FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Chris Jones wasn’t going to make the same mistake he did last year when Nick Folk tried another potential winning field goal Thursday night.
This time, the New England defensive tackle didn’t commit a penalty to give the Jets kicker another chance.
Jones blocked Folk’s 58-yard attempt on the final play and the Patriots had just enough offense with Tom Brady’s three touchdown passes to edge surprisingly competitive New York 27-25.
“It’s good to feel that ball hitting my hand and it’s good to get the win,” Jones said. “I just played it legally and did all that I could.”
Last season, Folk was wide left on a 56-yard attempt in overtime, but Jones was penalized under a new rule against players pushing a teammate into the opponent’s formation. Folk then connected from 42 yards, giving the Jets a 30-27 victory.
“After what happened last year, I thought it was fitting that he made that play,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said.
Folk’s longest field goal in his career traveled 56 yards, but he had made all 13 of his attempts this year so the 58-yarder was makeable.
“It felt pretty good off my foot,” he said. “I did kick it low, in order to give it enough to get it there.”
But when Jones batted it down, the Patriots (5-2) raced onto the field in celebration of a win that was much tougher than expected.
The Jets (1-6) suffered their sixth straight loss, the longest streak in Rex Ryan’s six seasons as coach, after taking a 19-17 lead with just under 9 minutes left in the third quarter on Chris Ivory’s 1-yard run.
Stephen Gostkowski put the Patriots ahead to stay with his second field goal, a 36-yarder with 4:10 to go in the third. Brady’s 19-yard touchdown pass to Danny Amendola gave them an eight-point lead with 4:10 remaining.
Brady was 20 for 37 for 261 yards and no interceptions.
Decision soon on Goodell Rice testimony
PHILADELPHIA — A person familiar with the case told The Associated Press a neutral arbiter is expected to decide early next week whether NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell should testify during an appeal of Ray Rice’s indefinite suspension.
Goodell said last week he’d leave the decision to former U.S. District Judge Barbara S. Jones. She was picked by the commissioner and the players’ union to hear Rice’s appeal earlier this month. The hearing is tentatively set for November.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Thursday because details about the hearing haven’t been released.
The union is appealing Rice’s suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. The former Baltimore Ravens running back was suspended after video of him hitting his then-fiancee in an elevator was publicly released.
Lawsuit against Jones dismissed
DALLAS — A Dallas judge has dismissed the sexual assault lawsuit filed against Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
State District Judge Dale Tillery ruled Thursday that allegations made against Jones by an Oklahoma woman were barred by Texas law on statutes of limitations.
Jana Weckerly accused Jones of grabbing her genitals and forcibly kissing her in 2009. Weckerly also alleged an attorney for Jones took a memory card with photos and destroyed it.
An attorney for Jones said he was pleased with Tillery’s order and reiterated that Weckerly’s allegations were false. An attorney for Weckerly said neither Jones nor the Cowboys had paid any money to Weckerly as part of the lawsuit ending.
By wire sources
