New England Patriots
“Don’t fix it if it ain’t broke.”
FOXBOROUGH — Drake Maye knew the questions were coming after a night where chants of “MVP!” rained down on him at Gillette Stadium.
It came as little surprise that the 23-year-old quarterback deflected any talk of his rising stock as one of the top players in the NFL.
And on Thursday night, he had an easy avenue to deflect said discourse.
“May have been for TreVeyon tonight,” Maye said of those chants. “He scored three touchdowns.”
Maye’s stellar play all season long may have helped New England orchestrate this current eight-game win streak and 9-2 overall record.
But with New England’s banged-up personnel in the ground game in need of a lift this week, rookie running back Treveyon Henderson has answered the call.
In the span of just five days, the 2025 second-round pick has found the end zone five times — with a two-score showing against the Buccaneers on Sunday followed up by another impactful showing on primetime TV against the Jets Thursday night.
Thrust into a featured role on offense with lead back Rhamondre Stevenson still sidelined with a toe injury, Henderson thrived as the Patriots’ spark plug on offense — rushing for two touchdowns in the first half before hauling in a TD from Maye in the third quarter en route to a 27-14 win over New York.
Henderson’s arrival has been a welcome remedy for New England’s shorthanded personnel, with the Ohio State product becoming just the second Patriots rookie in franchise history to post a three-touchdown game.
The only other Patriots rookie to post a similar stat line? Rob Gronkowski in 2010.
“Don’t fix it if it ain’t broke,” Maye said of Henderson starting to settle into a groove. “I think just him stepping up. I think it was a big time for him stepping up, and it’s been great for him to get all these reps, to keep getting these reps. He wants to be great. He’s just showing up every day and asking questions.
“I think just continuing for him to keep going in the [coming] weeks and know that him and ‘Mondre and our backs, we can create a good one-two thing going.”
Unlike Sunday’s win over Tampa where Henderson doled out a majority of his damage via two explosive touchdown runs (55 yards and 69 yards, respectively), Henderson’s rushing efforts were a bit more subdued on Thursday (62 total yards on 19 attempts).
But Henderson made the most of the red-zone reps afforded to him — opening the scoring for New England early in the second quarter after spinning away from a tackle, remaining on his feet as several Jets swarmed around him, and eventually landing over the goal line after his offensive line pushed him forward.
He scored again on New England’s next drive, with a booming pancake block delivered by Mike Onwenu clearing the path for Henderson to scamper in from seven yards out — giving the Patriots their first lead of the night.
With those two rushing scores, Henderson also joined Curtis Martin (1995) as the only Patriots rookies since 1970 to post consecutive games with two or more rushing TDs.
“Really, those first two touchdowns, all [because of] my offensive linemen,” Henderson said on Amazon’s postgame coverage. “I got to give those guys credit. They make my job easier. Those guys put in the dirty work, and so I really give the credit to those guys, I’m really thankful to be playing alongside those guys, running behind those guys, and just playing on this team.”
Henderson was not done. During a drive where Maye tormented the Jets’ defense by rolling out of the pocket, ducking pressure, and hitting open targets sprouting up across the field, New York’s secondary could only shake their heads after the QB lofted a ball over to Henderson in the end zone for a six-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
“He’s executed, whether that’s a checkdown or a touchdown in the back of the end zone,” Mike Vrabel said of the rookie. “No home runs tonight, but I thought he grinded out pretty much what was there. He’s helped us a lot of ways tonight and saw the power push touchdown, which was really cool.”
It hasn’t been the easiest start to an NFL career for Henderson. After a standout showing in training camp and preseason action, he had just one touchdown through his first name games — gaining 283 total yards on the ground.
But be it the opportunity afforded by more reps or Henderson’s growing confidence at football’s highest level, the explosive running back is starting to find his footing.
It’s a mid-season development that should lift an already surging Patriots team.
And terrify the rest of an NFL that already has its hands full accounting for the likes of Maye and the rest of New England’s imposing arsenal of weapons.
“It feels great,” Henderson said of breaking through over the last two games. I’ve just been staying patient, trusting the Lord’s plan, just continuing to do my part and the rest I leave up to him.”
Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
