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What they’re saying nationally after Patriots clinch AFC East division
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- What they’re saying nationally after Patriots clinch AFC East division
The New England Patriots are AFC East champions for the first time since 2019.
After the Patriots earned a blowout win over the New York Jets , they needed the Philadelphia Eagles to beat the Buffalo Bills to break out the hats and T-shirts.
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A failed game-winning two-point conversion from Josh Allen in the final seconds of the game helped pave the way for an Eagles win and the Patriots’ first division title since 2019.
Drake Maye shined once again for New England , as the team finished a perfect 8-0 on the road.
Here’s what’s being said about an exciting Sunday for the Patriots.
“ Drake Maye was magnificent. In the first half alone, he was 17-of-19 for 229 yards and four touchdowns -- one of the incompletions was a drop by wide receiver Kyle Williams . Maye became the first Patriots quarterback with four passing touchdowns in a half since Tom Brady in Week 8 of 2014 versus the Bears. Maye was pulled with 5:31 remaining in the third quarter, giving his MVP candidacy one final surge by finishing 19-of-21 for 256 yards and five touchdowns.”
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“With the MVP race going down to the wire, this was a statement game by Drake Maye, who had one of the most efficient games by any QB in NFL history. Maye completed 90.1% of his passes for 254 yards and five touchdowns making him the first QB in NFL history to finish a game with at least 250 passing yards, at least five TD passes and a completion percentage above 90%. Yes, this was against the Jets, but no QB in history had ever had a game like this before.
“The most impressive part of Maye’s performance might have been the fact that he threw his five TD passes to five different receivers. If Maye keeps playing like this, the Patriots could be a threat to play deep into the postseason. With the win, the Patriots (13-3) are still alive to earn the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC and they clinched the AFC East following Buffalo’s loss to Philadelphia.”
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“Despite some depth issues thinning their ranks, the Patriots jumped all over the down-and-out Jets in the first half, taking a 35-3 lead and moving closer to the AFC East title. New England clinched an 8-0 mark away from home with Sunday’s blowout. Drake Maye also bolstered his MVP case with five TD passes (four in the first half), each to a different receiver, including rookie Efton Chism III .
“Things were so smooth that Joshua Dobbs took Maye’s place late in the third quarter. The Patriots are now 13-3 – heights they’ve not reached since the peak Brady-Belichick years – and they could be as dangerous as any team in a wide-open AFC field. The injuries have piled up late in the year, but the Patriots easily took care of business with several backups playing expanded roles, and they should receive some reinforcements for the postseason.”
“The Patriots went to MetLife Stadium and pounded the lifeless Jets, winning 42–10 behind Drake Maye throwing five touchdowns while completing 19-of-21 passes for 256 yards. New England also ran for 155 yards on 4.3 yards per carry, showcasing a balanced attack under coordinator Josh McDaniels.
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“Yes, New York is awful and playing for nothing. But the same is true of the Browns, who upended the Steelers . The same is true of the Dolphins, who took down the Buccaneers . Instead of falling asleep after an emotional, comeback win over the Ravens in Week 16, the Patriots met the moment and crushed an underwhelming opponent.”
“(Mike) Vrabel kept New England focused against a lesser opponent. On Sunday, some of the top teams looked sloppy with seeding on the line. The Patriots didn’t take their foot off the gas pedal and remained in the driver’s seat for the AFC East title (later winning it following the Buffalo Bills’ loss), while keeping the pressure on the Denver Broncos for the No. 1 seed.”
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“New York’s pass defense is generationally bad, and after Maye threw for five scores in a 42-10 win on Sunday, opposing passers have combined for a 32-to-0 touchdown-to-interception ratio against the team. Even so, many quarterbacks have gotten a crack at this Jets pass defense and didn’t put up the numbers Maye did in a performance that might have wrapped up the MVP race. By total EPA (30.6), it was the best performance by any passer this season. By dropback success rate (87.5 percent), it was the best game a quarterback has played this century. Maye also posted the highest QBR (99.8) since ESPN created the metric in 2006. We have literally never seen a stat line like the one Maye posted on Sunday.”
“Zero: The number of losses suffered on the road this season by the New England Patriots , who wound up with their first AFC East title in six years by Sunday’s end. Their 42-10 rout of the New York Jets made the Pats the second team (along with the San Francisco 49ers ) to have three undefeated seasons on the road since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger."
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