09/09 — The second half opened with some NFL history being set at the Jets' special teams expense. Mike Nugent seemed to nail a brilliant kickoff, away from Ellis Hobbs and 8 yards deep in the end zone. But Hobbs took it out — and took it to the house, outrunning the Jets coverage.

It's the longest kickoff return in NFL history, bettering three 106-yard returns, the last by Roy Green in 1979. Obviously, it's the longest return in Patriots history and the longest given up by the Jets. The previous long was 104 yards by a Houston Oiler named Ken Hall when the Jets were called Titans in 1960. The play also equals the longest play of any kind in league history, the 108-yard missed field goal returns by the Bears' Nate Vasher in 2005 and Devin Hester in 2006.

Patriots 21, Jets 7

More adversity. The Jets are moving on their next series, but D'Brickashaw Ferguson is struggling. On second down, Jarvis Green, playing RE in place of the PUP-ed Richard Seymour, beats Brick to the outside and not only takes down Pennington but catches his right ankle under him on the tackle. Pennington tries to jog off the field, falls to the turf, then finally hops off on one leg to the sideline to be examined.

Kellen Clemens comes in to cheers. "This," says CBS play-by-play man Jim Nantz, "is the wrong reaction." Clemens completes but not for the first down and Ben Graham punts again. Pennington starts walking on the sidelines as the Patriots start driving again.

And with the combination of the Patriots' great protection and the Jets' light rush, Tom Brady drops back and loads up. His target is Randy Moss, who delivers a Moss-like play, outrunning three Jets defenders — LB Jonathan Vilma, CB David Barrett and S Erik Coleman — to the left pylon and gathering in the 51-yard pass for the score. As Dick Enberg or George Takei might say if either were a Jets fan, "Oh, my."

Patriots 28, Jets 7

And as they go to commercial break, Pennington, his ankle retaped, walks back on to retake the offensive reins.

Is it too little too late, or a second wind? Pennington, still gimping in between plays, leads the Jets on a nine-play, 70-yard drive, distributing on handoffs to Thomas Jones and passes to wide-open TE Chris Baker. On first-and-goal at the Patriots 1, Chad tries the fade to Laveranues Coles over Asante Samuel. The ball goes incomplete, perhaps with a Samuel defense, perhaps just an uncontrollable ball.

The quarter ends with the Patriots having bailed out of a first-and-20 with a first down at their 31, not a good omen heading into a desperate final frame for the Green & White.

So OC Brian Schottenheimer goes back to the well again: Same play, different result. Coles snatches the ball from Samuel for the TD. With 17 minutes and change left in the game, the Jets get it back to within two TDs.

Patriots 28, Jets 14

And Hobbs' second KO return didn't quite come close to 108 yards. More like 19 to the Pats 21.

As the quarter ends, the Pats have bailed out of a first-and-20 for a first down at their 31. A bad omen for a final-period comeback for the Green & White.