New England Patriots
There was plenty of fabulous play by the hosts to be found in a game that never really felt in danger of being anything other than a Patriots victory.
Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
Welcome to the Unconventional Review, an instant reaction to standouts, stats, and story lines from the Patriots’ most recent game …
The final 27-14 score suggests the Patriots’ victory over the Jets Thursday night — their eighth straight in this unexpected marvel of a season — was more workmanlike than spectacular.
But the score doesn’t tell the entire story, just its conclusion. There was plenty of spectacular to be found in a game that never really felt in danger of being anything other than a Patriots victory.
For the second straight game, Drake Maye (25 of 34, 281 passing yards, 1 TD) showed a national audience that his MVP candidacy is real, surely thrilling the many who desperately hoped the Patriots’ downturn would last far longer than it did post-Tom Brady.
High-voltage rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson scored three touchdowns, giving him five over the past two games, while veteran receiver Stefon Diggs again headlined a receiving corps that deserves more respect than it gets. And the defense, as usual, was disciplined and stout after a rocky first drive.
It was workmanlike, and spectacular too, and exactly how excellent teams keep winning streaks alive.
Some further thoughts, upon immediate review …
THREE PLAYERS WHO WERE WORTH WATCHING
Players suggested in the Unconventional Preview: TreVeyon Henderson, Breece Hall, Brenden Schooler
TreVeyon Henderson: In Sunday’s win over the Bucs, the rookie second-round pick’s explosiveness finally showed up on game day, with touchdown runs of 55 and 69 yards en route to a 147-yard rushing performance.
On Thursday, the confidence gained from his first real NFL success was evident. Henderson scored all three Patriots touchdowns: a 7-yard run up the middle in the second quarter in which he left Jets lineman Michael Clemons grasping at vapors; another 7-yard TD run, this one off left tackle, on the next possession to give the Patriots the lead; and a 6-yard touchdown catch (yes, he has good hands too) to cap a sensational six-play, 69-yard drive in the third quarter.
Henderson, who finished with a career high 19 carries for 62 yards in Rhamondre Stevenson’s continued absence, became the first Patriots rookie since Curtis Martin in 1995 to contribute two or more touchdowns in back-to-back weeks. Company does not get any better than that.
Stefon Diggs: Fine, so he wasn’t perfect: He had a third-and-8 drop — Maye’s first incompletion after 10 straight connections to begin the game — in the second quarter, which might have been a business decision considering a Jets defensive back was torpedoing in his direction. Another ball got away from him when he couldn’t secure it before crashing to the turf. Other than those nitpicks … yep, he was pretty close to perfect. Diggs caught the other nine of his 11 targets for 105 yards — his second 100-yard game as a Patriot, joining his don’t-you-forget-about-me game at Buffalo. Two of his catches — a 21-yard grab after Maye showed ridiculous poise in stepping up to avoid a pair of Jets rushers, and an 18-yard catch-and-run on a Mahomesian flip by Maye on the very next play — came on the aforementioned sensational drive.
Diggs has become that receiver — a mix of vintage Troy Brown, Deion Branch at his craftiest, with just a hint of Terry Glenn — that you fully expect to make a play on third down and gotta-have-it. His 13-yard catch on third and 5 that moved the Patriots to the Jets’ 28-yard line on the first play of the fourth quarter is just one example.
Jack Gibbens: One of the current embodiments of the old “Next Man Up” mantra, Gibbens has done a super job filling in for injured Christian Elliss the past two weeks. Gibbens led the Patriots with 10 tackles against the Bucs, and he was second to fellow linebacker Robert Spillane (9) with six more against the Jets.
GRIEVANCE OF THE GAME
It’s downright bizarre how routine it has become for the Patriots to allow points — usually a touchdown — on an opponent’s first drive, then settle in as a stout defense for the rest of the game.
The Jets put together what has to be their best drive of the season, marching 72 yards on 14 plays while eating up more than eight minutes of clock. They ran 11 times on that possession alone, gaining 56 yards on the Patriots’ top-ranked run defense; quarterback Justin Fields gained 28 himself, including his punctuating 5-yard TD run.
It’s the sixth time this season, and third time in the last four weeks, that the Patriots defense has permitted a touchdown their first time on the field, and two other opponents have opened with field goals.
The only times this season the Patriots haven’t given up points immediately were against the Dolphins in Week 2 (punt), the Bills in Week 5 (Josh Allen fumble), and the Falcons in Week 9 (punt).
The defense’s habit of taking a possession to find its sea legs can’t be written off as an odd coincidence. It’s something that needs to be solved before the playoffs.
THREE NOTES SCRIBBLED IN THE MARGINS
Predicted final score: Patriots 37, Jets 9
Final score: Patriots 27, Jets 14
The Patriots had an outstanding offseason in every way, from hiring Vrabel, to finding multiple talented starters in the draft, to socking a few home runs and a bunch of extra-base hits in free agency. Mack Hollins was one of their most unheralded additions, but he’s been crucial to their vastly improved receiver group. He had four catches for 64 yards Thursday, including back-to-back grabs of 19 and 20 yards on the go-ahead touchdown drive in the second quarter. He would have been over 100 yards for the second straight week had a Maye deep ball midway through the fourth quarter not been punched loose at the last second … Al Michaels got a laugh here when he noted on Amazon Prime’s broadcast that the Jets defense has forced just one turnover this season, a fumble during their loss to the Broncos in London. “So no domestic takeaways,” he said. The broadcast was enjoyable and extremely well-produced, though analyst Kirk Herbstreit messed up a few names, calling Jack Westover “Jake” for one … When I first got a look at the Patriots’ “Nor’easter” uniforms, they reminded me a bit of the old USFL’s Boston Breakers gear, a welcome flashback. But after seeing them in practical use Thursday night for the first time, they look like 1980s Colts jerseys that were left out on the clothesline too long. And yet I like them better than the Patriots’ standard uniforms, which are the worst they’ve ever had, including when they had the red numbers on blue jerseys for a brief time in the early 1990s.
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