Patriots' Matthew Judon on Game-Clinching Safety vs. Jets: 'Thrilling'
Everyone in MetLife Stadium knew Sunday’s afternoon affair was going to be an ugly one. From the bad weather to the bad quarterbacking, the New England Patriots’ 15-10 win over the New York Jets was never going to come down to offensive fireworks.
As expected, this one ended thanks to New England’s strong defensive effort. While leading 13-10 with just over two minutes remaining, edge rusher Matthew Judon sacked New York quarterback Zach Wilson in the end zone for a safety. It would extend the lead to five and pose the Jets with a task they’ve found arduous this season: scoring a touchdown.
The defense would get two more stops before the game was complete, forcing a checkdown on fourth-and-10 to end a drive and swatting a Hail Mary on the game’s final play. Sure, the offense could’ve done more to avoid a potentially catastrophic loss, but the defense picked up the slack.
Matthew Judon celebrates after sacking Zach Wilson for a safety late in Week 3.
Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Judon spoke about the responsibility of ending a game on defense on Monday.
“We don’t really care what the offense do, and that’s what we proved today,” Judon said. “The offense is gonna be the offense, they are gonna make big plays, explosive plays, but when it’s our time, we gotta answer the call, answer the bell.”
That’s exactly what the Patriots did. The fourth-quarter heroics put the cherry on top of a defensive performance that held New York to just 171 yards of offense. They didn’t force a turnover, but Wilson generated an abysmal -0.350 expected points added per play and had no chance of stretching the field. Head coach Bill Belichick, once again, stifled a young quarterback. Simply put, it was a successful day at the office.
“That’s what we want to do,” Judon continued. “We want to end the game in our hands. We don’t want it to be in thrilling fashion, but if that’s the case, Hail Mary, we’ll go out there and stop it.”
The Patriots came up clutch in the fourth quarter, much like the Miami Dolphins did against them in Week 2. This time, it resulted in New England’s first win of the young season. They’ve proven to be one of the best units in football but will face a tougher test next Sunday against a Dallas Cowboys team looking to get back in the win column.
