Patriots show some toughness: Ups & Downs from Week 8 win over Jets
FOXBORO -- The Patriots did not play a perfect game of football on Sunday and nearly lost another showdown with the New York Jets. But they were not soft when it mattered the most, and actually showed some toughness in the face of adversity.
The Patriots responded to Jerod Mayo calling them a soft football team after last week's loss in London, snapping their six-game losing streak with a 25-22 comeback win over the Jets in Week 8. They didn't fold when rookie quarterback Drake Maye was lost to a head injury, and they didn't fold when the Jets took a lead late in the fourth quarter.
"The guys showed the resilience they've developed over the past few weeks. Really proud of the guys," Mayo said after Sunday's win. "There was a lot of noise and a lot of chatter. I'm very appreciative of just their attitude and professionalism on an everyday basis. I thought it was good."
It wasn't perfect, and it's only a win over the lowly Jets. But at least Patriots fans can continue to say, "At least we're not the Jets" and actually mean it. While the Patriots aren't in great shape here in 2024, most of this was to be expected in a rebuilding year with a rookie head coach. The Jets were expected to compete for a Super Bowl this season, but instead are 2-6 and just lost to the Patriots.
Maye's injury really put a damper on things, but the Patriots have to be happy to be back in the win column. Here are the Ups and Downs from Sunday's victory.
DOWN: Drake Maye's head injury
This is obviously the big news from the day, and it's a huge downer for the New England Patriots. Maye was looking good once again, running for his first career touchdown in the first quarter.
But it was a second-quarter scramble that knocked Maye out of the game, after he took a helmet-to-helmet hit from Jets safety Jamien Sherwood at the end of an 18-yard run. Somehow there was no flag on the play, which is surprising in a league that goes above and beyond to protect most quaterbacks.
Mayo said that Maye wanted to go back in at halftime, but the rookie has protocols to go through before he can return to action. It's unclear how long he'll be out, but chances are he won't be suiting up next week against the Titans.
DOWN: The refs missing the helmet-to-helmet hit on Drake Maye
While it wasn't a dirty hit by Sherwood, he certainly deserved a flag on the play that ultimately knocked Maye out of the contest. The official even approached Maye after the hit to see if he was OK, but didn't feel the need to throw his flag.
The NFL is supposed to be doing everything it can to take hits to the head out of the game, especially hits to the head of a defenseless player. Yet somehow on Sunday, they let a hit to the head of a sliding quarterback go unflagged.
UP: Drake Maye was making things happen again
His 17-yard touchdown run was awesome and shows just how dangerous this kid can be. So was Maye's 11-yard scamper just before that score, and that 18-yard run -- where Maye broke a tackle on Leonard Taylor -- late in the first quarter.
Maye had 69 of the team's 99 total yards in the first quarter, and 46 of them came on the ground. The Jets just had no answer for Maye early in the game.
Up: Jacoby Brissett stepped up
Brissett started with a three-and-out after taking over for Maye, as the Patriots got very conservative following the QB switch. But they got aggressive in the second half, and Brissett led the Pats to three scoring drives on five possessions.
The Patriots scored a touchdown on their first possession of the second half, though Marcus Jones (a 62-yard punt return) and Rhamondre Stevenson (18 total yards) led the drive, which gave New England a 14-13 lead.
After the Jets took a 16-14 lead, the Patriots punted twice before Brissett led them on a 14-play, 61-yard field goal drive midway through the fourth. The Patriots converted on a pair of third-and-longs on the drive, with Brissett hitting Hunter Henry for 12 yards and Tyquan Thornton for 14 yards to move the chains. Joey Slye's field goal gave the Pats a 17-16 lead with 7:34 remaining.
And when the Jets answered with a touchdown to take a 25-22 lead with less than three minutes to go, Brissett once again answered the call. He led New England on a 10-play, 77-yard drive that included a 34-yard hookup with Boutte and a 14-yard scramble by Brissett on a third-and-9. Stevenson scored from a yard out on fourth down for the game-winning score.
Overall, Brissett was 15-of-34 for 132 passing yards in place of the injured Maye, and made some big plays for the New England offense in some key moments.
"I don't look at it as no redemption. I think this is a testament to me believing in myself and not y'all. I'm very aware of that," Brissett said after the win. "I was very fortunate to have this opportunity. To go out there and get a win with our guys, it was sweet. You can't put it into words. I'm not trying to, like, be arrogant or nothing, but I'm very proud of myself today."
UP: The Patriots defense got tough
Aaron Rodgers looked extremely disinterested in playing football on Sunday, but the New England defense deservers a ton of credit for their effort in the win. The Patriots' defense played tough throughout Sunday's win, stepping up in a big way after Mayo's "soft" comment last week.
It started early, when New England's special teams gave up a 40-yard punt return by Xavier Gipson. The Jets started at the New England 47, but their first possession ended with a three-and-out thanks to the Patriots' defense.
The Pats gave up two touchdown drives after that, but forced another three-and-out on New York's first possession of the second half. The Jets were moving downfield on their next possession, but had to settle for a field goal when Christian Gonzalez deflected a third-down pass for Davante Adams just outside of the end zone.
The Patriots forced a punt after four plays on New York's next possession. The Jets threated their next time out and got into the red zone, but Christian Elliss came up with a huge sack of Rodgers on a third-and-9, dropping him for a nine-yard loss early in the fourth quarter. On the next play, Greg Zuerlein missed a 44-yard field goal
Rodgers was real good on his final drive, putting together a 10-play, 70-yard touchdown drive where he had big plays to Garrett Wilson (22 yards), Breece Hall (13 yards) and Adams (17 yards). But he was held to just 233 passing yards on his 17 completions (on 28 attempts) and looked extremely uncomfortable for most of the game.
After giving up 73 points in the previous two weeks, the Patriots defense played a strong game on Sunday.
DOWN: All those drops by Patriots receivers
Patriots receivers have done a lot of talking this season, but they haven't done much to back it up. Kashon Boutte, Tyquan Thornton, and Kendrick Bourne all had costly drops on Sunday.
Maye put a beautiful deep ball on Thornton along the sideline late in the first quarter, but the receiver let it bounce off his chest and incomplete.
Boutte let a potential first-down catch go through his hands in the middle of the field early in the second quarter, and then another on a second-and-11 early in the fourth quarter.
Bourne had a pair of costly drops, including a deep ball from Brissett that went off his fingertips on the eventual game-winning drive.
Boutte made up for his drops with a big 34-yard reception on the final drive, but he caught just three of the passes that went his way for 46 yards. Pats receivers simply have to be better, no matter who is at quarterback.
UP: Hunter Henry was Mr. Reliable
On National Tight Ends Day -- yes, that is actually a real thing -- Henry was big for the Patriots with five receptions for 45 yards. Three of his catches went for a first down, and Henry also had a 39-yard reception taken off the board when guard Michael Jordan was flagged for an offensive hold.
UP: A home win for the Patriots
Before Sunday, the Patriots hadn't won a home game since last October when they stunned the Buffalo Bills in front of the fans in Foxboro. The Patriots are now 1-3 at Gillette Stadium this season, and have already matched their home win total from last year.