WEEI's Patriots Week in Review: A.J. Brown watch concludes with WR's return

From a 45-17 rout of the Raiders to A.J. Brown's expected return, here are WEEI's most-watched Patriots videos of the week and everything you need for Jets at Patriots.

The biggest question of the Patriots' week appears to have its answer. A.J. Brown is expected to play after being activated off injured reserve on Saturday, following a week of practice as the wide receiver worked his way back from a high ankle sprain. Brown hasn't played since the opener at Seattle, where he caught three passes for 26 yards before getting hurt. The news ends a week of WEEI debate over whether Brown should come back for the Jets or wait for Thursday night in Chicago, and it comes as the Patriots, 3-2 after a 45-17 rout of the Raiders, try to string together a third straight win. Drake Maye's turnaround and a banged-up roster drove the rest of the conversation. Here are WEEI's most-watched Patriots videos of the week, from the Greg Hill Show, Jones & Keefe, Rich & Ken w/ Ted Johnson and the 6 Rings Postgame Show, followed by a preview of Jets at Patriots, Sunday at 1 p.m. on CBS.

The rout of the Raiders

The Patriots beat the Raiders 45-17 last Sunday at Gillette Stadium for their first back-to-back wins of the season and improved to 3-2, 2-0 at home. Drake Maye completed 26 of 34 passes for 374 yards and four touchdowns, ran for another score and played his first turnover-free game of the season. DeMario Douglas caught two touchdown passes, Kyle Williams had 91 receiving yards and a touchdown, Hunter Henry caught a touchdown pass with 24 seconds left in the first half, Rhamondre Stevenson ran for a score and Elijah Ponder had two sacks.

The 45 points were the most of the Maye era, and the 536 total yards gave the Patriots their first 500-yard game since October 2021, as Justin Turpin noted in his 7 takeaways from the blowout win. Meghan Ottolini wrote that the Patriots proved they're no paper tiger, and concluded, "For today, the Patriots shouldn't be the team facing fraud allegations."

On the 6 Rings Postgame Show, Jon Lyons said the Patriots have reminded everyone over the last few weeks that they are still a very good team, and Dan Bahl said Maye has "absolutely regained the confidence he played with a season ago." In the locker room, Maye said of Josh McDaniels' play calling, "It was beautiful," Kyle Williams called his day "definitely a confidence booster," and Stevenson said of Maye, "He's our guy." The win came at a cost: left tackle Will Campbell (knee) and running back TreVeyon Henderson (ankle) were both hurt in the first half and didn't return, and rookie Caleb Lomu finished the game at left tackle.

▶ "He Looks Like He's Having Fun" Patriots Rout Raiders 45-17 | The Greg Hill Show (YouTube, 9.8K views)

Maye's turnaround, and the pushback over weak defenses

Over his last two games, Maye has completed 48 of 71 passes for 643 yards and seven touchdowns, per Turpin, after a 1-2 start in which he threw one touchdown pass and six interceptions. Mike Vrabel joined the Greg Hill Show live from Gillette Stadium on Monday and said, "We protected him well. I thought that he was decisive." Asked whether the early struggles were about health or confidence, Vrabel said there are "a million things that come into play when you're not performing," as Turpin detailed in What's led to Drake Maye's turnaround? Mike Vrabel weighs in. Boomer Esiason called the Raiders game "almost perfect" on the Greg Hill Show, Brian Hoyer called it "probably the best game of his career," Josh McDaniels said, "He's making progress every week," and Kevin Byard said Maye "throws such a pretty ball."

Maye joined Rich & Ken w/ Ted Johnson for Patriots Monday, and his answer to 8-year-old Andrew from Marshfield, who asked for advice on being one of the smallest players on the field, was one of WEEI's most-watched clips of the week. Ottolini wrote up how Maye weathered the early-season lows: "The biggest thing for me was just knowing the work that you put in and trusting that."

Not everyone was ready to call it fixed. Adam Jones' take on Jones & Keefe, "It's fair to say Drake Maye struggled against three good defenses to start the season but has thrived against two weaker ones," was the most-watched Maye clip of the week on X. Tom E. Curran made a similar point about the competition on Rich & Ken w/ Ted Johnson on Thursday and said a lack of preseason snaps didn't help. Rich Shertenlieb told fans who think the Patriots are back to slow their roll, Jones & Keefe argued it's fair to question Maye like any other quarterback, and Ted Johnson said Josh McDaniels hasn't been called out by the local media for the slow start. Ottolini told Rich & Ken w/ Ted Johnson it's too early to say Maye is all the way back, but he's on the right track. The next test comes Sunday against a Jets defense that ranks fourth in the NFL in yards allowed.

▶ Adam Jones: Can Maye get it done against a good defense? (X, 30,878 impressions)

▶ "ALMOST PERFECT" Too Much Pressure on Maye? Boomer Esiason LIVE! | The Greg Hill Show (YouTube, 13K views)

▶ "We protected him well. I thought that he was decisive" Patriots HC Mike Vrabel joins (YouTube Short, 11K views)

▶ Maye's advice for 8-year-old Andrew from Marshfield (X, 16,926 impressions)

The A.J. Brown watch, answered

A.J. Brown returned to practice Wednesday after four weeks on injured reserve with the high ankle sprain he suffered in the opener at Seattle, and Ottolini had the breaking news. His return opened a 21-day window, and as Ottolini laid out in Jets or Bears? Patriots face strategic timeline on A.J. Brown's return, Thursday night's game in Chicago, four days after the Jets, made the timing a real debate all week. Brown was limited in practice all week and was listed as questionable on Friday's report, and Vrabel said the decision would come Saturday. On Saturday morning Rapoport reported that the Patriots would likely activate Brown to play Sunday, which they did shortly before the 4 p.m. deadline Saturday afternoon. Brown's return gives Maye his top receiver back for the first time since Week 1, after Maye's 374-yard, four-touchdown day against the Raiders came without him.

The buildup to that answer drove WEEI's two most-watched videos of the week. ESPN's Adam Schefter told Rich & Ken w/ Ted Johnson on Wednesday that his guess was Brown would play this weekend, a call that now looks right, and Rich Shertenlieb's idea that Brown could be the Patriots' version of Trevor Story was the most-viewed WEEI YouTube video of the week. Brown said, "There's no need to sulk about anything. It's still a blessing," and on Thursday called his return "definitely still up in the air." Rich Keefe said that if Brown is cleared, the Patriots "should 100% play him on Sunday," while Tom E. Curran told Jones & Keefe he wants the Patriots to ease Brown back slowly. Ted Johnson broke down how Brown changes the offense, Brian Hoyer told the Greg Hill Show what Brown will bring, and Schefter also weighed in on the trade deadline and whether the Patriots will make a move.

▶ Schefter called it Wednesday: his guess was A.J. Brown would play against the Jets (X, 39,679 impressions)

▶ Before the news: Could A.J. Brown "Trevor Story" the Patriots? (YouTube Short, 37K views)

▶ A.J. Brown: "There's no need to sulk about anything" (X, 12,349 impressions)

Injuries, and the next man up

Will Campbell and TreVeyon Henderson were limited in practice all week and are questionable for Sunday. If Campbell can't go, Caleb Lomu could make his first start at left tackle. Vrabel said of Lomu's debut, "I didn't think it was too big for him," and Hoyer said of Campbell on the Greg Hill Show, "Don't rush him back. Let Caleb Lomu go out there and get some good experience."

The good news came at cornerback. Christian Gonzalez, who missed the last two games with a shoulder injury, returned to practice, said "I'm ready to go" and has no injury designation for Sunday. Cornerbacks Carlton Davis III (neck) and Karon Prunty (hamstring) are out. After the Raiders game, the 6 Rings Postgame Show made the case that a favorable stretch of the schedule could help the Patriots weather the injuries until their key players get healthy, and Christian Arcand asked what kind of statement the Patriots would make by beating the Jets without key contributors.

A pass rush that keeps getting home

Elijah Ponder has 4.5 sacks through five games, including his two against the Raiders, and the Patriots have recorded at least one sack in every game, 11 in all, per Turpin. Ted Johnson admitted he had been critical of Ponder early in the season, then came around and compared him to a former Patriots linebacker, in one of the week's most-watched clips. Christian Elliss told Jones & Keefe that Ponder "makes our jobs a heck of a lot easier," and Robert Spillane told the Greg Hill Show he's "very ultra impressed" with Ponder and Gabe Jacas, calling them "cornerstone pieces, hopefully, for this organization for years to come."

▶ Ted Johnson comes around on Elijah Ponder (X, 11,873 impressions)

The 2001 team turns 25, and who wasn't there

The Patriots celebrated the 25th anniversary of their first Super Bowl team last Sunday, and the reunion carried through the week on WEEI. Vrabel, a linebacker on that team, told the Greg Hill Show about the decision to walk out as a team during introductions. Tom E. Curran said of covering that team, "If I could go back and relive any stretch of time, it would be that one," and Ted Johnson, another member of the 2001 team, explained how Vrabel is using it as a blueprint. Ty Law said of the reunion, "It was a great time. Everybody got a little more grey," and Marcus Jones talked on Rich & Ken w/ Ted Johnson about how the 2001 team set the tone for the franchise.

The bigger talking point was who didn't take part. On the Greg Hill Show, it was called "DISGRACEFUL that neither Tom Brady nor Bill Belichick had any role, whatsoever, in the remembrance in the 25th anniversary." The Nashua Telegraph's Tom King also weighed in on why Adam Vinatieri wasn't inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame that weekend.

Jets week: Trap game, and how high is the ceiling?

The Patriots are 32-8 in their last 40 games against the Jets and 18-2 in their last 20, and the Jets have lost 21 of 26 at Gillette Stadium since it opened in 2002, per Turpin. That didn't stop the trap-game talk. WEEI noted that the Jets are the first team since 1999 to hold three of their first five opponents under 200 total yards, Rich, Ken and Ted asked whether Sunday is a trap game, and the Greg Hill Show asked the same while looking ahead to the final record. WEEI also found the one person who thinks the Jets will win, and Pat Boyle of BetMGM explained on Rich & Ken w/ Ted Johnson why he's taking the Jets and the points.

On the other side, Jones & Keefe said the Patriots are "Head & Shoulders" better than the Jets, Tom E. Curran talked about the rivalry, and Justin Turpin joined Rich & Ken w/ Ted Johnson to break down how the Jets' defense can cause problems. Looking further ahead, Rich Shertenlieb's 13-win call for the Patriots was one of WEEI's most-viewed YouTube Shorts of the week.

▶ 13 W's for the Patriots this season? Rich says "yes!" (YouTube Short, 19K views)

Preview: Jets at Patriots

Sunday, Oct. 18, 1 p.m., Gillette Stadium. TV: CBS (Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta and Aditi Kinkhabwala). Radio: WEEI-FM. The Jets are 2-3 and the Patriots are 3-2. As of Saturday morning, the Patriots are 7.5-point favorites and the total is 43.5 (DraftKings, via ESPN). Lines can move before kickoff. The forecast calls for 52 degrees and no rain at kickoff.

How they got here: The Jets won at Tennessee (23-10), lost to Green Bay (20-17), at Detroit (31-24) and at Chicago (23-12), then beat Cleveland 17-12 last week. The Patriots lost at Seattle (13-10), beat Pittsburgh (20-3), lost at Jacksonville (35-6), won at Buffalo (29-26) and beat Las Vegas (45-17). The Patriots have won the last three meetings, including a 42-10 win at the Jets last Dec. 28, when Maye threw a career-high five touchdown passes. The teams meet again Dec. 27 at the Jets.

Injuries: On Friday's final injury report, the Patriots ruled out cornerbacks Carlton Davis III (neck) and Karon Prunty (hamstring). Receiver A.J. Brown (ankle), tackles Will Campbell (knee) and Marcus Bryant (ankle), running back TreVeyon Henderson (ankle), cornerback Channing Canada (hamstring), linebacker Christian Elliss (chest) and safety Craig Woodson (shoulder) are questionable. Christian Gonzalez has no designation. Brown and Bryant are both on injured reserve and must be activated by 4 p.m. Saturday to play. Brown is expected to be activated, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport; the team had not announced it as of Saturday morning, and there was no report yet on Bryant (Patriots.com injury report analysis). For the Jets, running back Breece Hall (quad), receiver Adonai Mitchell (finger), edge rusher Joseph Ossai (ankle) and guard Dylan Parham (knee) are out, and safety Dane Belton (knee), receiver Omar Cooper Jr. (ankle) and tight end Kenyon Sadiq (concussion) are questionable.

Three things to watch, from Justin Turpin's 3 things to watch in Patriots vs. Jets:

The pass rush vs. Geno Smith. Smith hasn't thrown an interception this season after leading the NFL with 17 last year, but he holds the ball. He has been pressured on 43.9% of his dropbacks, the second-highest rate in the league. Gabe Jacas said, "I think that's a definite advantage for us, Geno holding onto the ball."
The offensive line vs. the Jets' pressure. The Jets have 17 sacks, tied for third in the NFL, including eight against Cleveland, the franchise's most in a game since sacks became an official stat in 1982. Rookie David Bailey lines up over the right tackle on 83.3% of his snaps, per Next Gen Stats, which puts him across from Morgan Moses. Turpin notes the Jets blitz on 39% of opposing dropbacks, fourth-most in the league, while Maye has completed 33 of 46 passes against the blitz. If Campbell can't play, Lomu could make his first start at left tackle.
Gonzalez vs. Garrett Wilson. Gonzalez is back for his fourth matchup with Wilson, who has 31 catches for 374 yards. Turpin points out that the Patriots blitzed on 44.5% of dropbacks before Gonzalez got hurt and 25.5% without him, so watch whether they dial it back up.

Keys: Turnovers top the list. The Jets are plus-3 in turnover margin and the Patriots are minus-5, and Maye has seven interceptions to Smith's none. The Jets' offense averages 18.6 points a game, tied for 27th, against a Patriots defense that allows 18.8, fourth in the league. And the short week looms: the Patriots play at Chicago on Thursday night (8:15 p.m., Prime Video), which made the Brown timing a debate all week.

WEEI Football Sunday live at Patriot Place

Before kickoff, WEEI Football Sunday is live from 10 a.m. until kickoff Sunday at Six String Grill & Stage at Patriot Place, with Christian Arcand, Scheim, Mego and Ted Johnson getting fans ready for Jets at Patriots. Come hang out at Six String before the game, or listen on WEEI-FM and the Audacy app. Then stay with WEEI-FM for Jets at Patriots and the 6 Rings Postgame Show with Jon Lyons & Dan Bahl after the game.