Man do I hate Thursday Night Football.
My disdain for the NFL’s decision to go for a money grab by making teams play before they’ve had a chance to fully recover or install an adequate gameplan is well
documented on this site. No need to rehash any of it again. And I haven’t watched a single Thursday Night game this year – not out of protest, but I know that I’m almost guaranteed to get a crappy product.
I also don’t have Amazon Prime, but that’s neither here nor there.
On the plus side, the Patriots got the win, and while the Milton Williams injury is something to monitor, everyone got out of there mostly unscathed and can enjoy a mini-bye as the rest of the league slugs it out this weekend. Can’t ask for much more than that.
- I was never really worried about the outcome of this game; the Jets are terrible and the Patriots were at home. For the most part, all good things came out of last night. But man oh man do the Patriots need to stop spotting teams seven automatic points each and ever week.
- Their ability to cede long, effortless opening possession scoring drives knows no limits and defies all logic. The 14-play, 72-yard TD drive that ate up almost half of the first quarter might be the best offensive possession the Jets have had in the last five year. And at no point was I even remotely confident that the Patriots were going to be able to stop them. Even weirder, I wasn’t even worried about it. I knew that once they surrendered that score, they likely wouldn’t give up more than 10 points for the rest of the game. It’s just so, so weird.
- And it’s going to haunt them in a major way if they don’t figure out how to clean that up before the playoffs start. We’re 11 weeks in, so it’s reasonable to just assume it is what it is at this point. But man.
- This Patriots teams also needs to learn how to put games away when they have the chance. They could have buried the Falcons by halftime. They had a chance to blow the game open against Tampa Bay. And last night they could have kicked a late first-half field goal and then scored on the opening possession of the third quarter to put the game out of reach. They missed the FG then went three and out to start the second half. Then they were gifted one of the Jetsiest fumbles that ever Jetted to set them up on the 15, and they only came away with three points. Good teams aren’t going to fail to capitalize on stuff like that.
- Luckily, however, the Jets are not a good team, and the Patriots are. They kept it relatively simple last night, with multi-concept running packages and efficient passes to the middle tier of the defensive zones. Drake Maye had plenty of time to throw, and watching his pocket presence evolve in real time has been one of the sneaky joys of this season thus far. At least once a week, he’s able to step up in the pocket or shuffle just enough to make the lineman barreling down on him look like a fool before hitting a receiver in stride or dropping a rainbow in the bucket. Couple that with an efficient running game to keep the defense honest, and I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that this offense can get the better of any defense in the AFC.
- What I would like to see, though, is perhaps a little less commitment to up-the-gut runs when it’s clearly not working. I’m not asking for a toss or sweep play on every single attempt, but the difference between watching Henderson in space vs. watching him lower his shoulder for a gain of one is sort of like the way I feel when I think that Jaws is on TV, but in my excitement I didn’t notice those awful words The Revenge on the screen.
- That said, Henderson is showing that he can run between the tackles and grind through for the extra yardage, which up until recently was the only thing Mondre had that he didn’t. In addition to almost always falling forward, he’s able to generate yards after contact in a way he hadn’t been able to as little as a month ago. Credit to the offensive line here as well, particularly in their ability to plow their guy into the end zone in a manner that would make any New England area snow management professional proud.
- Henderson now has five TDs through two games, and he’s the first Patriots rookie since Gronk to register three in a single game. I’m not sure what else needs to happen for him to take over as RB1, but he has shown that he can one-cut, gap power, dive, and pass protect. And I don’t think he’ll be getting worse as the season goes on.
- I should talk about the O-line for a bit, as they’ve given up two sacks in the last two games. Part of it is scheme-related, but they’re winning their individual battles, gelling, and moving around like a Spartan Phalanx. I’d still likle to see them address the O-line in the offseason, but they’re coming into their own at the perfect time.
- It’s easy to look good when you have Drake Maye back there, though, isn’t it? Every week, I feel like his stat lines don’t even begin to do him justice. It would be easy to look at last night’s line and find fault in a lack of explosive plays or the inability to get into the end zone in the second half. But his ability to do things that no second-year quarterback should be able to do gives this unit layers of depth that I didn’t think we’d see for at least another two seasons.
- And this unit doesn’t have an elite offensive weapon. That’s absolutely zero shade thrown on anyone who has caught a pass from Maye this season – I can’t believe I’m saying this, but this group of pass catchers might be the most likable, top to bottom, that I have ever watched – but even without that top tier level of offense, they’re still putting points on the board.
- Just to clarify that last note, as I can see it getting taken out of context. When I say “top to bottom,” I mean that there isn’t a single receiver or tight end I don’t really, really like in terms of form, fit, and enthusiasm. Guys like Moss and Welker and Gronk and Edelman are all players who have deeply carved their initials and mine into a little heart on the old oak tree outside Shane Manor…but I don’t have any particularly fuzzy memories of Fred Baxter or PK Sam or Chad Ochocinco. I’m going to look back on every TE and receiver on this 2025 unit and smile, which is pretty special.
- I think what has most impressed me about Maye, and that list is long, is his ability to read the middle of the field. End-zone replays show him throwing into a crowded defensive backfield right into the gap where the receiver will soon be. He’s looking off safeties and leading receivers up the seam. If he’s thrown more than one or two hospital balls all season, I’ve forgotten them. The game is slowing down for him in ways that don’t make sense for a guy this young.
- I’m not really online at all, but I imagine folks on social media are pretty upset with what they’re seeing out of this team. I don’t think that the world is ready for the Patriots to be good again. We were supposed to pay for 20 years of dominance with decades of complete futility and irrelevance while other teams finally got their day in the sun. This wasn’t the plan for the rest of NFL fans, and I imagine they’re expressing their displeasure in some creative ways.
- Or, perhaps they’re going back to the tried and true methods they used to use to try and belittle the Brady-era Patriots. They play in a weak division. They don’t have a statement win yet. Drake Maye has yet to have a 300-yard game. Adjusted DVOA against the spread outside when it’s below 45 degrees but above 38 degrees is pretty lackluster. Luckily, they haven’t figured out a way to take comments like that and turn them into liquid, otherwise I’d be spending all of my time hanging out with Bubbles and Johnny in an abandoned building in Baltimore.
- I can’t help but wonder why the Patriots didn’t dedicate a spy to Justin Fields. Fields making plays with his legs was New York’s best offensive weapon last night, to the point where Fields represents the most successful rusher against the Patriots all season.
- I really, really hope that Stefon Diggs can keep up this level of production. He’s not on some one-year provie it deal, the Patriots have him for another two seasons after this one. And he has been everything you could ask for in a player: good teammate, strong mentor, quality locker room guy, on-field leader, and productive receiver. He notched yet another 100-yard game last night, and while I’m playing against him in fantasy this week, I’m more than OK with taking a L if that’s what I get to witness in real football.
- If you ever needed more proof that fantasy football has absolutely nothing to do with the actual sport: Drake Maye notched 20 fantasy points last night. Fields notched 19. I don’t know why any of us do this.
- I was hoping to see Kyle Williams build on the momentum he generated last week, but he kind of did the opposite of that. His time on the field was spent just kind of wandering around lost. He had the wrong read on multiple routes and doesn’t seem to have Maye’s trust just yet. All good, I guess…but still.
- I want to hate the Nor’easter Blue uniforms New England trotted out last night. I want to hate them very much. But I’m sorry, those things are fire. I already have more Pats gear than any human being should have, but I may have to order one of those hoodies.
What a great weekend to not have to worry about a Patriots game. Should be an amazing slate, and it will be nice to be able to relax, fire up Red Zone, and see what happens. Here’s hoping the Bucs take care of business and give the Patriots an even bigger cushion in the AFC East.
Best record in the NFL!
