The AFC East is starting to look less like a one-team script and more like a problem the Patriots can’t afford to ignore.
Yes, the Bills still loom largest, especially with Josh Allen trending toward an MVP-level season. New England already reclaimed the division in 2025 after Buffalo had ruled for five straight years, and that fight could swing back again. But the Patriots may have another challenge on their hands now, because the Jets are suddenly playing like a team that wants a seat at the table.
New York enters Week 3 at 1-1, and it was only a matter of seconds before that record might have been 2-0. The Jets opened with a 23-10 win over the Titans, a clean game with no turnovers and plenty of impact from Breece Hall and new tight end Kenyon Sadiq, the player many hoped New England might have a shot to draft. Geno Smith was part of the story too, operating with a deep group of receivers and helping set the tone for an offense that looked far more dangerous than expected.
That same formula nearly carried over against the Packers. The Jets pushed that game to overtime before falling, and once again Smith looked steady while the wideouts did their part. For a team that has spent years searching for stability at quarterback, his veteran presence has already changed the feel of the offense.
Smith has also been a familiar headache for the Patriots before. He beat New England with the Raiders at home in 2025, handing them their first loss of the season, and he did it again in 2024 while with the Seahawks. Now he’s working with even more help, with Adonai Mitchell and Omaro Cooper Jr. emerging behind Garrett Wilson.
That gives the Jets a real chance to stress New England’s defense, even if the Patriots do have some answers on the back end. Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis give them a strong cornerback duo, and Kevin Byard III is there at safety. That secondary should give the Patriots a fighting chance against New York’s top targets.
The bigger concern might be on the other side of the ball.
Through two games, the Jets’ defense has piled up 103 total tackles, 6 sacks, 6 passes defended, 10 tackles for a loss, and 8 quarterback hits. Their front is getting contributions from Dane Belton, Jamien Sherwood, and rookie David Bailey, and they’ve already shown they can disrupt quarterbacks and force offenses into uncomfortable spots.
Maybe that would matter less if New England were seeing this group for the first time. But the Patriots have spent most of the last 25 years treating the Jets like a near-automatic win.
That’s why this matchup carries a different kind of weight now. What used to feel routine could look a lot more dangerous when the teams meet in Week 6.
The schedule does give the Patriots a little breathing room elsewhere. The game in Buffalo comes in two weeks instead of later in the season, and the Dolphins don’t appear to be much of a threat right now. That leaves the Jets as the wild card - a team that usually wouldn’t demand much attention, but now looks capable of making life difficult for New England.
Things can change fast between now and Week 6. Still, the warning signs are already there, and the Patriots would be smart to keep a closer eye on the Jets than they probably expected to this season.
In Other News...
Patriots Already Have A Tight End Concern After Steelers Win
The Patriots tight end room already looks worth monitoring after the win over Pittsburgh, with rookie Eli Raridon leaving the game because of a thigh injury and thinning a position group that had been carrying a lot of the week-to-week workload. In response, New England brought in four free agent tight ends for workouts at Gillette Stadium, a clear sign the team is at least preparing for added depth if the injury situation lingers.
Among the players the Patriots evaluated were Devin Culp, Tanner Conner, Lance Mason and Patrick Murtagh, each with a different path through the league and recent roster movement behind him. The group gives New England options to consider while the team waits to see how serious Raridons issue is, and it also underscores how quickly a position can shift from manageable to unsettled early in the season. [Read more 🡒]
DK Metcalf Is Making The Patriots Look Smarter By The Week
For years, the Patriots have been trying to solve the same problem at receiver, chasing top names and eventually making the bold move for A.J. Brown in 2025. DK Metcalf was part of that conversation, too, as a player New England could have targeted before he wound up with the Steelers instead. In hindsight, the decision tree looks a little different now.
Metcalfs first stretch in Pittsburgh has been bumpy, with the kind of uneven production that only adds to the sense that he may not have been the clean fit the Patriots once imagined. For a New England team still measuring every wideout decision against past misses, his struggles only sharpen the idea that passing on him might have been the smarter call all along, even if the larger receiver search is far from finished. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots May Have Found Their Only Real Answer Without A.J. Brown
A.J. Browns high-ankle sprain will keep him out for at least another month, leaving the Patriots to keep sorting through an offense that has to function without its most obvious top target. In Week 2 against the Steelers, New England leaned into a more distributed passing game, with nine different players catching passes in the win, a sign that the offense can survive by spreading the workload rather than funneling everything through one receiver.
Josh McDaniels has been in this position before, and that familiarity matters for a Patriots team trying to stay efficient while Brown recovers. His history of managing offenses without a clear No. 1 option gives New England a path to remain balanced and productive, even if the ceiling looks different until Brown is back in the mix. [Read more 🡒]