Drake Maye and the New England Patriots made a powerful statement in their pursuit of the AFC East title, defeating the New York Jets 42-10 on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Maye showcased his skills by throwing a career-high five touchdown passes before being rested in the third quarter, as the Patriots scored touchdowns on their first six drives.
“It comes down to unfinished business,” Maye commented after the game. “You want to go 8-0 on the road. That would be something we thought would be pretty cool. In this league, it”s hard to win on the road, and we accomplished that today.”
With this victory, the Patriots finished the regular season undefeated on the road, leading 35-3 at halftime. Rhamondre Stevenson contributed with both a touchdown run and a touchdown catch, further solidifying the team”s dominance. New England now stands at 13-3 and is on the verge of claiming the AFC East title for the first time since 2019, pending the outcome of the Buffalo game against Philadelphia later that day.
“Winning the division, we”ve got to win out to win the division,” Maye stated. “That was our mindset. If that means the No. 1 seed is at play, that”s what we”re trying to do.”
Maye completed 19 of 21 passes for 256 yards, achieving a quarterback rating of 157.0. His touchdowns were distributed among Stevenson, Stefon Diggs, Austin Hooper, Hunter Henry, and Efton Chism III, before coach Mike Vrabel substituted him for Joshua Dobbs with 5:31 left in the third quarter. This performance placed Maye among the elite, as he became one of only three quarterbacks in Patriots history to surpass 4,000 passing yards in a season.
Vrabel acknowledged the growing MVP conversation surrounding Maye, saying, “They don”t give me a vote, but there is nobody else we want as our quarterback.”
The Patriots” seventh possession broke their streak of touchdown drives, as Dobbs” initial series resulted in a missed field goal attempt by Andy Borregales. However, with a comfortable lead, New England cruised to their eighth 13-win season in franchise history.
The atmosphere at MetLife Stadium felt more like a home game for the Patriots, with numerous fans traveling to support their team. This victory marked the third time in franchise history that New England finished the regular season without a road loss, a feat matched only by the San Francisco 49ers in the last 50 years.
“Coming in here and going 8-0 on the road, that”s a big thing for us as a young team,” said cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
Conversely, the Jets faced another disappointing loss in their home finale, dropping their fourth consecutive game and securing a 3-13 record for the season. Coach Aaron Glenn expressed his disappointment, stating, “Highly, highly disappointed in the way that we came out. Today was probably the one time I feel like our effort wasn”t as good as I want it to be.”
Undrafted rookie quarterback Brady Cook made his third consecutive start, finishing the game with 19 completions on 33 attempts for 152 yards and an interception. Breece Hall managed to rush for 111 yards, including a 59-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, marking his first 1,000-yard season.
The Patriots quickly established control of the game, with Maye leading them to a touchdown on their opening drive, highlighted by a 2-yard catch from Hooper. After a quick three-and-out from the Jets, Stevenson scored again, aided by a controversial pass interference call that set up a short touchdown run.
New England capitalized on an interception by Jaylinn Hawkins, scoring on their third consecutive possession with a 22-yard touchdown pass from Maye to Stevenson, extending their lead to 21-0. The Patriots continued their scoring spree, converting a fourth down into a touchdown with Maye”s pass to Diggs, and later connecting with Henry for another score.
In the second half, Maye continued his impressive performance with a diving touchdown pass to Chism, bringing the score to 42-3. The Jets attempted to shake things up with two fake punts on a single drive, but ultimately failed to gain momentum, resulting in a turnover on downs.
Injury updates for the Patriots included a fourth-quarter ankle injury to fullback Jack Westover. For the Jets, Hall left the game with a knee injury but reported he was fine post-game. Other injuries included cornerback Qwan”tez Stiggers, who also had a knee issue, and John Simpson, who suffered a knee injury in the fourth quarter.
Looking ahead, the Patriots will host the Miami Dolphins next weekend, while the Jets will conclude their season on the road against Buffalo.
