Jets' pass protection porous for Sanchez

One reason New England ranks 32nd and last in the NFL in total defense and pass defense is because its pass rush hasn't inspired comparisons to the Purple People Eaters, Minnesota's great pass rush of yesteryear. But Patriots defensive end Andre Carter basically had a season in one night with 41/2 sacks and eight QB hits in a 37-16 victory over the Jets Sunday night at MetLife Stadium.

Carter had help from defensive end Mark Anderson, who got the other half-sack and a hit on Mark Sanchez. He lost 38 yards on the five sacks, threw two interceptions and was called once for intentional grounding as he was being sandwiched by Carter and Anderson.

The Jets came out passing against a defense that was giving up an average of 314 yards through the air, and they moved smartly before Nick Folk missed a chip-shot field goal. It was all downhill from there.

"That first drive, we were rolling and doing whatever we wanted,'' left guard Matt Slauson said. "It's a shame we came away with no points. That's deflating.''

But it hardly was the explanation for the foul-ups that followed. On the second series, Carter came off the corner unblocked and plastered Sanchez. "One guy came in free off the edge when we had a 'game' on the other side,'' right guard Brandon Moore said. "I don't know what happened. That's not how we usually play.''

During the three-game winning streak that preceded this game, the Jets' offensive line was a strength as coach Rex Ryan's team reverted to its traditional ground-and-pound philosophy. Understandably, they emphasized the passing game more against the Pats' porous defense, and it backfired. "They showed a couple of exotic blitzes that were pretty tough,'' Slauson said. "We weren't surprised because they always do different stuff against us. They show one thing against every other team and they change for us. It's obvious their goal is to beat us badly every time.''

Instead of running stunts on the inside with two tackles in a four-man front, as they usually do, the Patriots ran stunts on the outside with an end and a tackle, Slauson said.

Jets tackles Wayne Hunter and D'Brickashaw Ferguson seemed to struggle against the pass rush, perhaps because the Patriots split the ends out wide and left big gaps in the middle. When Carter and Anderson got upfield, they could either keep coming or spin inside into the rushing line they had created. But Hunter didn't see that as the problem.

"The press always focuses on sacks,'' he said. "To be honest, I think our pass protection on the outside was fine the whole game. Every tackle is going to give up one or two pressures. Overall, I think me and Brick did a good job on the outside. I'm not just saying that. I really do believe it.''

At the same time, Hunter agreed Sanchez scrambled more than usual. "I'm not sure what happened overall. I know we have to look at the film. It was a different defense than we're used to seeing from New England, that's for sure, but they stuck with it the whole game.''

With a game Thursday night in Denver, the Jets don't have much time to find answers. But if the offensive line gets back on track, it's likely the whole team will follow.

"It was tough to take,'' Slauson said of a loss that gave the division rival Patriots a sweep of the season series. "We have been improving as a line. It's unfortunate that it seemed like we took a couple steps back. But we fight every day, and we're going to get better.''