Seven Takeaways As Patriots Thump Hopeless Jets
The Patriots took care of business on Thursday Night Football.
New England continued to secure its place at the top of the AFC East on Thursday, securing an easy 27-14 victory over the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium.
I’ve got your takeaways:
TREVEYON’S TIME
Rhamondre Stevenson is expected to reclaim his starting role when healthy, according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano.
I’d imagine those plans are subject to change, though.
TreVeyon Henderson has officially arrived, putting together back-to-back terrific performances that have included 241 total yards and five touchdowns — which is kind of what folks were expecting, fair or not.
Henderson’s greatest strength has always been his ability to change gears, which we’ve seen each of the last two games while also watching him display some toughness between the tackles. The Patriots still need to see some improvement in the passing game, but the rookie is on the right track — and that should have people extremely excited.
FOLLOW THE SCRIPT
The Patriots have both the worst first-quarter defense in football and the best non-first-quarter defense in football…
New England has allowed an opening-drive scores in six of the last eight weeks, and an average of 5.81 points in the first quarter as opposed to (4.33) across all others — an incredibly odd statistic considering that in-game adjustments should be more difficult with an interim defensive coordinator.
It’s working, though, so no sense in hoping for a change.
UNI-WATCH
I’d be remiss to ignore the untimely demise of Uni-Watch, a website devoted to the aesthetics of sports uniforms, two weeks ago.
Uni-Watch made caring about sports uniforms cool less nerdy, and unfortunately shut down before we could hear what those good folks thought about the on-field debut of the “Nor’Easter” uniforms at Gillette Stadium.
I’ll pick up the slack.
If you don’t like the details (red stars on the collar, netting pattern on the shoulder stripes, italicized numbers) you’re a grouch, but the overall look is missing something. It’s almost like they’re wearing denim — which would be cool for the Toronto Argonauts, but not the New England Patriots. Christian Gonzalez had the right idea with red accessories, though.
GRADE: 7.9/10
OLD SCHOOL
Ben Brown and Khyiris Tonga had expanded roles on the short week, with the offense making an effort to establish the run by plugging the former at tight end and the latter at fullback.
If you include their listed weight with that of the starting offensive line, we’re talking about 2,247 pounds of mass in front of Henderson — which worked out pretty well.
Brown had key blocks on both first-half rushing touchdowns, which means he’ll likely see more time in his new role moving forward.
DOUBLE BYE
New England won’t have to play another game until Nov. 23 when they visit the Cincinnati Bengals — presenting a nice little opportunity.
Stevenson (toe), Kayshon Boutte (hamstring), Austin Hopper (concussion) and Christian Elliss (hip) all missed the contest with injuries, while Milton Williams played just eight snaps after suffering an ankle injury.
It’s imperative that each and every one of those players gets healthy for the stretch run, so the layoff comes at a decent time — with just two games separating this one and the bye week.
MVP! MVP! MVP!
Drake Maye is the NFL’s MVP.
I’ve already given you the spiel this week, so you’ve heard the argument for why he technically deserves the award, but it’s starting to become undeniable.
Maye is doing things that we haven’t seen from anyone other than the likes of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson — a.k.a. the last three guys to win the award.
Maye now ranks first in passing yards (2,836), and second in completion percentage (71.9%) and touchdowns (20) — but those numbers don’t mean a thing, just watch him.
PAT YOURSELF ON THE BACK
If you’re one of the folks who made it out to this game, just know that you contributed to an important moment in franchise history.
Gillette Stadium is back!
“Your Love” by The Outfield blasted from the speakers midway through the fourth quarter, and for the first time in nearly a decade, you could hear 65,000 people all singing in unison on a national television broadcast. It’s been a while since that rang true, so pat yourself on the back for contributing to what felt like a legitimate shift…