You take a win any way you can get it in the NFL, especially at home and against a division opponent.
But following their 26-19 win over the Jets, the Patriots will have plenty to clean up, and little time to do it, before their Week 7 matchup against the Bears in Chicago on Thursday night.
“We’re lucky to win,” head coach Mike Vrabel said bluntly. “But we’re happy that we won. We’ll enjoy it for about an hour, and then we’re going to focus on the next task.”
Here are seven takeaways as the Patriots win their third straight game and improve to 3-0 at home for the first time since the 2019 season.
A.J. Brown had arguably the worst game of his career
A.J. Brown’s Patriots debut at Gillette Stadium and first game back from injured reserve after suffering a high ankle sprain was one to forget.
Brown was targeted 10 times, the most by any Patriot in a game this season, but caught just three passes for 27 yards. He had three drops, tying a career high he set in 2021 with the Titans in an overtime win over the Seahawks. He also muffed the Jets’ onside kick attempt at the end of the game, though tight end Eli Raridon recovered it.
Despite the rough outing, the Patriots remain confident in Brown, whom they acquired this offseason in exchange for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick.
“I think he could’ve probably made a few more plays, come down with a few more plays. He’s been out for a while,” said Mike Vrabel. “I know that he wanted to do well for his football team, and unfortunately it wasn’t his best effort. I know that he knows that, and we have all the confidence in the world in A.J. just to be able to finish those plays.”
Mike Vrabel on A.J. Brown’s struggles:“He's been out for a while. I know that he wanted to do well for his football team, and unfortunately it wasn't his best effort. I know that he knows that, and we have all the confidence in the world in A.J. … I'm confident that he'll come back and do a lot of things that help us here the rest of the season.”
— WEEI (@WEEI) October 18, 2026
Added quarterback Drake Maye, “I’m looking forward to just growing, just building the connection. I think there’s some, obviously, plays he wishes he had back, but man, I was telling him in the locker room, ‘Man, you ain’t got to worry about No.1.’ He’s a player in this league. He’s going to be one of the best players on the field every time he steps on it. I told him I’m going to keep coming his way, and I don’t really think there’s too much to say about it.”
Drake Maye on A.J. Brown:“I think there's some, obviously, plays he wish he had back. But man, I was just telling him in the locker room, ‘Man, you ain't got to worry about No.1.’ He's a player in this league. He's going to be one of the best players on the field every time he steps on it. I told him I'm going to keep coming his way, and I don't really think there's too much to say about it.”
— WEEI (@WEEI) October 18, 2026
Brown will be fine.
In fact, there were some encouraging signs. Coming off the high ankle sprain, he played 52 of the Patriots’ 67 offensive snaps, getting open and putting himself in position to make plays. He just couldn’t finish them.
The drops were uncharacteristic of Brown. In the 106 games he had played entering Sunday, he had dropped just 28 of 820 targets, a rate of 3.4%. He had only one drop in 2025 and none in 2024.
Brown deserves some grace as he works his way back from the injury and continues to build chemistry with a quarterback he had played just 31 game snaps with entering Sunday.
“I didn’t play well. I don’t know – if the timing was off,” Brown said. “I’m much better than what I put on display today; there are no excuses. I’ll be better.”
Drake Maye keeps on rolling
Those early-season struggles from Drake Maye are starting to feel like a distant memory.
Although his completion percentage dipped a bit, Maye still threw for 235 yards and three touchdowns, completing 18 of 32 pass attempts (56.3%). It marked his third consecutive game with at least three touchdown passes, making him the first Patriots quarterback to accomplish that feat since Tom Brady in October 2014. He also added four carries for 24 yards, including a 21-yard scamper in the third quarter.
Maye joins Brady (four times) and Butch Songin (1960) as the only Patriots quarterbacks to throw at least three touchdown passes in three or more consecutive games within a season. Last season, Maye had just three games with at least three passing touchdowns, and finished as the MVP runner-up.
Most importantly, Maye played his second straight turnover-free game. The Patriots are now 2-0 this season when Maye doesn’t turn the ball over.
Maye has a passer rating of 119.3 with 878 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, and just one interception in his last three games.
He’s all the way back, folks.
The offensive line delivers again despite losing three starters
The Patriots started Will Campbell, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Jared Wilson, Ben Brown, and Morgan Moses, left to right. By the end of the game, their offensive line consisted of Campbell, Walter Rouse, Wilson, Matt Pryor, and Caleb Lomu.
That’s because Moses left the game with an ankle injury, Vera-Tucker with a hamstring injury, and Brown with a knee injury.
“As bad as it is and as unfortunate as it is, it’s just the way this game goes,” Campbell said of the injuries. “Coach Vrabel talks each week about preparing as a starter. Guys never know what could happen in a game, and you have to be ready whenever you get your opportunity. I feel like some guys stepped up big for us today.”
Still, despite using eight different offensive linemen, the Patriots did not allow Drake Maye to be sacked. It marked the first time this season that the Jets, who entered the afternoon with 17 sacks, tied for the third-most in the NFL, were held without a sack. It was also the first time this season the Patriots did not allow a sack.
According to Next Gen Stats, Maye was pressured on just 35.3% of his dropbacks, his second-lowest rate in a game this season. He completed 13 of 21 passes for 173 yards and three touchdowns when kept clean.
42-yard touchdown from Maye to Doubs!NYJvsNE on CBS/Paramount+Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/tKpDzX136o
— NFL (@NFL) October 18, 2026
It can’t be stressed enough: Good things happen when Maye has time to throw, especially downfield, and we saw that again on Sunday. According to PFF’s initial charting, Maye completed five of nine attempts of 10 or more air yards for 113 yards and two touchdowns.
That’s two consecutive weeks in which the offensive line has played a key role in a big game for Maye.
In a related injury note, wide receiver Romeo Doubs also left the game with a shoulder injury after hauling in a 42-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
Christian Gonzalez makes his presence felt in his return
After missing the last two games with a shoulder injury, Christian Gonzalez returned to action Sunday and picked up right where he left off.
Gonzalez, as expected, drew the matchup against Garrett Wilson, who entered the day tied for sixth in the NFL in receptions (31) and ranked 11th in receiving yards (374), and did not disappoint.
According to Next Gen Stats, Gonzalez matched up against Wilson on 17 routes, 12 of which came in man coverage, and allowed just two receptions for 20 yards on two targets. It was the fewest targets, receptions, and receiving yards Gonzalez had allowed to Wilson in any game in which the two matched up more than five times. Gonzalez also played all 60 defensive snaps in his first game back.
Overall, Wilson finished with four catches for 44 yards.
“I think Christian did a great job all day playing man-to-man,” Kevin Byard said. “I’m not sitting here saying that [Garrett Wilson] was frustrated or anything like that, but I think for most of the game, there were a lot of stretches where he wasn’t getting targeted. That was one of the keys for us to victory. Obviously, when you’re putting Zero (Gonzalez) on number five (Wilson), we like that matchup all day.”
An “inconsistent” day for the defense
When looking back on the defense’s performance, Kevin Byard used one word: “inconsistent.”
“I would say it was inconsistent, for the most part,” he said.
That’s a good way to put it.
The Patriots’ defense intercepted Geno Smith for the first time this season, with Charles Woods coming up with a crucial interception on the first drive of the fourth quarter. The Jets were in New England territory, trailing by 10, when Woods made the play.
The Patriots also came up with two fourth-down stops in their own territory and held the Jets to 3-of-10 on third down.
They generated pressure against Smith, too, recording back-to-back sacks from Milton Williams and Christian Barmore, followed by a third-down sack from Elijah Ponder in the third quarter.
But there were plenty of issues, too. The Patriots struggled to stop the run, allowing Braelon Allen to rush for 78 yards on 17 carries. They also had trouble getting off the field, as the Jets converted 21 first downs and controlled the time of possession. Missed tackles were another issue, and the Patriots allowed a touchdown on an opening drive for the first time this season.
It was an up-and-down performance from the defense, with plenty of positives but also several areas that will need to be cleaned up moving forward.
Ball security needs to be better
The Patriots had two fumbles on Sunday, both in the second half.
On the first, second overall pick David Bailey stripped TreVeyon Henderson as the running back fought for extra yards.
the rook ripped it out. OUR BALL📺: #NYJvsNE on @nfloncbs | @paramountplus https://t.co/Nef4RVO6u2
— New York Jets (@nyjets) October 18, 2026
On the second, DeMario Douglas tried to make a play downfield but had the ball punched out from behind.
the chasedown punch out 🥊📺: #NYJvsNE on @nfloncbs | @paramountplus https://t.co/GkJZdTUaG6
— New York Jets (@nyjets) October 18, 2026
The Douglas fumble, in particular, took away from what was otherwise a great game from the receiver, who led the team with seven receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown.
“I’m sick. I’m sick, I can’t lie. Sick, that’s going to haunt me, probably, for the day,” Douglas said. “I’ve got to turn the page because we’ve got a real quick turnaround. But I think after I watch it on film, I’ve got to stop doing too much. I try to do too much.”
Both fumbles resulted in points (each a field goal) for the Jets.
The Patriots may get away with those mistakes against the Jets and their offense, but that won’t fly against higher-quality offenses moving forward.
Corey Kiner closes it out
Maybe they were looking ahead to the short turnaround on Thursday night in Chicago.
But in a game where both Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson were healthy and active, the Patriots turned to Corey Kiner to drain the clock and close out the win. They handed him the ball eight consecutive times on their final drive, and the second-year running back protected the ball and picked up 42 yards on the drive, which ended in a field goal.
“He runs hard,” Vrabel said when asked why he opted to lean on Kiner at the end of the game. “He runs hard, and it’s the same way he’s selling the kickoff returns. We got three capable backs, and you ride the hot hand.”
Vrabel then questioned, “Should we have not rode him?”
The 24-year-old, whom the Patriots acquired from the Cardinals in exchange for a 2028 seventh-round pick over the summer, finished with 11 carries for a team-high 57 yards. He entered Week 6 with 20 carries for 81 yards.
