EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Late in the first quarter of Thursday night’s game, Patriots defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington gathered his players and delivered an impassioned speech. He asked them to calm down and return to their fundamentals. He stressed the importance of holding their leverage and of securing their tackles.
But nothing changed.
The sloppy play persisted as the Patriots missed tackle after tackle. Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers carved up New England’s defense, finding open receiver after open receiver. The final score of 24-3 doesn’t reflect the lopsided nature of the game.
“We came out and got our [expletive] kicked,” Patriots cocaptain Jabrill Peppers said. “Plain and simple.”
The defense, considered to be a strength of the team, looked not only overmatched but undisciplined and unfocused. Yes, the unit was without linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley (torn pectoral), a key contributor and communicator, but many of the lapses seemed inexcusable.
Start with New York’s second possession.
On the opening play of the drive, Raekwon McMillan missed a tackle on Jets running back Braelon Allen, who picked up enough yards for the first down. Three plays later, Jahlani Tavai stopped Breece Hall behind the line of scrimmage but took things a step too far by lifting Hall and slamming him into the ground. Officials flagged Tavai for unnecessary roughness, giving the Jets another first down. Then, on the final play of the drive, Alex Austin missed a tackle on Allen Lazard, who broke free into the end zone.
That drive was hardly an isolated sequence.
On the first play of the second quarter, Jonathan Jones whiffed on Lazard. On that same play, Keion White couldn’t bring him down, either. With help from the turf monster, Lazard finally fell to the ground — and Peppers wound up injured (ankle) in the process.
Later, on third and goal from the 1-yard line, linebacker Anfernee Jennings had a chance to make a critical stop on Hall but whiffed. On another drive, Joshua Uche should have tackled Allen for a loss to set up a third and long. Instead, Allen picked up 5 yards.
By the end of the night, the Patriots had 14 missed tackles.
“It’s one of the things I’m very disappointed in as a defensive-minded coach,” Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said.
The problem for the Patriots when their defense plays poorly is that their offense is not equipped to play from behind. The passing attack is dysfunctional, largely because of poor offensive line play. If the defense cannot hold its ground, the offense cannot rely on the run game as much.
Ineptitude on defense, coupled with incompetence on offense, leads to some ugly numbers.
The statistics from the first half couldn’t have been more lopsided. The Jets converted 17 first downs to the Patriots’ three, two of which were by penalty. The Jets gained an average of 6.5 yards per play to the Patriots’ 1.8. The Jets had 252 total net yards to the Patriots’ 28. The Jets had 164 passing yards to the Patriots -1. (Yes, negative.)
The Jets finished with a third-down conversion rate of 67 percent (10 of 15). Six Jets registered a catch of at least 11 yards, as Rodgers repeatedly found the open man. He completed 27 of his 35 attempts (77.1 percent), threw two touchdown passes, had no interceptions, and logged a passer rating of 118.9.
“You’ve got to tip your hats to those guys,” Peppers said. “We made it real easy for them.”
In recent seasons, the Patriots’ defense kept the team afloat. Even with a coaching change this offseason, expectations for the unit remained high. Mayo has a defensive background. The team returned the majority of its defensive coaches, including the newly promoted Covington.
Although the trade of linebacker Matthew Judon and the indefinite absence of defensive tackle Christian Barmore are both significant factors, the group still showed promise — and looked effective — through two games.
Thursday was a different story.
As the 1-2 Patriots move forward, they have questions to answer at every level.
Can anyone effectively pass rush other than White? Deatrich Wise and Uche have had moments, but the Patriots need more consistency from others. How will the Patriots replace Bentley, both for his run-stuffing ability and his leadership? Kyle Dugger wore the green dot in Week 2, before Tavai took over in Week 3. Which cornerback can join the primary trio of Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones, and Marcus Jones? Marco Wilson earned the role in Weeks 1 and 2, but he was a healthy scratch in Week 3 in favor of Austin.
But one of the most concerning parts coming out of Thursday’s game was the lack of discipline and lack of focus across the board. For a group that prides itself on its toughness, the players acknowledged the need to reset before the next game.
“That’s just not us,” Tavai said.
Nicole Yang can be reached at nicole.yang@globe.com. Follow her on X @nicolecyang.