FOXBORO — The New England Patriots have had the New York Jets' number in years past. Is 2026 going to be a similar script?
Coming off of back-to-back wins, the 3-2 Patriots have started to roll heading into the middle of October. The Jets, in their own right, are coming off a rainy win over the Cleveland Browns. This is a game that the Patriots should win.
But will they? And if so, how?
Here's a few things to watch out for when both sides take the field at 1 p.m. from Gillette Stadium:
Patriots Offense Gets Major Boost
One of the biggest storylines surrounding the Patriots this season has been their health, and how key players on both sides of the ball have gotten banged up beyond belief. But today feels like a major step in the right direction.
A.J. Brown, who missed the last four games with a high-ankle sprain, was activated to the 53-man roster Saturday, allowing him to make his home Patriots debut. That addition to a receiver room that's improved in recent weeks should make this offense a little more potent.
"I think it definitely opens up other parts of the field and other parts of the game for guys," Drake Maye said this week about Brown's role in the offense. "I think you see it in the NBA. It's probably the closest thing that I can think of. When they start doubling the best player once they get past half court, then they're just leaving a corner 3 open or leaving a guy open for a dunk. So, it's kind of like playing receiver and with a guy like that – we've got a lot of guys that have made plays now, so it's going to be tough on defenses. But I know we've got a tough challenge this week, so looking forward to it."
The Patriots are also getting two players back after missing the end of last week's win. TreVeyon Henderson (ankle) and Will Campbell (knee) both are set to play after being listed as questionable. That will help a running game that still is looking to crack through. Henderson looked good in practice after an MRI revealed a high-ankle sprain, so he could have an interesting workload depending on how he's feeling.
Trying To Force Jets Turnovers
This is not the Geno Smith the last time the Patriots played him on the Jets. In fact, the quarterback has the chance to beat the Patriots for the third-straight season with his third different team (Seahawks 2024, Raiders 2025). He's yet to throw an interception this year, and the Patriots defense that has prided itself in taking the ball away will need to try and force some bad throws.
How can they do that? It starts with the safeties. The Patriots are going to be without corners Carlton Davis and Karon Prunty for the second-straight game, but they'll get Christian Gonzalez back. But he's not someone who'll pick it off often.
The Patriots rely on Craig Woodson — who had a game-sealing pick in Buffalo two weeks ago — and Kevin Byard, the NFL's interception leader from a week ago. The Jets won't have Breece Hall carrying the rock out of the backfield, potentially leaving them to air it out a lot.
Where Can Drake Maye Improve From Last Week?
Last week's showing for Maye was nearly perfect. A hair under 400 total yards of offense. Five total touchdowns. A 40-point showing. It was all going perfect for the Patriots quarterback who started the year off on a bad start.
"He looked very calm. Again, when we give him clean pockets, he's very accurate down the field," Mike Vrabel said Monday on Maye's performance. "He maybe only had a few, I would say, wrong decisions or where he wanted to go with the football. Just seemed very in control, very confident. When he felt like he needed to run, he was decisive. Then we put the ball in his hands down in the red zone, and he was able to make a guy miss."
But is there anywhere that he can improve from the Raiders' win? Against this Jets defense that's fourth in the NFL in total defense and fifth in points allowed, he'll need to avoid turnovers. The Patriots have turned the ball over at least once in every game this season, and many of those have fallen on Maye's shoulders. If the Patriots want to win convincingly like last week, they'll need to keep possession.
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