The Patriots had a chance.

They actually had enough, every time the New York Jets blew theirs, a new one came along.

So Jacoby Brissett took the ball down five minutes with 2:57 to play and marched his team off the field.

He scrambled 14 yards on third-and-9 to keep the drive alive, and soon after found receiver Kayshon Boutte for 34 yards on third-and-10 to set up first-and-goal.

With Rhamondre Stevenson’s 1-yard touchdown and two-point conversion catch, the Patriots were 22 seconds away from snapping their five-game losing streak and upsetting the Jets despite losing quarterback Drake Maye in the second quarter.

And New England did just that, sealing a 25-22 win and then improving to 2-6 while their division rivals fell to 2-6.

This wasn’t a loss where the Jets played good football but ultimately ran out of time or lacked the luck they needed.

The Jets’ fifth consecutive loss reflected a routinely sloppy day for a team whose desperation has been on display all year as their projected Super Bowl window with quarterback Aaron Rodgers rapidly shrinks.

The Jets’ offense couldn’t finish drives, the special teams surrendered a 62-yard punt in addition to a missed field goal and missed an extra point, and the defense did less to stop the Patriots’ offense than the dropped passes of the New England recipients. .

Five weeks after the Jets defeated the Patriots 24-3, a New York team that had made three dramatic moves to improve its fortunes came up against a team that was not only rebuilding but also without a starting quarterback for nearly three quarters fed up.

The Jets have yet to show the momentum they were hoping for after firing Robert Saleh, changing offensive play-callers from Nathaniel Hackett to Todd Downing and trading for receiver Davante Adams. They haven’t even glimpsed the championship caliber they expected when they brought a four-time MVP quarterback into the building for the sunset of his career.

Instead, a Jets team that has been shouting its win-now intentions just lost to a team that is very clearly being rebuilt.

The Jets’ late start, like their performance, isn’t enough

It looked like New York could pull off an ugly win with a late start.

Rodgers hit Garrett Wilson for his fourth pass of 20-plus yards with 4:44 to play, with Breece Hall moving the ball into the red zone on two carries. Rodgers then found Adams for 16 yards, setting up rookie running back Braelon Allen for the 2-yard touchdown to take the lead in the final three minutes of the game.

But the Jets went for the two-point conversion.

The strategy was defensible, as a seven-point lead would change the scoring calculus the Patriots would need to catch, let alone beat, the Jets. There was also some contextual defense: Kicker Greg Zuerlein had made just one of two extra-point attempts and one of two field goal attempts in the latest edition of his multi-week slump.

So when the Jets were assessed another delay of game penalty, they still attempted the two-point attempt, despite the need to now travel seven yards instead of two.

But they missed it.

And like the rest of their day full of penalties and mistakes, they missed an opportunity to beat a team with far less talent, investment and health.

Patriots lost quarterback and still beat Jets

The Jets defense, which has shown a higher ceiling than the offense this season, struggled for the third straight game since team owner Woody Johnson fired Saleh.

Saleh had called plays for a defense that had been in the top four each of the two previous years.

And as the Patriots watched one pass after another hamper their play Sunday, Maye made two cuts early on New York.

The 2024 third overall draft pick rushed for a 17-yard touchdown to put the Patriots on the scoreboard first, and for 18 yards on a goalie with 1:09 to play in the first quarter.

But Maye took a helmet hit on the latter and ended the ride before entering the blue medical tent. A subsequent evaluation in the Patriots’ locker room revealed that Maye had suffered a concussion during this third professional start. Brissett came into the game.

The injury likely reflected concerns about Maye playing at all this season, in a year when the Patriots had neither the offensive line to protect him nor the skill players to produce a functioning offense. Maye was impressive in taking the passing game and deep passing to the next level, especially despite the conditions. But ultimately, with the Jets’ defense limiting that, Maye resorted to scrambling, including the one that knocked him out of the game.

Brissett finished the game 15 of 24 passing for 132 yards, in addition to 11 net yards on three carries.

Stevenson rushed 20 times for 48 yards and two touchdowns.

For the Jets, Rodgers completed 17 of 28 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns.

Several deep passes to Wilson were the highlight of the day, with Wilson catching five of eight targets for 113 yards as Patriots top cornerback Christian Gonzalez paid attention to Adams.

The Jets now sit at the bottom of the AFC East, in a year when they were expected to contend for that.