The Patriots beat the Jets 26-19 on Sunday at Gillette Stadium. Drake Maye threw three touchdown passes, and New England has now won three in a row. Per the Sportsnet video recap, Maye finished with 235 yards. The Associated Press, carried by Sportsnet and ESPN, said the Patriots had to "stave off a late push by Jets." It also reported that New England improved to 2-0 in the AFC East, and that "never apologize for a win" has been the mantra in the locker room under Mike Vrabel.
The box score shows Maye completed 18 of 32 passes with no interceptions, for a 110.8 passer rating. He also ran four times for 24 yards. DeMario Douglas led the Patriots with seven catches for 86 yards and a touchdown. Hunter Henry and Romeo Doubs also caught touchdown passes. Doubs' score came on his only target, a 42-yard catch. Andy Borregales kicked field goals of 27 and 32 yards.
New England led 17-3 at halftime after scoring 7 points in the first quarter and 10 in the second. The Jets outscored the Patriots 16-9 over the second half, and the Patriots needed Borregales' 27-yard field goal to close it out. The Patriots were not clean. They lost two fumbles, by Douglas and TreVeyon Henderson, and were penalized five times for 57 yards. They also never allowed a sack-free afternoon for Geno Smith to go unpunished: they sacked him three times for 25 yards, with Christian Barmore and Milton Williams among those credited. They converted 8 of 15 third downs. The Jets went 3 of 10.
Smith threw for 252 yards and one touchdown, but Yahoo Sports noted it was his first interception of the season. Charles Woods made the pick. The Jets, who fall to 2-4, got to the red zone three times and scored no touchdowns on those trips, per the box score. Jason Sanders kicked four field goals, the longest from 42 yards. Yahoo's headline for the game was "Failure in Foxborough."
The Jets' best news came from rookie receiver Omar Cooper Jr. Yahoo reported he had missed the previous four weeks with an ankle injury but led the team in receiving yards in his return. He caught six passes for 103 yards and a touchdown, including a 48-yard reception, on seven targets. Garrett Wilson had four catches for 44 yards.
The win follows a 45-17 victory over Las Vegas on Oct. 11 and a 29-26 win at Buffalo on Oct. 4. That makes three straight for the Patriots, who sit second in the AFC East at 4-2. The Jets beat Cleveland 17-12 last week, but they lost 23-12 at Chicago on Oct. 4.
New England has a short week and travels to Chicago on Thursday, Oct. 22. The Jets are home against Miami on Sunday, Oct. 25.
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