Pats Pulpit
The New England Patriots won their eight straight game on Thursday night, defeating the visiting New York Jets 27-14 at Gillette Stadium. They thus became the first team in the NFL to win nine games this year, are now the top seed in the AFC, and secured their first winning season since 2021.
With all that said, let’s get into our lessons learned from the rivalry game on Thursday night.
The Patriots have the longest win streak in the NFL right now, and are looking well on their way to at least qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in four years. This all is coming after winning a total of eight games in the last two seasons combined. A remarkable turnaround, reminiscent of the Patriots’ 2001 team.
Back then, the Patriots signed one the best free agent class in the history of the NFL, bringing in starters all over the field, including, but not limited to, Mike Compton, Roman Phifer, Antowain Smith, David Patten, and a certain Mike Vrabel. They also had a heck of a draft, adding Richard Seymour and Matt Light to solidify both sides of the line. While not all of the additions became household names, they contributed to the Patriots winning their first Super Bowl at the end of the 2001 season.
This year, the Patriots have brought in a ton of impactful players as well, including Stefon Diggs, Mack Hollins, Milton Williams, Robert Spillane, Khyiris Tonga, and Morgan Moses, among others. They also have gotten big contributions from rookies Will Campbell, Jared Wilson, TreVeyon Henderson, and Craig Woodson.
In both of those seasons, New England came seemingly out of nowhere and developed into serious contenders in the AFC and NFL overall. Time will tell if this year’s Patriots can make a deep playoff run like the 2001 team did, but they are looking great right now and like a team to set the foundation for years to come.
New receivers keep fueling the offense: Both Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins had big games on Thursday night, and they have been reliable targets for Drake Maye all season long. In four of the last five games, either Hollins or Diggs have led the Patriots in receiving, and Thursday was another night where the two of them showed off their importance to the Patriots offense. Hollins has proven himself very useful in both the passing and running game, with his play on Thursday highlighted by a leaping catch over the middle. Diggs, on the other hand, was open all night long, and was the engine that kept the offense moving. Going back to the point above, it’s tough to do better than the Patriots did in overhauling their offense this offseason.
Kyle Williams is not ready for a big role: After taking a pass to house in Tampa last Sunday, Kyle Williams failed to duplicate the magic against the Jets....
