Wilson threw three puzzling interceptions, and the Jets lost an early lead. New England has won the past 13 regular-season meetings.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — About an hour before kickoff Sunday at MetLife Stadium, fireworks boomed. With the Jets on a four-game win streak, and about to play a rival they had not beaten in seven years, the organization decided to prod fans a little.
The Jets used pyrotechnics and bullhorns to urge fans to leave their tailgates and get to their seats in time for kickoff — reminding a fan base that hasn’t had much to cheer for lately how to do so.
By late afternoon, though, those fans were booing play calls — a draw on a long third down in the third quarter — and streaming out of the stadium after Zach Wilson, the second-year Jets quarterback, threw his third bewildering interception of the afternoon early in the fourth quarter.
Through Week 7, the Jets had done things this season that the franchise hadn’t in years: win a game in September; win an A.F.C. East game. But on Sunday, the team reverted to an all-too-familiar outcome: a 22-17 loss to the New England Patriots, the Jets’ 13th consecutive defeat to their division opponent.
These are not the same Patriots that lorded over the A.F.C. East for two decades. New England came into this game with a losing record, questions at the quarterback position and a roster thinned by injuries. For the Jets, a win would have been meaningful in spite of those things; a loss stung all the more.
The Jets’ unraveling began near the end of the first half. Until that point, Wilson had played well, finding a groove with the rookie receiver Garrett Wilson, the No. 10 overall pick in this year’s N.F.L. draft, and scoring the game’s first touchdown on an 8-yard pass to tight end Tyler Conklin.
The defense was excellent, as it has been this season, securing an interception of New England quarterback Mac Jones in the second quarter after disrupting his throw. With two minutes remaining before halftime, the Jets stopped New England on a fourth-and-1 at the Jets’ 21-yard line, holding on to a 10-3 advantage.
But then Wilson threw his first interception, a bad mistake. He passed off his back foot and sailed the ball on third-and-2 near midfield. The defense tried to make up for his error: Michael Carter II, the Jets’ nickel cornerback, promptly picked off Jones again and returned the ball 84 yards for a touchdown.
After Carter crossed the goal line, though, he looked back and saw on the Jumbotron the yellow flag that would nullify the play. Edge rusher John Franklin-Myers had shoved Jones to the ground after he released the ball, drawing a penalty for roughing the passer.
The Patriots kicked a field goal to end the half and scored a touchdown to begin the next, a scoring sandwich their opponents have come to dread through the years. The Jets missed a 45-yard field-goal attempt on the next drive.
It was the cascade of bad events that Jets fans have come to expect as inevitable, bringing the team back to reality. Wilson’s second interception, near the end of the third quarter, came on a pass he said he was trying to throw away, but safety Devin McCourty snagged it just in bounds. After Wilson’s third giveaway, another interception by McCourty on another sailed throw, he sat on the bench and shouted a four-letter expletive, a verbalization of the frustration no doubt shared throughout the stadium.
“I just had some bone-headed plays,” said Wilson, who completed 20 of his 41 passes, fewer than 50 percent, for 355 yards.
The Jets’ offense sorely missed Breece Hall, the standout rookie running back whose knee injury in last week’s win against the Denver Broncos will keep him out for the season. Without him, the Jets managed just 51 rushing yards against New England, putting more pressure on Wilson, who admitted to forcing some throws, including his last interception.
The Jets’ record entering this game, 5-2, was their best start to a season since 2010, when a stingy defense powered a team reliant on a strong running game. It is a similar makeup to this season’s Jets, who are confronting the same lesson their predecessors learned then: N.F.L. teams can go only as far as their quarterbacks are able to take them.
“He’s got to play better,” Jets Coach Robert Saleh said of Wilson. “We’ve got to find ways to help him.”
Wilson did throw a second touchdown pass, in the game’s final minutes. By that point, the empty gray seats outnumbered those with fans in them. The Patriots (4-4) recovered an onside kick and held the ball until time expired.
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