Former Patriots QB Brian Hoyer shares his keys to victory for the New England Patriots in their Week 3 Thursday night matchup against Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets.
The New England Patriots will take a 1-1 record into Thursday night's showdown with the New York Jets following Sunday's loss to the Seattle Seahawks. After nailing all three of Brian Hoyer's "Keys to Victory" in Week 1 vs. Cincinnati, they fell short of satisfactory in Week 2.
In last week's episode of The Gameplan, the ex-Patriots quarterback identified ball security, knowing the opponent, and explosive plays as his three keys to victory vs. Seattle. While they didn't turn the ball over, the Pats failed in the other two categories.
Hoyer specifically mentioned Seattle safety Julian Love as a player New England had to monitor at all times. Sure enough, Love's blocked field goal was one of the biggest plays of the game.
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As for explosive plays, quarterback Jacoby Brissett passed for only 149 yards and averaged 5.5 yards per completion. Running back Antonio Gibson's 45-yard run and tight end Hunter Henry's 35-yard reception were the Patriots' only explosive plays in their 23-20 overtime loss.
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So, how can New England get back on track against New York on a short week? Here are Hoyer's three keys to a Patriots victory in Week 3, as seen on The Gameplan.
1. Ball security
"I'm gonna stick with this. I know it's redundant," Hoyer said. "Ball security, the Patriots have done it in Week 1 and Week 2 and it's kept them in both games. Obviously, falling short against the Seahawks, but this always gives you an opportunity to win. And I know a lot of people are saying the Patriots need to force the ball down the field. It comes with a risk. You force the ball down the field, it turns into an interception, you give the other team a chance at going down and scoring, especially against a dangerous quarterback in Aaron Rodgers.
"So I know they're saying 'Force the ball down the field;' there's a time and opportunity to do that, but you don't want to force it. Ball security is number one, as always."
2. Handle Jets zone defense
"This is something that the Patriots have to do together as a unit," Hoyer said. "If everybody works together, the line gives Jacoby protection, he drops back, gets the ball out on time against these zone coverages, they're gonna be able to move the ball down the field, stay ahead of downs which will allow you to take some of these deep shots on an early-down play-action pass. So I think handling the Jets defense as a unit together is gonna be key. That's gonna be everybody doing their job on every single play. We can't have 10 guys doing their job and one not doing it to disrupt those plays.
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Hoyer used Brissett's touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk in Sunday's loss to Seattle as an example of exploiting the zone defense.
"That's a perfect example of what the Patriots are gonna have to do on Thursday night to defeat this Jets zone defense because they rely on a great pass rush with guys inside like Quinnen Williams, and their DBs (defensive backs) -- obviously, everyone knows about Sauce Gardner.
"In man coverage, you want to stay away from him. But when they play this zone defense, it's all about working together as a unit. Being in the right space against these zone coverages and blocking it up as long as you can to give time for Jacoby to read through these progressions."
3. Play loose on short week
"Playing a Thursday night game, when you're running out of the tunnel to play that game, that's when you're just recovering from the Sunday game," Hoyer said. "So I think go out there, play loose. It's not about X's and O's, it's about the players. You've got to play good fundamental football. Play together as a unit. All 11 guys have to do their job. You can't say 'My bad' on this play, another person says 'My bad' on the next play. Play together.
"It's not going to be perfect but go out, continue to run the ball -- I think that's one thing that the Patriots have established. Give yourself those opportunities to maybe call some of these play-action passes, get the ball downfield. And when it's the pass game, get the ball out on time, handle the defensive line, find the open spots against zone coverage, and everybody just do their job one play at a time. Keep moving the ball. Keep it away from Aaron Rodgers. And I think that's a huge thing, because on a short week you don't have time to have a huge game plan. You don't have time to study the defense.
"Luckily, they're playing a team they're familiar with. They play each other two times a year every year. So go out, play good fundamental football, play tough, play hard-nosed, take that running game on the road. Accomplish these three things and you should come away with the victory."
Watch Hoyer's full Week 3 breakdown in the video above or the YouTube video below:
