The New England Patriots are leading the New York Jets at halftime in their home opener, but things have been far from perfect.
Once again, the Patriots offense has struggled with their consistency. The chemistry between quarterback Tom Brady and his wide receivers has been off. It seems that just about every time a receiver runs an option route, that Brady and his target aren't on the same page. Brady missed two deep throws to Aaron Dobson that could have been touchdowns -- one that was dropped, and one that was mis-tracked. The Patriots also had an easy red zone touchdown slip through their fingers on a chemistry issue. Wasn't sure if it was Dobson or Julian Edelman who was at fault, but someone wasn't where they were supposed to be as Brady was heated on the sideline.
As for the positives, the Patriots got off to a quick start with a six play, 81 yard touchdown drive to begin the game. The drive was capped with a Tom Brady to Aaron Dobson touchdown on a play where Dobson essentially lined up as an h-back behind the offensive tackle and snuck behind the Jets' defense on a wheel route off a play-action.
The defense has also been a bright spot. The defensive line struggled in the first quarter, but came alive in the second quarter with three sacks and several other hurries. The coverage has generally been solid at all levels as well, and the defensive backs have looked very good tackling.
The Patriots had a late touchdown by Kenbrell Thompkins called back after it was ruled the ground helped him secure the catch. It was still a beautiful attempt at a catch. Unfortunately, Stephen Gostkowski missed the field goal at the end of the half and the Patriots settled for a 13-3 halftime lead.