Nathaniel Hackett headlines list of heroes from NY Jets' Week 3 explosion

The NY Jets enjoyed a dominant victory over the hated New England Patriots on Thursday night. Ever the gracious hosts, both Jacoby Brissett and later on Drake Maye were terrorized all night.

The Patriots offense never got anything going, the Jets offense moved up and down the field with ease, and for the first time in over two full decades, it feels like the Jets-Patriots rivalry has done a complete 180.

There are a lot of reasons why the Jets won — and won so easily. Namely, the Patriots are bad and the Jets are good. This isn't rocket science, it's exactly what should have happened. New England is completely devoid of talent, and the Jets have a lot of it.

But there were a handful of players and coaches that really accounted for the Week 3 victory. We'll take a look at the three heroes of the Jets' victory on Thursday Night Football.

1. Nathaniel Hackett

I can't believe my fingers are typing these words, but Nathaniel Hackett's offense looked awesome on Thursday Night Football. Sure, it's easy when you have Aaron Rodgers under center, but it's not easy on a quick turnaround to devise a game plan that dominates so handedly.

The Jets offense finished with 400 total yards, 27 first downs, 10-of-15 on third downs, and saw eight players catch two or more passes. It's hard to have a more impressive game than that. And for a guy who has been much maligned his entire time in New York, Hackett deserves his flowers this time.

2. The Killer B's: Braelon Allen and Breece Hall

This is the second week in a row that Breece Hall and Braelon Allen make this list. I expect them to make this list most weeks from now on. The two of them combined for 109 rushing yards and ran the ball down New England's throat all night. Things may not be this easy for them every week, but it is starting to become a trend.

Both of them also contributed in the passing game as well. Hall finished with four catches for 29 yards, with Allen pitching in for three catches for 13 yards. The Patriots had no answer for them, getting hit from all angles. It was another beautiful night for the pair of young studs.

3. Aaron Rodgers

What else is there to say about Aaron Rodgers? There is a reason why he is going to fly to Canton on roller skates. There is a reason why the Jets moved heaven and earth to get him here.

There's a reason why the entire franchise has placed all their hopes firmly on his shoulders. He is truly brilliant. And on Thursday Night Football against the Patriots, he reminded everyone of that.

New England wasn't able to slow him down at all. He found eight different targets, all of which caught multiple passes. He was finding guys on every part of the field. Finishing with a total of 281 yards and a 77% completion percentage, he showed why he is considered maybe the most accurate passer in NFL history.

It's hard to see a world where the Jets win a game and Aaron Rodgers isn't the hero. He makes the whole thing go. He even had to calm his own head coach down at one point after a touchdown drive.

Rodgers is the engine. On Thursday night, the engine looked as good as ever.

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