NFL
NFL Week 11
Commercial
stay
Up to date 5m in the past
The New England Patriots have swept apart the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium on “Thursday Evening Soccer,” successful 27-14 for his or her eighth straight victory.
TreVeyon Henderson had the perfect sport of his rookie season, speeding for 2 touchdowns and catching a 3rd. Drake Maye threw for 281 yards and a landing, whereas Stefon Diggs had 9 catches for 105 yards.
Justin Fields had a tricky night time, throwing for simply 116 yards and a landing on 15-of-26 passing. He additionally ran for 67 yards and a rating however accounted for the sport's lone turnover with a fumble.
The Patriots improved to 9-2, the perfect report within the NFL, whereas the Jets fell to 2-8, ending their two-game successful streak.
Share your response with us at live@theathletic.com and remember to take a look at this week's live coverage schedule on The Athletic.
GO FURTHER
Patriots-Jets takeaways: Maye boosts MVP case, Henderson scores 3 TDs in New England’s win
Aaron Glenn had this to say postgame on Justin Fields’ efficiency: “There are some good issues. There are some actually good issues.”
He added that there have been some performs “our guys gotta make for him on the market.”
In the meantime, Fields summarized his efficiency as, “Not adequate.”
Mike Vrabel on his workforce’s eight-game successful streak to be the primary workforce to achieve 9 wins this season:
💬 “I admire the identification. It’s ours, and it’s theirs, they usually defend it, and we now have to apply it daily, whether or not that’s Wednesday or Thursday. The final six weeks, we now have gotten higher as a result of we apply velocity on Thursdays, and guys are going after it. That’s why we’ve gotten higher as a result of guys come out the video games and perceive there’s a number of issues that go our approach some issues that don’t, and we now have to beat these, and we now have.”
The Patriots’ protection bought off to a different sluggish begin, permitting a landing on the Jets’ opening drive, earlier than as soon as once more settling in after that.
The Jets went three-and-out on their solely three remaining drives within the first half following their preliminary rating. Then the Patriots’ protection put up a formidable efficiency within the second half.
A fumble restoration by Anfernee Jennings helped seal this sport on an evening the Jets managed simply 245 yards.
Nonetheless, three areas of concern for the Pats’ protection. The primary is that the Jets transformed eight of their 14 third-down makes an attempt, which is one thing to maintain a watch going ahead from the Patriots’ protection.
Secondly, Justin Fields was in a position to scramble way more than you’d like, even from a cellular quarterback like Fields. He ran for 67 yards on 11 makes an attempt with a landing.
Lastly, it’s regarding that the Patriots misplaced Milton Williams, their highest-paid participant, to an ankle damage. The defensive deal with performed solely eight snaps within the sport. That’ll be an damage to watch when the Patriots return to apply subsequent week. The excellent news is that Mike Vrabel stated after the sport that Williams needed to return within the sport however the teaching workers determined it was finest for the workforce to carry him out.
The Jets took a flier on John Metchie III, and not less than for tonight, this deal seems considerably fruitful.
The previous second-round pick of Alabama led the Jets in receiving tonight, catching three passes for 45 yards, together with a 22-yard landing from Justin Fields within the third quarter.
With Garrett Wilson sidelined for not less than 4 weeks, Metchie and Adonai Mitchell may have ample alternative to make an impression on New York's teaching workers and entrance workplace.
Large receiver Adonai Mitchell made his Jets debut and didn’t go particularly properly. His first catch was a great one, a 3rd down conversion on a slant that helped arrange Fields’ landing run on the opening drive.
However after that, he dropped an ideal deep ball from Fields that may’ve went for a giant achieve, Fields missed him badly later within the second quarter on what would’ve been a giant achieve, after which Mitchell dropped one other ball within the fourth quarter. The upside is that Mitchell clearly has the athleticism and upside to get open and beat the person protecting him, he simply wants to repair the main focus points that led to the drops and errors.
On the flip aspect, the opposite receiver the Jets acquired not too long ago acquitted himself properly: John Metchie began for the Jets and caught a 22-yard landing when he was left huge open within the third quarter.
Listed below are the most recent AFC East standings. With New England’s victory tonight over New York, the Patriots have a two-game lead over the Buffalo Payments.
A reminder that the Patriots and Payments sq. off on Dec. 14. New England is 1-0 in opposition to Buffalo this yr after a 23-20 victory on Oct. 5.
The Patriots lead the AFC East in level differential with 86.
Mike Vrabel on the Patriots’ 9-2 begin in his first season.
💬 “I really feel nice. That’s what I simply instructed them within the locker room, ‘9-and-two, that’s excellent news. I’ve higher information for you. They don’t should see me till Monday.’ They had been excited.”
The Patriots have already nearly clinched their return to the postseason, in line with our Playoff Simulator, which provides New England a larger than 99-percent likelihood at a playoff spot.
However what in regards to the No. 1 seed within the AFC?
Per the Playoff Simulator, the Patriots have a 44-percent likelihood on the high seed and a bye to the divisional spherical, in addition to a 44-percent likelihood to host a sport within the wild-card spherical.
Get used to it, NFL followers — New England has returned to its perch atop the AFC.
It’s clear that Justin Fields isn’t the Jets' quarterback of the longer term, however New York's offense was extra purposeful tonight than it has been in current weeks, and his legs had been a giant a part of the explanation why.
Within the first half, his capability as a rusher put pressure on the Patriots' protection and prolonged performs all through the night time. He was the workforce's main rusher, totaling 67 yards and a landing.
He nonetheless missed a number of throws and confirmed indecisiveness when throwing the ball downfield, however with out his go-to wideout in Garrett Wilson and on the highway in opposition to a division rival on a brief week, Fields helped hold the Jets within the sport whereas their protection faltered.
On the identical time, it’s inconceivable to run a functioning offense within the NFL with a beginning quarterback who has solely eclipsed 100-plus yards passing twice in his final 5 video games.
Because it seems, Justin Fields remains to be not the answer at quarterback for the Jets. And but, for some purpose, Aaron Glenn retains working him on the market. Week after week, it’s clear that Fields doesn’t belong on the market anymore — and that was very true on Thursday night time, even when there have been just a few drops from his huge receivers.
A low second got here when a third-down cross late within the fourth quarter deflected off the again of left deal with Olu Fashanu’s head — after which Fields adopted that up by merely dropping the ball on a snap and fumbling it away to the Patriots, who rotated and made a area purpose just a few performs later to just about put the sport away.
Fields put collectively a formidable first drive because the Jets leaned on his working capability — nevertheless it was principally a catastrophe after that, and he nonetheless had fewer than 100 passing yards late within the fourth quarter. In some unspecified time in the future, maybe Glenn will swap to Tyrod Taylor or undrafted rookie Brady Cook dinner.
TreVeyon Henderson on his three-touchdown efficiency:
💬 “Actually, them first two touchdowns, all my offensive linemen, I gotta give these guys credit score. They make my job simpler. These guys put within the soiled work.”
Drake Maye acquired loads of MVP chants from a fired-up crowd watching the Patriots play their first residence night time sport in two years.
They began when Maye took the sector because the final Patriots participant launched, then continued as Maye performed properly in a formidable efficiency.
This wasn’t Maye’s finest sport, nevertheless it may need been one of the necessary in validating Maye’s standing as a legit MVP candidate, given the nationwide viewers and noteworthy throws. He accomplished his first 11 passes and didn’t throw an incompletion till three minutes remained within the first half.
Maye is likely one of the MVP frontrunners together with Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold, and can want some spectacular video games down the stretch to earn the award. However Thursday night time was an opportunity for the nation to see how properly he runs this offense.
His robust night time got here even with some uncommon drops from Stefon Diggs (who nonetheless put up 105 receiving yards) and with rookie Kyle Williams showing to run a few fallacious routes.
TreVeyon Henderson on Patriots quarterback Drake Maye:
💬 “He’s a baller, and he’s an incredible chief. However the greatest factor is he’s humble. He is available in to work each day, and he pushes everybody round him. I’m grateful to be enjoying alongside him.”
TreVeyon Henderson has arrived.
After a sluggish begin to the season for the second-round rookie, Henderson put up 5 touchdowns in 5 days whereas filling in for the injured Rhamondre Stevenson.
Henderson has been so good that he might have overtaken the beginning job from Stevenson, who has missed the final three video games.
After he ran for 147 yards and two touchdowns final week in a win over the Buccaneers, Henderson totaled __ yards on __ touches Thursday night time for 3 touchdowns (two of them speeding, one in all them receiving).
Henderson this season has been the surface, big-play risk for the Patriots’ working sport, however he confirmed he’s loads succesful working between the tackles on Thursday night time.
It’s unclear if Stevenson will likely be wholesome sufficient to play within the Patriots’ Week 12 video games in Cincinnati, however Henderson has given the teaching workers loads to consider as they handle the depth chart.
TreVeyon Henderson on the Patriots’ method:
💬 “We simply need to keep humble and simply proceed to place the work in. We need to take pleasure in a few days off and get again to work. And yeah, we simply need to keep humble and hold going.”
Do you know our Playoff Simulator at The Athletic additionally offers you groups’ odds of securing the No. 1 general decide within the 2026 NFL Draft? So sure, Jets followers, there’s something for you in there!
With tonight’s loss, New York’s odds of getting the highest decide transfer from 27 % to 31 %.
Try how those odds shift with the rest of New York’s games right here.
The Jets clearly needed to see what they’d in Adonai Mitchell, as Justin Fields focused him a team-high six occasions tonight.
But Mitchell recorded a number of drops and completed with only one 10-yard catch on New York’s opening drive.
Not an incredible begin to hits Jets tenure. Sure, Fields struggled, however Mitchell has to assist his quarterback as properly.
Stefon Diggs continues to claim himself as a dependable goal for Drake Maye, even when the veteran isn’t the perennial Professional Bowl-caliber participant he was in his prime for division rival Buffalo.
Diggs picked a great night time for his first 100-plus-yard receiving sport because the Patriots’ final prime-time sport (a win over the Payments on Oct. 5). He had 9 catches for 105 yards in tonight’s victory.
What a efficiency tonight from Drake Maye, persevering with his very good breakout sophomore season.
Maye confirmed complete command of the Patriots' offense, executing a number of completely thrown play-action passes whereas additionally making some unimaginable acrobatic performs when compelled to scramble from the pocket.
The Patriots quarterback completed 25-for-34 for 281 passing yards and one landing with no interceptions.
