The Jets are heading into Week 6 with a quarterback test that looks a little different than the ones they’ve seen so far this season.
New York’s early schedule hasn’t exactly been packed with elite passer after elite passer. Jordan Love and Jared Goff stand out as the toughest names on the list to this point, but the real challenge may arrive in Foxborough, Massachusetts, when the Jets meet Drake Maye and the New England Patriots.
That matchup would have looked even more intimidating a year ago. In 2025, Maye put together a season that made him one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in football. He completed 72% of his throws and finished with 31 touchdowns against just eight interceptions, then ended up second in MVP voting behind Matthew Stafford.
This season has been far less clean. Maye’s start was rocky, though he has settled in some over the last few weeks.
Through the early part of 2026, he has completed 65.6% of his passes with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions. He has not looked like the exact same quarterback from last year’s Super Bowl run, but the Jets are not treating him like a slump-prone throw-in.
Aaron Glenn made that clear when asked about the Patriots quarterback.
"Well, I go back to last year... Obviously, he was up for the MVP...
And he's had some - a couple of games where he didn't play as well... At some point, guys are going to go back to exactly who they are.
You know, they will never stay in that rut for long, especially guys of his magnitude. So, it's something that we have to watch out for."
Glenn has reason to take the warning seriously. Last season, New England handled the Jets with ease in both AFC East meetings, winning by a combined 69-24.
There is one important wrinkle: those games came with Justin Fields and Brady Cook starting at quarterback for New York. The 2026 Jets, by comparison, look like they bring more fight than that group did a year ago.
Even so, this feels like a defining spot for Glenn early in his run as Jets head coach. A road win over a division rival like the Patriots would matter, and it would do a lot to cool off some of the frustration around the team.
In Other News...
Jon Gruden Just Validated What Jets Fans Hoped About This Defense
Jon Grudens breakdown of the Jets Week 5 defense against Cleveland offered a little outside validation for what the team has been trying to build. He pointed to the way New York mixed and matched its pass-rush looks, leaning into pressure and coverage wrinkles that gave the Browns trouble, and the tape backed up the sense that this group can be more than just physical up front. David Bailey was the headliner, finishing with three sacks and earning Defensive Player of the Week, a solid sign that the Jets may have found a real disruptive edge on that side of the ball.
The challenge now is whether they can keep that same rhythm intact with the next opponent looming. Injuries are already testing the depth of the pass rush, and the Patriots are the kind of divisional matchup that can expose any weakness if the front seven isnt at full strength. For a Jets defense that finally drew a national nod for its creativity and impact, the bigger question is whether the pressure package can keep humming once the rotation gets thinner. [Read more 🡒]
Jets May Have Found Garrett Wilson The Help He Needed
The Jets have spent this season looking more competitive under Aaron Glenn, with Geno Smith taking care of the ball and Garrett Wilson carrying much of the offensive load. For a team that has needed more help around its top target, the emergence of Isaiah Williams has been one of the quieter developments worth watching.
Williams, an undrafted free agent, has started to carve out a real place in the offense with 11 catches for 151 yards and a touchdown. He is not officially the No. 2 option yet, but his usage has been trending in the right direction, and if that keeps up, the Jets may have found another receiver who can take some pressure off Wilson and give the passing game a little more balance. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Just Got One More Problem For This Patriots Matchup
The Patriots are about to get a little more dangerous at exactly the wrong time for the Jets. A.J. Brown is expected to be back in the lineup for Week 6 after opening the year on injured reserve, giving New England another weapon as it heads into a matchup that already carried plenty of weight for both sides.
Browns return comes after the Patriots managed to sharpen their offense in recent games without him, which only raises the intrigue around how theyll look with another key piece available. For a Jets defense trying to sort through a divisional test, the prospect of facing a healthier New England attack adds one more layer to a game that already had no shortage of pressure attached. [Read more 🡒]