The New England Patriots have had their fair share of haters this season. Complaints about their easy schedule and particularly easy division have raised concerns as to whether or not they are a legit candidate to make a deep run in the playoffs and eventually make a push for the Super Bowl. Against the Buccaneers, the team advanced to 8-2, beating a team that was a consensus top team in the league and CBS’s No. 1 team in their power rankings going into Week 10. While beating the Bills was massive, beating the Buccaneers cements the Patriots as a true competitor for the best team in football after a poor first three weeks of the season. Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye have done a truly incredible job turning the team around.
Maye had a generally good game, but it didn’t come without some questionable decisions. It’s hard to say he was definitively good or bad, but his 51% completion rate (16/31) was his lowest this year. 283 total yards and two passing touchdowns are solid figures, but his lone interception almost cost the team the game. He had some spectacular throws, no doubt, with a 3rd and 7 pass to Mack Hollins to keep a drive going, a deep ball to Hollins for a huge 3rd and 14 gain, and a nice ball in the back of the endzone to Stefon Diggs to end the half. Hollins had the second best statistical game of his career, and his second 100+ yard game ever. He came up big in Kayshon Boutte’s absence, offering a reliable third down target and deep threat. Kyle Williams had only one catch, but he took it to the house for a 72-yard touchdown that changed the tide early. Pop Douglas had a nice third down grab that kept a drive going too. Hunter Henry was the only tight end to make a catch, his for nine yards.
In the running game, the Patriots offered little in the way of consistency, but nonetheless were productive. In the second game without Rhamondre Stevenson, Henderson had incredible final stats. On his 14 carries, he garnered 147 yards and two touchdowns. His two touchdown runs were long ones, his first for 55 and his second for 69 yards. There’s no doubt fans should be excited about his home run hitting potential, but looking at the broader sample size, Henderson struggled to be consistent. His 12 other carries went for 23 yards, just 1.9 a pop. The OSU product was the lead back, but second year power back Terrell Jennings also featured before being ruled out with a knee injury; he had four carries for five yards. Veteran D’Ernest Johnson had one carry.
Another interesting piece to the run game was the now continued use of nose tackle Khyiris Tonga as a fullback, often in place of Jack Westover. Tonga was used in several short yardage situations, including an early fourth down conversion on the New England 43-yard line. He was also utilized on a toss play for Henderson which he broke for the game sealing 69-yard touchdown run. Tonga being used as a two-way player has been fun to watch, and we’ll hopefully see plenty more of him in the backfield as time goes on.
Defensively, the Patriots’ streak of not allowing a 50-yard rusher was finally broken by Syracuse alum Sean Tucker, who had 53 yards on the day. Rachaad White was held to 3.8 a carry in Bucy Irving’s absence, and the Buccaneers totaled 113 yards on the ground. While this is excellent compared to other teams that have faced New England, it still isn’t a monstrous figure. Baker Mayfield and Emeka Egbuka linked up all day as they have all season, and Christian Gonzalez looked powerless against their connection. Egbuka finished with six catches for 115 yards and a touchdown, while fellow rookie Tez Johnson’s four catches resulted in 42 yards and a touchdown. The Patriots have struggled to cover tight ends all year, and Cade Otton was no exception. He had his most productive game of the season, as his nine catches resulted in 82 yards.
There’s little doubt New England needs to make upgrades to their secondary come off season, and find a more consistent edge threat. K’Lavon Chaisson notched his fifth sack in the last six weeks and UDFA Elijah Ponder had his first ever, but the defensive line needs more than two a game to be considered great. They rank 19th in the league in sacks with 2.2. Their struggles against tight ends and Carlton Davis’s inability to cover anyone has gotten tiresome: Marcus Jones is too small to line up against the Ottons of the world, and Davis was beat deep by Sterling Shepard several times that didn’t result in a catch thanks to safety help. It’s been hard to see such a highly paid defensive back struggle like he has.
On Thursday, the Patriots will face off against the New York Jets for their first matchup of 2025. The Jets squeezed out a seven point win against the Browns on Sunday, a team New England best by 19. Now without cornerback Sauce Gardner or defensive tackle Quinnen Williams after the pair of stars were traded at the deadline, the Jets aren’t the same team they were. Despite this, they still have won their last two games after starting 0-7. Breece Hall is a major reason why, totaling 216 yards from his 39 carries across those two games and notching an additional two touchdowns. A 42-yard catch and run for a touchdown adds to that impressive stat line. Bottling up Hall will be a priority for New England on a short week, with the teams facing off on Thursday Night Football. They had two return touchdowns last week, one from Kene Nwangwu and one from Isaiah Williams. In spite of Justin Fields’ 54 yard passing performance, the Jets got it done. Sunday was Fields’ fourth game of the season in which he had a sub-55% completion rate and less than 55 passing yards. The Gang Green’s 143.8 passing yards per game is by far the fewest in the league, despite having Garrett Wilson and Mason Taylor as productive pass catchers.
Defensively, the Jets are 25th in run defense, but 8th in pass defense. Relying on the run, and Henderson specifically, on a short week could be beneficial, especially with Williams not on the Jets any longer. Without Gardner at CB1, New York will rely heavily on Brandon Stephens and Jarvis Brownlee at cornerbacks, especially considering rookie Azareye’h Thomas is likely to miss the game being in concussion protocol. Newly acquired Ja’Sir Taylor is likely the next man up.
While the Patriots are 2-2 against the Jets over the last two seasons, I’d expect them to return to their dominant ways again. It may not be the dominant performance everyone is hoping for given the short week, but I’d still expect a dominant performance all around. For now, I’d predict the Patriots shut down what little offense the Jets do have to a single touchdown. The Patriots win comfortably, 31-7.