FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Outside linebacker Quinton Coples, whose playing time began to shrink last week, was dropped from the starting lineup and played only a handful of snaps in the New York Jets' 27-25 loss to the New England Patriots Thursday night at Gillette Stadium.
Coples, a first-round pick in 2012, was replaced by graybeard Jason Babin at the "rush" linebacker spot. The Jets rotated three outside linebackers -- Babin, Calvin Pace and Antwan Barnes, who made his 2014 debut after being activated Wednesday from the PUP list.
Asked if he was upset by his diminished playing time, Coples said, "Absolutely not." It conjured up memories of former draft bust Vernon Gholston, who never expressed any fire or disappointment whenever he was benched or deactivated.
Double-A explains: Safety Antonio Allen, who replaced Calvin Pryor in the starting lineup, was torched for a 49-yard touchdown less than two minutes into the game.
"I didn't do a great job of getting my depth and getting my assignment, and they scored," said Allen, admitting he peeked into the backfield at quarterback Tom Brady -- a lapse that allowed running back Shane Vereen to get past him.
In the fourth quarter, Allen surrendered the touchdown that doomed the Jets -- a 19-yard pass to Danny Amendola, which came on a third-and-19 play. It was a brilliant, twisting catch by Amendola, but it was poor positioning by Allen.
"I peeked at the quarterback and he turned it upfield," Allen said. "I have to keep my eyes on (the receiver) instead of trying to take that peak."
Allen, who has been moving back and forth between safety and cornerback, ended up playing much of the game in a three-safety nickel package. Starting cornerback Phillip Adams was benched in the second half; he was replaced by nickelback Kyle Wilson, who rarely plays on the outside.
Red zone woes: The Jets actually scored on their first five possessions, but they had only 19 points to show for it. Their red zone problems resurfaced, as they went 2-for-4 inside the 20. Penalties hurt. There were killer penalties by Willie Colon and Oday Aboushi, who made his first NFL start.
"Four field goals on the road doesn't get it done," wide receiver David Nelson said.
Silver lining: The offensive line and the running backs rebounded from last Sunday's brutal performance, as the Jets rushed for 218 yards and a 5.1 average. Chris Ivory led the way with 107 yards.
"The offensive line did a great job," Ivory said. "I thought we moved the ball really well, we've just got to score a little more when we get in the red zone instead of taking threes. That was the difference."
Injury report: Running back Bilal Powell left in the second half with a foot injury and didn't return.
