When the Patriots [team stats] faced the Jets in Week 2, Tom Brady [stats] had his worst game of the season.
Appearing uncharacteristically rattled by the Jets’ blitzing defense, Brady completed just 23-of-47 passes for 216 yards, no touchdowns and an interception in a 16-9 Jets win.
That seems like a long time ago, especially after Brady carved up the Jets in a 31-14 victory yesterday at Gillette Stadium.
“I think we’re obviously playing a lot better football as a unit,” said Brady, who was 28-for-41 for 310 yards and a touchdown yesterday. “My job is pretty simple when they block the way they block and Randy (Moss) and Wes (Welker) are out there doing their thing.”
The most obvious difference in yesterday’s game was the presence of Welker, who missed the first meeting with a knee injury. Welker had 15 catches for 192 yards yesterday. “(Welker) played big and he always does,” Brady said. “He’s a great player and he worked in the middle of that field. When the coverage goes to Randy, Wes has some opportunities and he played a great game.”
Welker’s value was magnified against a blitzing Jets team that constantly pressured Brady in Week 2. Despite being sacked twice yesterday, Brady generally had more time to throw. “I don’t think we handled it as well when they blitzed early in the last game,” Brady said.
“When you don’t handle it well, they typically keep bringing it. When you handle it, that settles it down a bit.. They’re a blitz team. They blitz 40-50 percent of the time so they were blitzing quite a bit. We just did a pretty good job of sorting it all out.”
After the first Jets game, there were questions about how long it would take Brady to return to form from the knee injury that knocked him out last season. Now with five straight 300-yard games, Brady clearly is back.= Judging by how far the team has come since that miserable day two months ago.
At the Meadowlands, Brady is optimistic as he turns his focus to the homestretch of the season. “I’m really proud of the way that we’ve worked, the way that we practice,” he said. “It’s been some really good leadership for a pretty young team. It’s been a fun 10 weeks.”