Ten Takeaways From the Patriots 25-22 Win Over the Jets

The New England Patriots entered Sunday with a six-game losing streak. It was the franchise’s longest such streak in 31 years. Furthermore, they were playing against the New York Jets, who had manhandled them in Week 3 by a final score of 24-3. New York had made some roster improvements since that game, adding wide receiver Davante Adams. The Patriots were without starting safeties Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers.

New England had not won since Week 1. New York had not won since their win against the Patriots, dropping four straight themselves. The other big changes from their first matchup were that New England held the home-field advantage and now had Drake Maye as their starting quarterback.

Maye gave the Foxoboro faithful something to cheer about, helping them take an early 7-0 lead. But Maye would exit injured in the second quarter. The Patriots relied on Jacoby Brissett to come on in relief and lead them to their first victory since the season opener. Improbably, the veteran QB did just that. The Patriots pulled off a 25-22 win and helped New England start a new streak, a winning one.

Ten takeaways from the Week 8 matchup:

Also Read – Kelley: Six Things for Patriots Fans to Feel Good About in 2024

Drake Maye Impresses Once Again

The Patriots went three-and-out on their opening drive. Two Rhamondre Stevenson runs set up a third-and-five for New England. Maye overthrew a deep pass that fell incomplete. The next drive went significantly better for New England. The Patriots began on their 23-yard line and drove 77 yards for the game’s first score. New England picked up five first downs on the drive. Maye completed all three pass attempts for 23 yards. However, he did most of the damage with his legs. His first scramble went for an 11-yard gain and a first down. His second rush of the drive went for a 17-yard touchdown.

DRAKE MAYE. 17-yard rushing TD for the rookie!

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— NFL (@NFL) October 27, 2024

New England picked up one first down on the third drive, but the drive stalled out on a dropped pass. It would prove to be Maye’s last snap of the day. He finished 3-of-6 passing for 23 yards. He rushed three times for 46 yards and a touchdown. Two of Maye’s three incompletions were drops.

Drake Maye Exits Injured

Despite a promising start to the game for Drake Maye, his afternoon was over early. Maye took a hit to the head as he slid down on an 18-yard run during the Patriots’ third drive. Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood hit Drake Maye helmet-to-helmet as the quarterback slid to the ground. Maye remained in the game for the rest of the drive and no penalty was called. Following a Stevenson run, Maye getting sacked, and a dropped pass, New England punted. Maye went into the medical tent before heading back to the locker room. Jerod Mayo confirmed during his halftime interview his quarterback would not return. A concussion is suspected, though no further medical update is available.

Marcus Jones Picked On

Marcus Jones Returns

Jones didn’t let his defensive issues stop him from contributing to the team’s success on Sunday. The Jets led 13-7 at halftime and received to start the second half. Drake Maye was out injured. It would have been easy for a 1-6 team to roll over and lose handily, but they did not. The Jets ran the ball twice, then a Keion White pressure forced Aaron Rodgers to throw the ball away on third down. New York punted after a three-and-out opening drive to the third quarter.

Marcus Jones fielded the ball at the New England 12-yard line. He returned it 62 yards, down to the Jets’ 26-yard line. The play brought the Gillette Stadium crowd to life. Jones was named first-team All-Pro as a punt returner in his rookie year of 2022. After missing all but two games in 2023, he showed he can still break a big play for the Patriots. It was the second-longest return of his career.

Marcus hit the edge and was OFF 🏎️@MarcusJonesocho | #NEPats

📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/EDLAQCvlKD

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 27, 2024

Unimpressive Performance by Rodgers, Jets

Aaron Rodgers joined the Jets in a trade before the 2023 season after 18 years in Green Bay. He played only one game for New York in 2023, suffering a season-ending Achilles injury after only four snaps. Now the oldest player in the NFL, Rodgers has not shown this season he is close to the player he once was. Rodgers’ final numbers were fine. He completed 17-of-28 passes (60.7%) for 233 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions.

However, he did not look like the killer that has terrorized NFL defenses for two decades. He threw one pass that hit Patriots safety Jaylinn Hawkins in the chest, fortunate to avoid an interception. He ran the ball zero times. Rodgers’ sense of urgency seemed low. He was slow breaking the huddle and getting to the line of scrimmage. The Jets have fired their head coach, taken away playcalling duties from their offensive coordinator, and traded for Davante Adams. At some point, the disinterested-looking quarterback of a 2-6 team deserves his share of the blame as well.

Overall, the New York Jets are simply not a good football team. The Patriots aren’t in a position to not feel good about a win, regardless of opponent, but New York’s ineptitude helped their cause.

New England’s Trusty Tight Ends

Last week against Jacksonville, tight ends Austin Hooper and Hunter Henry received New England’s highest offensive grades from Pro Football Focus. The duo performed well again on Sunday, which happened to be “National Tight Ends Day.” Throwing to the tight ends, New England’s quarterbacks completed 8-of-10 passes for 60 yards. Throwing to the rest of the roster, the Patriots quarterbacks connected on 10-of-20 passes for 76 yards. The New England Patriots offense has a lot of issues this season, but their tight ends have not been one of them. Hunter Henry has performed at a Pro Bowl level in 2024, with Austin Hooper as a reliable TE2.

3rd & 11 @Hunter_Henry84's got you.

📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/d4GwStrAts

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 27, 2024

Wide Receivers Drop the Ball

With ten minutes remaining, the New England Patriots wide receivers had done virtually nothing all game. DeMario Douglas caught both of his targets for 12 yards. The rest of New England’s wide receivers had caught only 2-of-8 targets for 14 yards. The problem was not merely the lack of production; there were multiple drops.

Kayshon Boutte dropped a pass across the middle when he appeared distracted by the potential of getting hit. Tyquan Thornton had a drop. Kendrick Bourne dropped two catchable passes. The official drop total is unknown, but there was a minimum of four from this perspective. It was another frustrating performance from a unit that seemed to have an inflated sense of themselves. With Ja’Lynn Polk out, and he was suffering from drop issues too, it was an opportunity for one of the other wide receivers to impress. Through three-plus quarters, nobody did.

Redemption for Kayshon Boutte

New England got the ball at their 30-yard line with 2:57 to play in the fourth quarter. They trailed 22-17. If Jacoby Brissett could lead them to a touchdown drive, they would likely win. Otherwise, the Jets would complete a season sweep over the Patriots. The drive did not look smooth, but it got the desired result.

Jacoby Brissett scrambled for a 14-yard gain on third-and-nine from the Patriots’ 43-yard line. After consecutive incompletions, he connected with Kayshon Boutte down the sideline for a 34-yard gain. It gave the Patriots possession at the Jets’ nine-yard line. After two Rhamondre Stevenson runs for four yards, Brissett found Boutte again across the middle. New England had the ball just outside the goal line. On fourth down, Stevenson ran it in for the game-winning score. Without the contributions of Brissett and Boutte down the stretch, the New England Patriots would not win the game.

.@JBrissett12 threading it to @KayshonBoutte1 🎯

📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/oAgSg7YsTS

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 27, 2024

Lows and Highs for Christian Elliss

Christian Elliss replaced Raekwon McMillan in the lineup last week against Jacksonville. He remained there against New York. Elliss committed a pass interference penalty in the first quarter. It was a third-and-three play from the Patriots 15-yard line. The call gave the Jets the ball at the two-yard line and they scored on the next play to take an early lead.

However, Elliss would redeem himself during the game. He led New England with nine tackles and defended a pass. But Elliss’ biggest play was a sack of Aaron Rodgers in the fourth quarter. Elliss sacked Rodgers on a third-and-seven play from the Patriots 17-yard line for a nine-yard loss. It forced the Jets to settle for a field goal attempt, which missed wide left.

New England Patriots Stars of the Game

The New England Patriots receive three stars for the game, even in a loss. But it certainly feels more justified to give them out after a victory. The three stars for Week 8 are:

First Star – Christian Gonzalez. He covered Davante Adams for most of the game. Rodgers targeted Adams four times with Gonzalez in coverage, completing zero passes.

Second Star – Patriots Quarterbacks. Drake Maye and Jacoby Brissett both dealt with drops from receivers. But they combined to complete 18-of-30 passes for 136 yards and no turnovers. They ran six times for 57 yards and a touchdown. And, of course, Brissett engineered a fourth-quarter comeback game-winning drive.

Third Star – Hunter Henry. His final numbers might look modest (five receptions, 45 yards) but on a day when catches were hard to come by, Henry was Mr. Reliable for New England.