The Patriots got back in the win column in Week 6, beating the Jets for their third straight victory, and Drake Maye kept right on building his case as one of the league’s most dangerous young quarterbacks.
Maye tied Tom Brady and Butch Songin for a Patriots mark by throwing three touchdown passes in his third consecutive game. Only Brady, who did it four times, and Songin in 1960 had ever reached that number for New England before.
Maye’s day wasn’t spotless, but it was productive in all the ways that matter. He finished with three touchdown passes, no interceptions and no other turnovers, even though he completed just 56.3 percent of his throws.
The drop issues around him made that percentage look worse than it really was, with A.J. Brown - back sooner than expected from injury - dropping two easy passes and failing to haul in another deep shot.
That was the story again: Maye carrying a thin offense and making it work anyway. He kept the Patriots moving with both his arm and his legs, and he did it behind an offensive line that was already operating in survival mode.
The bigger concern is the line itself. Will Campbell returned quickly from a knee injury, but the unit took more hits when right tackle Morgan Moses, left guard Alijah Vera-Tucker and Ben Brown, who had been starting at right guard, all left with injuries. That leaves Mike Vrabel and the personnel group with a depth problem that is only getting uglier.
Even so, the patchwork group held up against the Jets. Rookie Caleb Lomu filled in for Moses at right tackle, played 60 snaps and handled the assignment beautifully, shutting down sack producer David Bailey and allowing no pressures on Maye. Matt Prior and Walter Rouse also stepped in at guard and gave the Patriots enough stability to keep Maye clean all afternoon.
That mattered, because the pressure had been a real issue earlier this season. The 21 pressures allowed on Maye in the win over Buffalo still hangs over this group, and the questions about the starting line haven’t gone away. But for one Sunday, the backups did their job.
Maye’s early 2026 stretch was rough, with poor decisions and turnovers piling up while the line struggled in front of him. Since then, he has completely flipped the script. The Patriots have gone from 1-2 to 4-2, sitting just a game behind the 5-1 Bills, and Maye has been the main reason they’ve climbed out of the hole.
Even with Pro Football Focus ranking him 12th among NFL quarterbacks, with a 78.3 overall grade and a 76.1 passing grade, his last three games have told a much louder story. He’s steering the offense, stacking wins and matching Patriots history while doing it.
In Other News...
Patriots Rookie Suddenly Has A Veteran Starter Under Real Pressure
The Patriots have spent the first six games of the 2026 season patching together an offensive line that has been hit by injuries to Mike Onwenu, Ben Brown, Morgan Moses and Alijah Vera-Tucker, and the latest solution has come from an unexpected source. Rookie Caleb Lomu has been pressed into duty at right tackle and, despite limited experience at the spot, has looked far more ready than most first-year linemen are when they are thrown into the fire.
Lomus play has put real pressure on the veteran starter ahead of him on the depth chart, especially with Moses status still unclear. If the injury keeps Moses sidelined much longer, the Patriots may have to make a decision they probably hoped to avoid this early in the year, because Lomu has already shown enough to make the conversation more than theoretical. [Read more 🡒]
Rex Ryan's A.J. Brown Roast Gave Patriots Fans A New Debate
A sloppy afternoon for A.J. Brown became one of the more talked-about side stories around the Patriots' narrow home win over the Jets, with the receiver back in action after an ankle injury but still searching for rhythm. New England's 4-2 start was the bigger takeaway, yet Brown's return carried its own share of drama as he made multiple costly mistakes in a game that stayed tight into the closing stages.
Rex Ryan added fuel afterward with a pointed ESPN critique that had Patriots fans buzzing nearly as much as the final score. The segment turned Brown's rough outing into a wider talking point about how much pressure comes with trying to reestablish yourself quickly after an injury, and why even one bad night can linger when it comes in a game that close. [Read more 🡒]
A.J. Brown's Return Leaves Patriots Facing One Immediate Concern
A.J. Brown was back on the field for the Patriots in their Week 6 win over the Jets after sitting out more than a month, and the overall result offered a useful reminder of how much this offense can still function with other pieces carrying the load. New England got enough from its passing game to win, with multiple players chipping in for receiving yards and touchdowns even as Brown worked his way back into the mix.
Still, the return did not look especially clean on Browns end, which is where the immediate concern comes in. He was heavily involved but did not turn that volume into much production, a sign there is still some rust to knock off as the Patriots turn quickly to a Thursday Night Football matchup with the Bears. [Read more 🡒]