The New York Jets are on the road in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Sunday for the 6th game of their 2026 campaign. They will be facing the New England Patriots. The Patriots have won two straight games coming into this game and are 3-2 on the year. They are coming off a dominant 45 – 17 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders last week.
Previewing this matchup, Taylor Kyles, a writer at Pats Pulpit, was kind enough to answer a few questions regarding the 2026 New England Patriots.
1. What are the Patriots’
biggest advantages over the Jets in this game? Where might the Patriots be at a disadvantage?
I think the Patriots’ secondary is in good shape to handle the Jets’ receiving corps without AD Mitchell. Christian Gonzalez vs. Garrett Wilson will be a battle as always, but as we saw last week when Brock Bowers caught eight passes for 110 yards and a touchdown in a blowout loss to New England, it’s tough for one player to carry a passing attack. I’m a big Omar Cooper Jr. fan, and I’m sure he’ll make a play or two, but the rookie will have a tough time getting away from slot corner Marcus Jones. The Patriots will be without Carlton Davis III (neck) for a second straight week, but Charles Woods and Kindle Vildor have been competitive when called upon. The pass defense has also done an excellent job containing athletic tight ends.
The Patriots’ biggest disadvantage might be their run game. The ground attack has improved over the past couple of weeks thanks to some fresh looks and concepts, particularly when running inside, but the Jets’ interior defensive line has the beef, physicality, and recognition to make it a long day for Rhamondre Stevenson and (potentially) TreVeyon Henderson, who’s been limited with an ankle injury. David Bailey has also been outstanding against the run so far, so I’m sure he’ll be a disruptive presence whether he’s on the front or back side of plays.
2. The Patriots seemed to have found a long term answer at quarterback as Drake Maye was an MVP candidate last season. Maye then struggled out of the gate this season before seemingly righting the ship the last couple of games. What caused Maye’s early season struggles, and are you confident he has put them behind him and is ready to be THE GUY for the Patriots going forward?
Drake Maye’s biggest issue early this season was poor ball security due to inexcusable decision-making. He threw three interceptions on unnecessary shots in Week 1 against the Seahawks, drifted into a sack before halftime in Week 2 against the Steelers, and committed multiple bad turnover-worthy plays in Week 3 against the Jaguars. This, combined with a lack of proven targets due to A.J. Brown being on injured reserve, seemed to shake Maye’s confidence. He wasn’t climbing the pocket, pulling the trigger with open receivers downfield, or playing with sound fundamentals. At the end of the day, he had to look himself in the mirror and stop putting his team in bad positions, and that’s exactly what’s happened since the Patriots’ Week 5 turnaround in Buffalo.
Maye has protected the football, shown a much better feel for risk vs. reward, and is throwing with tremendous accuracy while being the league’s best scrambler. I wish I could give you a more in-depth reason why, but I think his first standout performance since last regular season was the confidence boost he needed to get out of his funk and be the instinctive quarterback he is. He still hasn’t proven he can consistently take profits against the league’s top defenses, but this is beginning to feel like Maye’s trajectory last season, and I have no doubts he’s the guy for New England long-term.
3. Can you give us a synopsis of what the 2026 Patriots draft class has looked like so far, and what you expect from them as the year goes on?
Second-round ED Gabe Jacas has been the top standout of the group. He’s been one of the league’s most impressive power rushers and productive edge-setters, ranking top 10 at his position in run stops and second among rookies in pass rush win rate. Much like fellow rookie David Bailey, he’s a raw but relentless player who makes plays through natural talent and effort.
Third-round TE Eli Raridon was “my guy” for the Patriots pre-draft as a true in-line or “Y” tight end with the size, athleticism, and ball skills to be special with Maye and OC Josh McDaniels. He’s lived up to my expectations early, contributing a big play in every game he’s been active while competing as their top run blocker. He also gives the offense a movable chess piece in two tight end sets to dictate terms based on how defenses respond.
First-round OT Caleb Lomu has mostly been a jumbo tight end with Will Campbell and Morgan Moses starting on both bookends, but he was asked to fill in at left tackle last week when Campbell went down with a knee sprain. He held Malcolm Koonce to a single hurry and showed improvement as a pass protector. There’s a chance he starts again with Campbell questionable entering this weekend’s game.
Rounding out the group of notable contributors are linebackers Namdi Obiazor and Erick Hunter, who have been standouts on special teams.
4. Every team has a player or two who may be somewhat unfamiliar to other teams’ fans but is known to be an unsung hero by fans of his own team. Who are the Patriots’ unsung heroes? If possible give us one guy on each side of the ball.
On offense, RB Rhamondre Stevenson remains one of the most underappreciated players in football. His raw stats don’t stand out, but he’s ranked among the league’s best tackle-breaking backs despite subpar run blocking nearly his whole career. Stevenson is also an effortless receiver out of the backfield or when split out wide, and he’s like an extra offensive lineman in pass protection.
On defense, CB Marcus Jones is having another impressive season for the Patriots. He struggled in a few mismatches against Brock Bowers last week, but Jones is one of the NFL’s stickiest corners and is always a threat to steal the ball, then return it for six points. He’s also a much better run defender than he gets credit for and isn’t afraid to stick his face in the fire to shed linemen or stick backs in the hole.
5. If you were an opposing head coach, how would you attack this Patriots team on offense and on defense?
I would attack the Patriots’ offense with stunts and pressures to the right side. RG Ben Brown has exceeded expectations with Mike Onwenu on injured reserve, and RT Morgan Moses has kept his quarterback clean while dealing with a foot injury, but they’re the glaring targets up front for New England. Force this relatively new pairing to communicate, quickly redirect, and pass things off.
I would attack the Patriots’ defense by challenging Charles Woods and LB Christian Elliss downfield. Both have been reliable against underneath targets, but Woods has struggled to stop catchable downfield throws, and Elliss doesn’t always get sufficient depth in his zone drops. In the run game, I’d challenge the interior defensive line to play gap sound and prevent cutbacks on zone concepts.
