EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- How much did the Jets' defense pressure Tom Brady?
According to ESPN's Stats & Information department, Brady faced six or more pass-rushers on 21 pass attempts, and completed less than half of those passes.
When the Jets rushed six or more, Brady was 6-of-21 for 62 yards with one interception. When the Jets rushed five or fewer, Brady was 17-of-26 for 154 yards.
The numbers suggest that the Jets' pressure was a key factor in the game.
"They are always challenging with the different looks they give," said Brady, who struggled passing on third down, where he was 4-of-13 for 40 yards.
"They're a good blitz team. They get there, and they get home, and there is tight coverage. Sometimes they came free, scheme wise, which is tough and forcing us to throw the ball a little earlier."
Jets coach Rex Ryan explained the Jets' approach, which was centered around mixing their schemes so Brady couldn't identify where pass rushers were coming from.
"This guy is the best in the business. You can't line up and play traditional against him. You've got to be multiple and give him different looks," Ryan said.
Added Jets safety Jim Leonhard: "This defense allows you to give so many looks and unconventional looks. If you come up with something he knows or has seen before, he has no problems identifying who is blitzing and who is coming. It really helped us to play him this early in the year, so we could come with stuff he hadn't seen before."
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Mike Reiss
Mike Reiss first started covering the Patriots in 1997 with the team's official newspaper, Patriots Football Weekly, before moving on to the MetroWest Daily News in his hometown of Framingham. From 2005 to 2009, he covered the Patriots for The Boston Globe, while also writing on the NFL. He started his popular Patriots blog in 2004. Send any questions or comments for Mike to his mailbag. Follow him on Twitter here.
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