The Patriots left Week 6 with another win in the bank, but Mike Vrabel wasn’t interested in dressing it up.
New England survived a messy divisional fight with the Jets, and the head coach sounded a lot like the fans who watched it unfold. After a game that featured two turnovers, multiple dropped passes and a pile of costly penalties, Vrabel said the Patriots were “probably lucky” to come out on top.
“Probably lucky to win,” Mike Vrabel said. He later added: “We tried to beat ourselves.”
That’s the cleanest summary of the afternoon. The Patriots were better than they had been in the early weeks of the season, but they were nowhere near the team that overwhelmed the Raiders in a 45-17 blowout just one week earlier. Instead, they spent too much of Sunday making life hard on themselves, even in a game they ultimately won.
And as much as plenty of people shrugged at the Jets because, at the end of the day, they are the Jets, that opponent wasn’t a pushover on paper. New York came in with a top-5-ranked defense led by rookie David Bailey, and Geno Smith has been a problem for the Patriots before. He had already beaten them in his last two matchups, first with the Seahawks and then with the Raiders last year.
That made this one far less comfortable than the record might suggest, especially as the Patriots continue to deal with injuries and roster changes. Several players left Sunday’s game hurt, and WR Romeo Doubs is now on injured reserve, adding to a growing list of absences.
The bigger issue for New England is what comes next. The Bears are waiting on a short week, and Chicago is coming off an impressive win over the Falcons. That gives the Patriots another tough test, and another chance to show they can win on the road even while the roster keeps getting thinner.
With so many injuries on offense, Maye will have to show he can overcome the obstacles, lead the team to a win, and, hopefully, help his teammates avoid making the mistakes that could have cost them the win against the Jets.
In Other News...
Patriots Suddenly Need DeMario Douglas Even More After Week 6
The Patriots left Week 6 with a win over the Jets and a 4-2 record, but the bigger takeaway for their offense was how quickly the depth chart started to thin around them. New England took hits along the offensive line and also lost a receiver to injury, a combination that can force an offense to simplify fast and lean harder on the players who can still create separation and keep the chains moving.
DeMario Douglas was already giving them exactly that against New York, pacing the team with seven catches for 86 yards and a touchdown. With the Patriots suddenly needing more from the passing game and less certainty about who will be available around him, Douglass workload now looks less like a useful bonus and more like a necessity. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Rookie Suddenly Has A Veteran Starter Under Real Pressure
The Patriots have spent much of the first six games of 2026 piecing together their offensive line, and the injuries have touched nearly every part of the group. Mike Onwenu, Ben Brown, Morgan Moses and Alijah Vera-Tucker have all been hit at different points, forcing New England to shuffle bodies and rely on depth earlier than expected. In the middle of all that turnover, rookie Caleb Lomu has become one of the brighter developments, handling work at right tackle with a level of composure that has stood out.
Lomus emergence matters because it changes the picture around Moses spot even before the veteran is fully back in the mix. For a rookie with limited experience at the position, he has looked capable enough to keep the Patriots from treating the right tackle job as settled. If Moses is not ready soon, the Patriots may have a tougher decision on their hands than they expected when camp opened. [Read more 🡒]
A.J. Brown's Return Leaves Patriots Facing One Immediate Concern
A.J. Browns return in the Patriots Week 6 win over the Jets gave New England a welcome boost, but it also showed how much timing still needs to come back after a month on the sideline. Brown was active, involved and clearly part of the plan, and the offense still found ways to function with multiple players helping to move the ball and finish drives.
The immediate concern now is how quickly Brown can shake off the rust before the schedule turns again. He was targeted often enough to suggest the Patriots want him right back in the middle of things, but the next test comes quickly with a Thursday night matchup against the Bears, leaving little room for the offense to slowly ease him back in. [Read more 🡒]