New York Jets’ Demario Davis on Stopping New England on Third Down

Oct 20, 2013; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets inside linebacker DeMario Davis (56) tackles New England Patriots wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins (85) during the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

There were a lot of factors that went into the Jets win over the Patriots, despite the protests of Patriots’ fans. There was much more than just a penalty on a field goal attempt.

One of the biggest factors was the play of the Jets’ defense on third down. The Jets held the Patriots to a mere 1-12 on third down. Here is what LB Demario Davis had to say about it:

The key was, first of all, being able to stop the run. We wanted to be able to stop the run. We wanted to be able to get pressure on him (and) make him get the ball out of his hands quick. We knew we were going to have our hands full trying to stop (Rob) Gronkowski. I think Antonio Allen did a great job of stopping him and making that big play that changed the game. We knew we just needed to get off the field on third down. I think (they) were one-for-something or two-for-something on third down (one-for-12). That ended up being very big for us. The fact that we were able to get off the field on third down, just really helped us. I think the coaches did a great job of game planning and then all the players came together and did our part in execution and it made us successful yesterday.

Agreed Demario. They had an excellent game plan against New England, and especially in the second half, the defense executed to perfection. The defense looked as good as it has in a long time in the second half on Sunday. The sky is the limit for this team if the defense is going to play that well.