Gold Stars, Penalty Flags: Amendola, Vereen Lead Patriots Over Jets
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots win over the New York Jets on Thursday night was maybe a little bit closer than they wanted it to be, but you will take any victory in the NFL -- especially when it comes against a team in your division.
Here are the Gold Stars and Penalty Flags from New England's 27-25 victory.
Gold Stars
- Danny Amendola gets a gold star. I know he only had one catch in the game, but it was a beautiful 19-yard touchdown in which he improvised his route. He was also responsible for drawing a pass interference call and he got work done on kickoff returns. Whatever it takes to get Amendola back in the offense is what the Pats need to do going forward. Everyone in the locker room was happy for him on Thursday night.
- Shane Vereen gets a gold star. He had a pair of receiving touchdowns that set the pace, and a celebration to honor his teammate Stevan Ridley. Vereen is so versatile in the Pats' offense that they can line him up pretty much everywhere. He had the most receiving yards on the night for the Pats (71 yards) and the most rushing yards (43 yards). It was a complete offensive game for Vereen on Thursday night.
- Chris Jones gets a gold star. Last year against the Jets, it was Chris Jones' special teams penalty that gave New York another chance at a field goal and helped them win the game in overtime. So it was very fitting that on Thursday night it was his hand that helped lead the Pats to victory. Jones is finding a place with this team; he's a steady player and the Pats seem to like how he compliments the defense.
Penalty Flags
- The Pats rush defense gets a penalty flag. The Jets simply beat up on the Patriots on the ground with 218 yards rushing, averaging over five yards per carry. This could turn out to be the Pats' Achilles heal if they don't fix it. If they can't stop the run, in turn they won't get off the field. That's how the Jets managed to eat up so much of the clock on Thursday. The Pats need to tighten up that part of their defense.
- The Pats kickoff coverage gets a penalty flag. Jets returner Walt Powell averaged 40 yards per kickoff on his two returns, which is just crazy. New England has to cover well and they have perfect games on this aspect. If the defense is going to struggle with the run, their opponents can't start with a short field.
- The Pats late game offense gets a penalty flag. At the end of the game, the Pats needed to hold on to the ball but failed to do so. They couldn't get a first down at the end and the game ended up being much closer than it had to be. The Patriots have to be able to close games out offensively. They did the week before against Buffalo, but failed against the Jets.
Follow Levan Reid on Twitter @LevanReid.
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