Pats Pulpit
A week that began with a win at Raymond James Stadium ended the same way at Gillette Stadium.
The New England Patriots defeated the New York Jets by a score of 27-14 on Thursday night, extending the streak to eight games.
Here’s a glance back on the 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff as head coach Mike Vrabel and the AFC East leaders move forward with a 9-2 record.
A 23-year-old NFL MVP frontrunner stayed ahead of schedule on a short week. Drake Maye completed 25-of-34 passes for 281 yards with one touchdown against the Jets.
The debut drive in Storm Blue stretched into the second quarter for the Patriots. The 13-play, 54-yard journey included a fourth-and-2 connection through the air and ended with a 7-7 score by ground. Next time out, the offense returned to its destination the same way to make it 14 unanswered points.
The Patriots quarterback didn’t see a pass hit the turf until the 3:36 mark before halftime. It was his 11th attempt. A punt followed that downfield shot into a tight window. Yet so did a shot at a double score going into the break. Coming out of it, things quickly went from a three-and-out to a 21-7 lead with a touchdown strike to a rookie leaking out of the backfield.
Maye finished the divisional bout without a turnover and with a 107.6 passer rating.
New England entered the night light at tight end with Austin Hooper in the league’s concussion protocol. But captain Hunter Henry caught four passes for 45 yards, led by a play-action crossing route for 23 and a fight for extra yardage on a third-and-7. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels also added muscle in the form of starting nose tackle Khyiris Tonga and sixth offensive lineman Ben Brown.
Five different wide receivers have reached the end zone this season for the Patriots. And while none did so on Thursday night, there was enough to go around.
The eldest statesman led the way. Stefon Diggs reeled in a team-high nine throws for 105 yards. After logging touchdowns in three straight games, it went in the books as his third game over the third century mark altogehter this fall. Targeted early and often, five of the throws sent his direction came on third down.
Fellow starter Mack Hollins chipped in 64 receiving yards and drew holding and illegal contact versus Jets cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. Also there to sustain drives for New England was DeMario Douglas. The shifty slot was turned to on the game’s initial fourth down. He was then turned back to on third down with a crossing over the middle that went for 26. It’d be the longest connection of the night for the aerial attack.
Thursday night marked the third game without Rhamondre Stevenson due to a toe injury. But in the absence of the lead...
