Jets veteran CB Buster Skrine put together one of his finest efforts as a Jet, recording a pair of takeaways in the team's 24-17 loss to the Patriots.
Entering Week 6 action with just three giveaways, the Patriots almost matched that total in the first 30 minutes due to a Skrine trifecta. The 5'9", 185-pounder eliminated a scoring threat in the opening stanza when he won a fight for a loose ball after ILB Darron Lee jarred it loose from Pats RB Mike Gillislee.
The fumble recovery created a 10-point swing as the Jets would take the ball and quickly go seven plays and 78 yards, culminating the possession on a 31-yard scoring pass from Josh McCown to Jeremy Kerely.
Then with the Jets up 14-7 in the second quarter, Skrine ran step for step with Patriots WR Phillip Dorsett and intercepted a long Tom Brady pass.
"He's a deeper route runner, so I kind of baited him a little bit," Skrine said. "Once he (Tom Brady) threw it up I just ran, caught it and got the pick. We're about the same height, so I knew I could win the jumping battle."
Playing an aggressive brand of football early, Skrine barked and attempted to set a tone with his physicality. But he missed an opportunity that came earlier in the second stanza when the versatile corner couldn't hang onto an INT that was in his hands. If he caught the ball, the Green & White would have been in plus-territory with a 14-0 advantage.
"It was disappointing because we didn't get off the field," he said. "Gronk is a bigger guy and I'm smaller, so I was going to play off of him and use zone eyes once the ball got off from Brady. I was going to beat him to the ball."
Skrine finished with 3 PDs Sunday including a good close early in the second half on a Brady pass intended to Dorsett. He was flagged for a defensive holding in the third quarter, but Skrine helped the defense hold Brady to a 53% completion percentage in the loss.
"We're a confident team and we have good team chemistry," he said. "We stuck together that whole game despite what was going on in the second half. We grew as a team."
