but their ability to take down the Patriots in this division will be directly related to his success. The good news is, Darnold now has a superstar in the backfield to take some pressure off.

Le’Veon Bell, although he’s probably overpriced for his position, has fresh legs coming off of a year in which he willingly sat out to get to free agency unharmed, and the Jets now have one of the league’s best all-around weapons on offense to pair with Darnold.

The Jets’ wide receiver situation is not very good, but Darnold will be able to maximize their talent with the attention Bell draws in the passing game.

In order to take down the Patriots, you have to have the ability to win games over the long haul. Darnold’s development and the addition of Le’Veon Bell allow the Jets some longevity, not just some fun, exciting tape to watch over the offseason.