- Patriots quarterback Drake Maye continued his strong season, throwing for 281 yards and a touchdown.
- The Jets’ loss moves them closer to securing the top pick in the 2026 NFL draft.
- The Patriots’ win temporarily places them at the top of the AFC standings.
Perhaps it wasn’t the walkover some had envisioned, but the New England Patriots had a fairly stress-free Thursday evening while dispatching the AFC East-rival New York Jets 27-14.
Uneventful as the night mostly was on the field, it could have ramifications that extend well into the season − and beyond − for both teams, several clubs beyond the bounds of Foxborough and maybe even some players … including, perhaps, some beyond the bounds of Foxborough.
So while the Patriots were the big winners on the ‘Thursday Night Football’ scoreboard, we all know there are more to find in the margins of a given game − and here they are:
WINNERS
Pats’ playoff prospects
The win pushed New England to the very top of the AFC standings − for now. The Patriots haven’t won the AFC East since 2019, nor been a No. 1 seed since the 2017 campaign. A lot of games yet to play before they begin approaching the caliber of the Brady-Belichick teams, but this season under first-year coach Mike Vrabel has provided quite a turnaround … for fans who have been brutally starved for, like, a half-decade.
Drake Maye
New England’s second-year quarterback continued to burnish his MVP credentials with a nearly flawless night, though he didn’t have to be much more than efficient against the Jets − 25-of-34 for 281 yards and a TD, his gaudy completion percentage for the 2025 season up to 71.9%.
Nick Folk
The perfect season continued for the Jets kicker, who nailed both of his extra-point tries Thursday. Folk has now made all 19 of his field-goal attempts in 2025 and all 14 PATs.
TreVeyon Henderson
The Pats rookie tailback’s emergence continued to gain steam in alternate uniforms meant to glorify fog. Henderson had a somewhat modest 93 yards from scrimmage against the Jets but found the end zone three times, giving him five touchdowns in five days. The last Patriots rookie to score three TDs in a game? Former TE Rob Gronkowski, who signed a one-day contract to retire in New England on Wednesday.
Jets of the future
Trust the process, boys. In their second game without CB Sauce Gardner and DT Quinnen Williams, both moved at the trade deadline, the NYJ moved within a half-game of the Tennessee Titans for the No. 1 pick of the 2026 draft. The Jets are scheduled to have five first-round picks and three in Round 2 over the next two drafts.
WINNER? LOSER?
Patriots’ ‘Nor’easter’ uniforms
Meh? New England’s version of Nike’s ‘Rivalries’ uniforms was interesting conceptually, the fashion tying into the regional maritime flavor and weather. But not sure they quite popped once between the lines? Not fire, but not a fail, either.
LOSERS
Jets of the present
It’s kinda remarkable they’ve won two games despite shedding their top two defensive players and with WR Garrett Wilson now on injured reserve with a knee injury. Feels like it’s going to be a long, winding road before the NYJ finally win … Super Bowl 65?
Jets offense
New York started the game with a promising, 14-play, 72-yard drive that concluded with QB Justin Fields running for a 5-yard TD. It produced points and kept Maye and Co. off the field for the game’s first eight minutes. Only problem? The NYJ went three-and-out on their three subsequent possessions before falling into a 14-point hole from which they never recovered.
Al Michaels
With the Jets entering the game as 13-point dogs, per BetMGM, Prime Video’s play-by-play man didn’t seem to have any clever ways to signal a push … as he likes to slyly do for viewers with a little side action on the outcome.
Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts
For now, both teams have fallen behind the Patriots in the race for the AFC’s No. 1 seed. The Colts are on their bye, so they won’t catch up this weekend. However, Denver can move into the top spot by beating the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, a victory that would move the Broncos to 9-2 and give them the tiebreaker by virtue of a better record in AFC games.
Justin Fields
It was another rough night for the Jets’ current QB1. Aside from the opening march, he mostly disappeared, throwing for 116 yards on the night and adding a late TD pass that had little bearing on the outcome. Coach Aaron Glenn has been reluctant to name Fields the starter prior to the last two games, and it’s worth wondering if veteran Tyrod Taylor will begin the next one for New York. Either way, the organization’s trade deadline fire sale is quite indicative that the Jets’ quarterback of the future might be in Austin, Texas, or Eugene, Oregon, or Tuscaloosa, Alabama, or Bloomington, Indiana, or elsewhere.
