Patriots Having Trouble on the Field, Too : AFC: O’Brien passes for 282 yards to lead the Jets to 37-13 victory over a team trying block out the turmoil over sexual harassment charges.

The black cloud over the New England Patriots got even darker Sunday.

A 37-13 rout by the New York Jets was piled on the turmoil over a female reporter’s claim she was sexually harassed by several Patriots players and speculation that owner Victor Kiam was planning major management changes.

“It’s tough to block it out,” New England wide receiver Sammy Martin said.

But there was one bizarre bright spot for the Patriots: fewer than one-third of the 36,724 spectators who filed into the stadium were still there to see the dismal ending.

For the Jets, Ken O’Brien completed 19 of 29 passes for 282 yards and a touchdown, Brad Baxter rushed for two touchdowns, Blair Thomas had his first 100-yard game, and Rob Moore caught nine passes for 175 yards, including a 69-yard score. Pat Leahy added field goals of 18, 24 and 46 yards.

It was easy for the Jets (2-2) to forget last Monday night’s 30-7 loss to Buffalo. It was impossible for the Patriots (1-3) to forget the uproar stemming from the incident 13 days earlier involving Boston Herald reporter Lisa Olson.

The woes of New England mounted early as the Jets scored on their first possession. Baxter’s one-yard run capped an 11-play, 54-yard drive.

Baxter added a 28-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, making the score 31-6 after Michael Mayes’ first NFL interception.

Four plays after Kyle Clifton intercepted a pass, Leahy kicked his 18-yard field goal, increasing the margin to 34-6 with 1:36 left in the third quarter.

After the first of Jason Staurovsky’s two field goals, a 46-yarder, cut New York’s lead to 7-3, O’Brien and Moore hooked up on the 69-yard scoring play.

Staurovsky’s 40-yard field goal made the score 14-6 with 5:48 left in the second quarter. Leahy answered that with a 24-yarder.

The Jets got the ball back 1:22 before halftime. O’Brien threw a 36-yard completion to Moore, taking the ball to the Patriots’ 11. Three plays later, Freeman McNeil’s four-yard scoring run built the halftime lead to 24-6.