Jets 34-Patriots 31: Matt Cassel's super-human effort not enough to overcome teammates' mistakes

November 14, 9:04 PMNew England Patriots ExaminerSean Crowe

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Matt Cassel played like a super star Thursday

The Patriots will be kicking themselves over for this game for rest of the season. They can only hope it doesn’t end up meaning the difference between playing in January and watching the Jets play in January.

It was an exciting game, a frustrating game, and a career making game.

The Patriots scored 31 points, but they also left a few out on the field. Ben Watson’s fumble was inexcusable. Terrible, terrible play. He might be the worst first round pick of the Belichick era. His play cost the Patriots at least three points, if not seven.

The Patriots shot themselves in the foot again later in the third quarter, when Dan Koppen snapped the ball before Cassel was ready, resulting in a 23 yard loss.

But even with the miscues by his offensive teammates, Cassel would not be denied.

Matt Cassel phenomenal. He was the best player on the field Thursday night. He nearly overcame a terrible special teams day, an awful defensive day, and two brain farts by his offensive teammates.

And he nearly did it by himself.

Cassel had himself a career game. That statement doesn’t do it justice. The game he had would have been a career game for Joe Montana, never mind Matt Cassel.

400 yards, 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, and 62 yards rushing.

Matt Cassel led the Patriots in rushing yards and rushing attempts. He did EVERYTHING.

This is the game film Cassel’s agent is going to send around the NFL when this season is over and he becomes a free agent. This is the game where he proved that if the Patriots can get their act together defensively and stop with the dumb mistakes (none of which, by the way, were made by Cassel), he can lead them to a Super Bowl.

Heck, he might be good enough to win one.

I’m not overreacting here either. Tom Brady is the greatest Patriot quarterback ever, but even he never had a game like that. Steve Grogan could run with the best of them, but even he never had a game like that.

Drew Bledsoe never even dreamed of having a game like that.

Randy Moss was silent for most of the game. But on the biggest play of the game, he came up huge. Kudos to him for fighting through the apparently not pass interference to make a great catch.

This game came down to six plays, all of which went against the Patriots:

1) The pass interference call against Hobbs

Cotchery engaged Hobbs, who was looking for the ball, and threw him on the ground. Then made a great catch. And it was defensive pass interference. The play should have been offensive interference, and it was a third down play. It would have ended the drive. Instead, it resulted in a touchdown.

2) The kick return for a touchdown

Inexcusable. Awful special teams coverage in this game for the Patriots. That was a huge early momentum grab for the Jets.

3) The Ben Watson fumble

I’ve about had it with Ben Watson. He doesn’t block well. He doesn’t seem to get open all that well. He drops too many passes. And when he doesn’t drop passes, he tends to fumble. A useless, waste of a first round draft pick.

4) The Koppen snap

I love Dan Koppen, and this never happens with him under center, so I’ll give him a pass. But that was a huge play for the Jets.

5) The holding call on Vrable late in the fourth quarter

Seriously? I mean, seriously? On third down, you’re going to make that call? It MIGHT have been illegal contact, but since the play was snapped from inside the five yard line and you can chuck the receiver within five yards, probably not. It was a terrible call, it happened on another third down play, and it once again resulted in a Jets touchdown.

6) The overtime coin toss

I can’t stand the NFL’s overtime rule. It would be like having extra innings in baseball and ending the game if a run is scored in the top of the tenth. Terrible rule. Needs to be changed.

Honorable mention to the overtime 3rd and 15 play, but by that point in the game the Patriots’ defense was completely spent. The team that won the coin toss was going to win this game.

In closing…

The Patriots have looked better the last three weeks. They’ve looked like a team that can do damage in the playoffs. Their quarterback is playing better than anyone expected him to play.

Yet they’ve lost two of their last three games.

I’m not sure if I’m encouraged that they’re playing better, or discouraged that they’re losing games despite how well they’re playing.

As for the Jets, they played the game of their lives. They had a Patriots team with no Ty Warren, no Adalius Thomas, who gave them 7 points on special teams and multiple miscues on offense, and an officiating crew that awarded them 14 points off of bad penalty calls. And they won by 3 in overtime.

Basically the Patriots and the refs teamed up to hand this game to the Jets. Cassel tried to take it away late, but he couldn’t control the coin flip.

Next week, the Patriots will beat the Dolphins and the Jets will lose to the Titans. We’ll be all tied up again. The Patriots clobbered the Jets in New York, the Jets barely squeaked by the Patriots in New England.

I’ll still take my chances with the Patriots, thanks.

Sean Crowe is the New England Patriots Examiner. You can email him at scrowe@gmail.com. Check out some of his other work on his blog.