By Steve Silva, Boston.com Staff

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — It was quite the Thanksgiving homecoming for Curtis High School in Staten Island football product Steve Gregory, who had a big night at MetLife Stadium helping the Patriots to wallop the New York Jets 49-19.

"It was a good one for me today," Gregory said from the locker room. "Some of that stuff is just the ball popping out, you being in the right place at the right time. It was a team effort. The guys did a great job up front, getting pressure on the quarterback and really hitting those guys. We were real physical tonight. I think it helped out.

"It was just a matter of us being aggressive, just going out and hitting guys and trying to really just cause chaos out there."

The Patriots' safety intercepted a pass from Jets QB Mark Sanchez to set up the first touchdown of the game. Gregory then forced a fumble on a Jets’ fourth-and-one play that set up another Patriots TD that made it 14-0. Then he recovered a fumble and returned it for a touchdown and 21-0 Patriot lead.

"That was a lot of points in a short period of time," Gregory said. "I think that really set the momentum for the game, it kind of turned things into a lopsided game there. They're a good football team, but I think we're a little better this year. We're excited about what we did today.

For his standout performance, Gregory was named the Madden Thanksgiving Player of the Game, along with Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and defensive tackle Vince Wilfork.