Patriots

“This has kind of been like this for three weeks in a row for us,” Belichick said afterward. “Good to come out on the good end of it.”

The Patriots beat the Jets for the 15th time in a row in Sunday’s 15-10 win — and avoided an 0-3 start to the season in the process — but Bill Belichick was (unsurprisingly) not getting carried away with the result.

“Good win for us today,” he said after the game. “Down here it’s always tough. Jets are a tough team. They do a good job.”

One major difference for the Patriots in Week 3 vs. the two defeats was a more successful running game. New England rushed for 157 yards as a team, which contrasted especially well with the 38 rush yards by the Jets.

“Had a good running game. I thought we played pretty good run defense against them, and we were able to run the ball better than we have the first couple of weeks,” said Belichick.

Despite the apparent advantage his defense had over Jets quarterback Zach Wilson, Belichick referenced the still-thin margins that decided the outcome.

“In the end, some keys plays in the fourth quarter, fortunately we were able to make a couple more than they were,” he explained.

For the third week in a row, the game came down to a few plays in the fourth quarter. But unlike the first two games, it was the Patriots who emerged victorious.

“This has kind of been like this for three weeks in a row for us,” Belichick added. “Good to come out on the good end of it.”

The defining play from an otherwise lackluster Patriots offense came from an unlikely source.

Third string tight end Pharaoh Brown caught a 58-yard touchdown in the second quarter, which ended up being the difference in the game alongside a pair of Chad Ryland field goals and a late defensive safety on Wilson.

“Pharaoh’s done a good job,” Belichick said of Brown. “Came in here in our first week and played in the opener, played every week, good to have a guy who can do what he does. He’s got some size, he can block, catch the ball a little bit. He’s a good complement to Mike [Gesicki] and Hunter [Henry].”

The 1-2 Patriots now prepare to face the Cowboys in Week 4 in Dallas.