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10 takeaways as Patriots blowout Jets, inch closer to division title
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- 10 takeaways as Patriots blowout Jets, inch closer to division title
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The Patriots had a laundry list of starters out for Sunday’s game.
Mike Vrabel’s defense was without its leading pass rusher, Harold Landry , its leading tackler, Robert Spillane , and two starting defensive tackles, Milton Williams and Khyiris Tonga . The offense was still without left tackle Will Campbell , left guard Jared Willson, and two of their top three receivers, Mack Hollins and Kayshon Boutte .
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On this afternoon, none of that mattered.
Vrabel’s team steamrolled the lowly New York Jets in a half-filled MetLife Stadium, where Patriots fans were louder than the home crowd. There was never a doubt coming into this game, and that was evident as soon as Drake Maye touched the ball on Sunday.
Maye’s offense scored six touchdowns on six drives before backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs took over in the third quarter.
The Patriots delivered a decisive 41-10 blowout victory on Sunday, improving to 13-3. The team is closing in on winning the AFC East title. They secure the division crown if Buffalo loses Sunday evening to Philadelphia or if the Patriots beat the Miami Dolphins in their regular-season finale.
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Here’s what went down:
Patriots start fast
The Patriots wasted no time taking an early 7-0 lead on their first drive of the game.
This series started with a solid 32-yard kickoff return by D’Ernest Johnson. After that, several players contributed. On second-and-5, Drake Maye hit Stefon Diggs for a 12-yard gain. Two plays later, Rhamondre Stevenson took a handoff and ran 24 yards downfield to the 16-yard line. Two plays after that, Maye hit Hunter Henry for 13 yards, setting up a first-and-goal from the 2-yard line.
The Patriots quarterback faked a handoff to Stevenson and hit Austin Hooper for the touchdown on the next play at 10:42 of the first quarter.
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Patriots’ injured defense holds strong
The Patriots’ defense had no problem with Jets quarterback Brady Cook to start this game, holding the Jets to a quick three-and-out in New York’s first series.
The unit started Anfernee Jennings in place of Harold Landry (knee) and Jack Gibbens in place of Robert Spillane (ankle). The defense was also without defensive tackles Milton Williams (ankle) and Khyiris Tonga (foot). Still, the Jets were no match for the Patriots, gaining 8 yards on the first drive.
Rookie hauls in first NFL catch
Efton Chism III waited 17 weeks to make his first NFL catch. On Sunday, the Patriots were without two receivers, Hollins and Boutte, and also had DeMario Douglas limited with a hamstring injury. That’s why the team needed Chism and Kyle Williams to play a bigger role.
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In the second drive, both made an impact as the Patriots expanded their lead to 14-0.
In this drive, Maye hit Williams for 11 yards, and two plays later, connected with Chism for a 30-yard gain. That was the undrafted rookie’s first career catch in the NFL. Three plays later, Jets cornerback Brandon Stephens was called for defensive pass interference in the end zone on a pass to Williams. That set up a first-and-goal from the 1-yard line and Stevenson ran in a touchdown at 5:06 of the first quarter.
Jaylinn Hawkins steps up
The Patriots stepped on the gas in the first quarter. After the offense scored again, the defense did its part.
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At 3:41 of the first quarter, Jaylinn Hawkins intercepted Cook on third down. The Patriots’ safety jumped in front of a pass intended for Adonai Mitchell to give the offense the ball back at the 34-yard line. This came after Cook fumbled a snap on second down.
That gave Hawkins a career-high 3 interceptions this season.
Stefon Diggs makes the highlight reel
Following the turnover, Stefon Diggs turned heads with an insane catch.
At 3:35 of the first quarter, Maye completed a 31-yard pass to Diggs. The veteran receiver jumped up and over Jets cornerback Qwan’tez Stiggers to catch the ball. Diggs made it even more impressive by tapping both toes in bounds at the 35-yard line. That pass happened on the first play of the drive following Hawkins’ interception.
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That catch gave Diggs 912 receiving yards on the season. He’s the first Patriots receiver to surpass 900 yards since Julian Edelman in 2019.
That play led to the Patriots extending their lead to 21-0 as Maye hit Stevenson for a 22-yard touchdown pass at 14:55 of the second quarter.
Jets finally score
The Jets leaned on Breece Hall to get on the scoreboard for the first time.
The New York running back started their third drive with a 19-yard run. Four plays later, Hall took a short pass from Cook and ran 21 yards downfield. Those two plays helped the Jets to their first scoring drive, which was capped off by a Nick Folk 39-yard field goal.
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The Patriots led, 21-3, at 9:56 of the second quarter.
Patriots convert twice on fourth down
The Patriots scored their fourth touchdown in their fourth series to take a 28-3 lead.
It took the Patriots two plays to get going in this drive with Diggs leading the way. The veteran caught a 21-yard pass near midfield on the first play. TreVeyon Henderson stepped up with a 17-yard run on the next.
The Patriots ran into some problems, but two fourth-down conversions showed how confident Josh McDaniels was in his group. On fourth-and-3, from the 20, Maye kept the ball, picking up 11 yards. That set up a first-and-goal from the 9-yard line. On fourth-and-3, Maye hit Diggs for a 3-yard touchdown at 3:01 of the second quarter.
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Maye hits new career best
The Jets nearly had a three-and-out, but a penalty extended the Patriots’ drive, and that cost New York. Maye threw his fourth touchdown pass of the half, marking a new career-high, as the Patriots scored on five-straight games to begin this game.
Maye threw his first incomplete pass of the game with 1:44 left in the half when Williams dropped a pass. There was a scary moment for the Patriots on the next snap as Maye was hit hard by two Jets defenders. Jermaine Johnson drew a roughing the passer penalty on the play.
The Patriots crossed midfield when Maye hit Diggs for a 26-yard gain. The veteran receiver surpassed the 100-yard mark in this drive. With 31 seconds left in the half, Maye hit Hunter Henry for a 13-yard touchdown to give the Patriots a 35-3 lead.
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Jets botch second fake punt
The Jets tried to make things interesting in the second half when they gained a first down on a fake punt. That play was successful as punter Austin McNamara threw a 3-yard pass to Malachi Moore .
New York pressed their luck when they went for another fake punt on the same drive. This didn’t work as Cory Durden and K’Lavon Chaisson dropped Isaiah Davis for a loss of 3 yards. The Patriots took over near midfield, and at 8:16 of the third quarter, Maye hit Chism for a 10-yard touchdown.
The Patriots extended their lead to 41-3 as Chism caught his first career NFL touchdown and Maye threw five touchdown passes in an NFL game for the first time.
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Joshua Dobbs took over
Drake Maye’s day was over after his first series in the second half. He completed 19-of-21 passes for 256 yards and a career-high 5 touchdown passes on Sunday. Maye’s offense scored six touchdowns on six drives before backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs took over.
This drive marked the first time the Patriots didn’t score. That wasn’t on Dobbs, however, as kicker Andy Borregales missed a 41-yard field goal attempt at 1:52 of the third quarter.
The Jets scored their first touchdown on the first play of the first quarter when Hall ran for a 59-yard run.
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