The New England Patriots were handed a 31-10 loss by the New York Jets at Giants Stadium. The Patriots will now open the postseason next Sunday at the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Midway through the second quarter, the Patriots were already trailing 17-0. The Jets scored on the opening drive of the game via a 36-yard field goal by John Hall. Hall's field goal capped a 15-play, 72-yard drive that lasted 8:39.
[1111:right]New England, with Scott Zolak at the helm, went four-and-out on their first offensive series. On the ensuing drive, the Jets took advantage of the Patriots generous donation by manufacturing another time-consuming drive (5:20) that resulted in a touchdown. TE Kyle Brady capped the 10-play, 54-yard drive with a four-yard TD catch from quarterback Vinny Testaverde.
On the Patriots ensuing drive, they gave the Jets another present when RB Robert Edwards fumbled at the NE 33. The Jets took over and seven plays later, Testaverde connected with RB Curtis Martin for an eight-yard TD score, 17-0.
The Patriots scoring: With 3:26 remaining in the first half, Adam Vinatieri connected on a 19-yard field goal. With 1:31 remaining in the game, Zolak connected with Tony Simmons for a 44-yard TD play.
Other Notables: The following players were listed as inactive for New England: QB 7 Jim Murphy, QB 11 Drew Bledsoe, CB 31 Kato Serwanga, OLB 59 Todd Collins, OL 60 Scott Rehberg, OT 66 Ed Ellis, C 67 Jason Andersen, DE 74 Chris Sullivan.
Quarterback Vinny Testaverde was 17-of-27 for 179 and threw four touchdowns. Scott Zolak was 14-of-31 for 127 yards and threw a touchdown.
