Drake Maye has given the Patriots plenty to feel good about this season, and one of the clearest signs of that came in October, when he was named AFC Offensive Player of the Month.
There’s another number that tells the story even better. According to Pro Football Focus, Maye’s passer rating when throwing to Hunter Henry and rookie Eli Raridon sits at an NFL-best 149.3 through eight games. That connection has been a real bright spot for New England, but it may be tested now more than ever.
Henry’s foot injury, which kept him out of the Dolphins game, could force Raridon into the biggest role of his young Patriots career. The rookie out of Notre Dame was taken in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, and the team has already leaned on him more than expected. In seven games, he has 13 catches for 173 yards and two touchdowns.
If Henry is limited in Week 9 against the Green Bay Packers, Raridon would become the Patriots’ top pass-catching tight end. That would put added pressure on him at a time when the offense is already dealing with injuries to A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs.
The Patriots do get one piece of help back. The key target for Maye as his most familiar boundary receiver, is set to play against the Packers after being activated off injured reserve on Saturday. Hollins has missed the past four games with a calf injury but is still the Patriots’ third-leading wide receiver with 206 yards.
The tight end depth chart has been thin since Julian Hill went down before the season even started, and that has forced Raridon onto the field far more than the Patriots likely planned. He has logged 258 offensive snaps, which ranks him top-10 among the team’s offensive players. Tanner Arkin, another rookie who is more of a blocker than a receiver, has played 46 offensive snaps.
Raridon’s most recent outing showed how much the Patriots still need Henry. Against the Dolphins, after Henry left in the first quarter, Raridon caught just one of his four targets for 5 yards.
For New England, the hope is simple: Henry gets back quickly, because the team’s lack of depth at the skill positions is starting to loom large.
In Other News...
Patriots Suddenly Have A Bigger Problem Than Just One Blowout
The Patriots loss to the Packers was ugly enough on its own, but the bigger concern is how much it exposed two of the teams most important young players. Drake Maye had one of the roughest outings of his season, throwing three interceptions before being benched, while Christian Gonzalez was picked apart in coverage and gave up a career-high 187 receiving yards. For a team trying to build around its quarterback and its top corner, that kind of setback lands harder than a single bad Sunday.
Mike Vrabel did not hide his disappointment afterward, and he made it clear the standard has to be higher across the board. The Patriots can live with growing pains, but they cannot afford to have foundational pieces unravel at the same time, especially in a game that slipped away so quickly. What happens next with Maye and Gonzalez will matter just as much as the final score, because the franchise needs both players to look like cornerstones, not question marks. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Hit A Frustrating Reality Check In Green Bay
A trip to Green Bay brought a harsh reminder of how quickly things can unravel for a young Patriots team still trying to find its footing. New England fell 45-27, dropped to 5-4, and spent much of the afternoon chasing a game that tilted badly after Drake Maye threw three first-half interceptions, helping the Packers turn those mistakes into 14 points off turnovers.
The defensive problems were just as hard to ignore, with Christian Gonzalez enduring a rough day in coverage and the Patriots failing to create any takeaways of their own. To make matters worse, the injury list grew as Ben Brown, Will Campbell, Carlton Davis, Brenden Schooler and Rhamondre Stevenson all left the game, leaving New England with more questions than answers as it heads into the next stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Tom Bradys Foxborough Return Just Created A Collectible Patriots Moment
Tom Bradys first turn as a broadcaster for a Patriots game in Foxborough on Nov. 8, 2026 came with an extra twist for collectors, as the former quarterback used the moment to help unveil a Topps NOW trading card tied to his return. During the broadcast, Brady signed the card live and held it up for viewers, turning a routine booth appearance into something that instantly felt like a keepsake from a notable day at Gillette Stadium.
The card is available for purchase for a limited time, which fits neatly with Bradys growing presence in the hobby world. He is also a co-owner of CardVault by Tom Brady, the sports card shop franchise that now has 20 locations across the United States, so the Foxborough appearance added another layer to a post-playing career that keeps circling back to memorabilia, nostalgia and the Patriots audience that knows his name best. [Read more 🡒]