As the New England Patriots enter the half of their divisional battle against the New York Jets tied 10-10, here are some first half thoughts:

Shut Out In 1st- The Patriot offense was, in a word, bad in the first quarter. Going up against a strong Jets defense, the Pats had a tough go of it trying to get their offense moving in the right direction. On 12 first quarter plays, Tom Brady and company managed to gain just 35 yards and scored no points.

Getting It Going- In the second quarter, the New England offense finally got itself going in the right direction. After the lethargic start in the first quarter, the Pats scored on their first two drives of the second to tie the score at 10 apiece. They would have scored on all three of their second quarter possessions, if kicker Stephen Gostkowski could have converted on a field goal late in the half.

Brady Gets To 60K- In the midst of the first half of action, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady hit a major milestone in his career. During the second quarter, Brady became the fifth quarterback in NFL history to pass for 60,000 career yards. If the Pats can find a way to win the game, the future Hall-of-Famer will also become the only other quarterback then Brett Favre to have at least 22 wins against two separate opponents and he'll also tie Peyton Manning for first place on the all-time wins list.

 Picking Up Where He Left Off- Patriots rookie wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell picked up right where he left off after last week's breakout performance in the team's 30-17 win at San Francisco. In the first half, the Georgia product caught three of four passes thrown his way for 21 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown catch in the second. It appears that the young receiver's last five quarters of play have given Brady some faith in the downfield threat.

Winning The Battle- For the first time in what seems like a while, the Patriots are currently winning the turnover battle. While the game is still only tied, that can really be traced back to a quality play by starting cornerback Malcolm Butler. The third year defensive back stripped a Jets receiver, after a first down reception, with New York up seven points in the second. On the ensuing offensive drive, the Patriots went right down the field and scored to knot things up a 10-10. The play by Butler not only helped New England tie the score, but also was a nice sign of potentially the recurrence of a missing element that this defense has been unable to create this season.

Got to Attack Him- So far Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who hasn't played well this season, but he has performed well today. Fitzpatrick has completed 12 of 17 passes for 160 yards and a score. The New England defense needs to create more pressure and turn him back into the pedestrian quarterback the rest of the league has seen, if they want to win the game.

Missing Another Kick- Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowksi missed another kick in the first half, as he failed to convert on a field goal at the end of the half that would have given New England a 3-point lead. That's Gostkowski's seventh missed kick of the season and could prove to be a costly one, depending on the final outcome.

 

 

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