WHEN THE PATRIOTS HAD THE BALL

Because of the high winds and cold and wet weather, along with the fact that the Jets rank 30th against the run, the Patriots threw out their normal game plan, which is to pass as often as possible. They ran the ball 35 times, only three rushes off of their season high. The result was 134 rushing yards and a touchdown. Running back Laurence Maroney, who said that he had never run the ball in the snow before, rushed a career high 26 times for 104 yards and a touchdown. The Patriots used a lot of spread formation, but the Jets did a good job of recognizing what the Patriots wanted to do on pass plays. The Jets defense, with help from Mother Nature, limited Tom Brady to a season-low 140 yards with a 51.5 passer rating. He completed 14 of 27 passes and threw one interception, but the Pats didn't need a huge game from him because Maroney was running wild.

WHEN THE JETS HAD THE BALL

Starting quarterback Kellen Clemens got hurt on the Jets' second play from scrimmage, when he threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown by Patriots defensive back Eugene Wilson. The Jets went to a two-quarterback system, utilizing the running abilities of Brad Smith along with the pocket-passing skills of veteran QB Chad Pennington. The Jets, however, couldn't find any rhythm until the second half. After gaining only two first downs on 81 yards in the first half, 49 of which came on a single Leon Washington run, the Jets switched to a no-huddle, spread-formation offense for much of the second half, and they were able to move the ball, mostly through the air. The Jets tallied 11 first downs and 155 yards in the second half (128 of them were passing yards). Pennington was 25 of 38 for 186 yards and a 77.3 quarterback rating.

SPECIAL TEAMS

It was an up-and-down day for the punters. Patriots punter Chris Hanson had his first attempt downed at the Jets' 3-yard line. Two plays later, Wilson came up with his defensive touchdown. Hanson had his next punt blocked. David Bowens returned it 26 yards for a touchdown midway through the second quarter to cut the Patriots' lead to 10-7. Hanson boomed his third punt 54 yards for a touchback … Patriots receiver Kelley Washington blocked a Ben Graham punt late in the second quarter, giving the Patriots the ball on the Jets' 3-yard line. Two plays later, Maroney scored on a one-yard touchdown run … Patriots place kicker Stephen Gostkowski nailed a 26-yard field goal and a 34-yard field goal … Jets kicker Mike Nugent made a 33-yard field goal, but he missed a 35-yard attempt with 2:12 remaining in the game; it would have cut the Patriots' lead to 20-13 … Jets kickoff returner Washington averaged 26.0 yards per return (5 returns, 130 yards) … Patriots kickoff returner Ellis Hobbs averaged 19.7 yards (3 returns, 59 yards).

COACHING

Jets coach Eric Mangini believed that the Jets needed to score a lot of points if they were going to have a chance to win, so instead of kicking a field goal on fourth and two at the Patriots' 17-yard line, he decided to go for a first down. The decision backfired as Brad Smith threw an incomplete pass intended for tight end Chris Baker, resulting in a turnover on downs. After the failed fourth-down conversion, the Patriots drove 75 yards on 17 plays and kicked a 26-yard field goal to take a 10-0 lead. Patriots coach Bill Belichick decided to go for a first down on fourth and two at the Jets' 20 on the drive, and Tom Brady ran for the first down … Patriots defensive coordinator Dean Pees had his defense switch back to its normal 3-4 formation instead of the 4-3 scheme that he has used a lot lately. The strategy worked as the Patriots held the Jets to just 236 yards.

INTANGIBLES

The Patriots defense, which felt like it had a lot to play for following Eric Mangini's role in the Spygate scandal, played exceptionally well, holding the Jets to zero touchdowns on four trips to the red zone while scoring a defensive touchdown and blocking a punt … Brady improved to 25-2 when the game-time temperature is less than 40 degrees ...With their victory yesterday, the Patriots tied their all-time series with the Jets. They are now 48-48-1 all time against New York.