The Patriots head into Sunday with more than just a division game on the line in the backdrop. Drake Maye has already steadied himself after those early-season bumps, and the bigger question now is what this team looks like when the injuries finally stop piling up. For the moment, though, there’s a clear takeaway: the Patriots have the right people steering the ship.
Maye’s turnaround has been fast, and that matters. Just three weeks ago, after the 35-6 loss to the Jaguars in Week 3, it was fair to wonder how long it might take before he got back to looking like the quarterback who finished second in the 2025 Most Valuable Player balloting in his first full season as starter.
The answer, it turns out, was not very long. His recovery speaks to his own resilience and mental toughness, and it also points to a coaching staff that kept his issues from spiraling.
There’s still plenty to sort out by season’s end, especially with injuries shaping the picture. But the Patriots’ leadership is not in doubt.
One place to start Sunday is with Rhamondre Stevenson, who keeps pushing deeper into franchise territory. In his sixth season and 75 regular-season games into his career, Stevenson already belongs in the conversation with the most accomplished running backs in Patriots history, even if he doesn’t always get treated that way.
The fumbles have shadowed him at times, and they’ve sent him near the dog house more than once. Still, he was a key part of the blowout of the Raiders, finishing with 85 scrimmage yards and a touchdown, and now he’s got a couple milestones within reach.
Stevenson needs 104 rushing yards to join Sam Cunningham (5,453), Jim Nance (5,323), and Tony Collins (4,647) as the only Patriots to reach 4,000 rushing yards with the team. He also needs two rushing touchdowns to tie Collins and Curtis Martin for sixth place in franchise history with 32. He’s hit 100 rushing yards and two touchdowns three times before, so the possibility is very much there.
On the other side, the Jets have a young pass rusher who already made his presence felt last week. David Bailey, the No. 2 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, had three of the Jets’ eight sacks in their 17-12 win over the Browns.
He’s now up to five more sacks than Vernon Gholston, the former first-round pick whose career never came close to matching the billing, through 45 career games. Bailey, listed at 6-foot-3 and 251 pounds, will have his work cut out for him if he’s expected to make life miserable for Maye and a Patriots offensive line that might be without left tackle Will Campbell.
That matchup matters because Maye was sharp when the Raiders couldn’t get to him. When he had a clean pocket, he put together a perfect 158.3 quarterback rating. That’s exactly the kind of opening the Jets will try to eliminate.
The Patriots should also welcome back Christian Gonzalez at cornerback. Before the Raiders game, things were getting awfully thin there.
Gonzalez and Carlton Davis were out, and so were backups Karon Prunty and Channing Canada. That forced the Patriots to lean on Marcus Jones, Charles Woods and practice-squad promotee Kindle Vildor, and all three held up well enough to get the job done.
Even so, Gonzalez changes the equation. He missed the last two games with a shoulder injury, and getting him back against a Jets passing game that clearly leans on Garrett Wilson gives the Patriots a major boost.
Wilson has 31 catches on 42 targets for 374 yards and three touchdowns, and he accounted for 104 of the Jets’ 182 receiving yards against the Browns.
When Gonzalez is on the field, he can take away an opponent’s top option, which should help a Patriots pass rush that has been coming on.
There’s also the weekly nuisance of Romeo Doubs, whose reputation as a contested-catch threat keeps getting undercut by drops. He has been charged with four this season, including the one that changed the tone of the opener against the Seahawks.
The talent is there, and his role should make more sense once A.J. Brown is back in the huddle, but the Patriots could certainly do without the hand issues at the worst possible moments.
And then there’s the old wound from 2010, when the Patriots fell 28-21 to the Jets in the division round. That game remains one of the most painful missed chances of the dynasty years that didn’t involve a Manning brother. It’s also hard to believe, all these years later, that the Jets still haven’t been back to the playoffs since.
If there’s a swing player in the Patriots passing game Sunday, look to rookie tight end Eli Raridon. He may not stay in Hunter Henry’s shadow for long, and the idea here is that he could put himself in position to become the Patriots’ best tight end before too long. Put him down for a touchdown, maybe even two.
Patriots 31, Jets 15.
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