The New England Patriots Week 6 game ends in a 26-19 victory over the New York Jets, but their performance was less than desirable. After taking a 17-3 lead into halftime, the Patriots left the door open by missing opportunities and committing poorly timed turnovers. On top of that, the injury bug continues to bite, as the team lost key players on both sides of the ball. Nevertheless, the organization improved to 4-2, and here’s how they performed.
Although the Patriots’ offense scored enough points to win the game, they wasted some opportunities to put the game away. Drake Maye led the unit well, but the players surrounding him couldn’t take advantage of solid chances and showed issues with ball security. Maye completed 18-of-32 passes for 235 yards and 3 touchdowns. More importantly, he played turnover-free for his second week in a row.
Maye showed patience and was calm in the pocket, which he had issues with earlier in the season. Specifically, in Week 1, he threw three interceptions by taking forcing to many throws while playing with the lead. Since then, he has been more composed and looks for better opportunities.
“I feel like I’ve got time [in the pocket] and get a little bit antsy in there,” said Maye. “I feel like times last year I moved out of the pocket. I had clean pockets a lot of times and was trying to make plays on the move. I’ve had time in there and the past two weeks we had plays when I sat in there and kept my eyes downfield”.
Beyond Maye, New England saw an improvement in the running game. Though they struggled in the first half, they managed to get the ground game moving in the second half. Surprisingly, Corey Kiner was their leading rusher, as he gathered 57 yards on 11 carries, all of which took place in the fourth quarter. In Week 6, the Patriots ran for 148 yards on 36 carries.
New England’s offensive line was steadily in pass protection against a tough Jets’ pass rush. Following an eight-sack performance against the Cleveland Browns last week, they were held sackless by the Patriots’ O-line. There were questions about Will Campbell’s health entering this game, but he battled through his injury this week and only allowed one pressure.
The Patriots’ biggest issues on offense were their lack of ball security, which surfaced in the second half. After New York scored a touchdown to close the deficit to seven, TreVeyon Henderson fumbled when David Bailey ripped the ball out, giving the Jets in excellent field position. Two drives later, DeMario Douglas caught a 39-yard pass but had the ball punched out from behind, which led to the opposition getting the ball near midfield. These turnovers blew New England’s chances to put the game out of reach, as their opponent scored two field goals following the takeaways.
“We just didn’t play very well. We tried to beat ourselves,” said Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel. “We made enough plays in critical situation to help us get through here”.
The New England defense had an uncharacteristic performance in Week 6. They allowed Geno Smith to lead the New York offense down the field, totaling 324 yards as a team. Though the defense was marched upfield, they managed to get timely stops on third and fourth down. The Patriots forced poor late-down efficiency, as the Jets went 3-10 on third down and 0-2 on fourth down.
The Patriots’ run defense was shaky in the first half but made big stops when needed. They allowed Braelon Allen to gain 78 yards on 17 carries, but Robert Spillane stopped him for no gain on fourth down to get the defense off the field. Then, on the Jets’ next possession, Gabe Jacas stuffed a Smith QB sneak on fourth down to end another drive.
“My job is to tackle the ball short of the line,” said Spillane. “Our D-line did a great job occupying all of the gaps, which leaves it a one-on-one tackle with the back, and we were able to get off the field. Those plays are huge for us, and I’m just proud of the defense how we just stayed together”.
New England’s secondary delivered in critical moments as well. Though Smith completed 20-of-30 passes for 252 yards and a touchdown, Charles Woods intercepted a ball in the fourth quarter on a potential scoring drive. Christian Gonzalez was also solid in pass coverage in his return to action, as he helped limit Garrett Wilson to just 44 yards on 4 receptions.
“It was good to be able to get back out there and get my feet under me,” said Gonzalez.
Though the Patriots’ defensive line struggled at times, they pressured Smith in key moments. Elijah Ponder recorded two total tackles, with a sack and a tackle for loss. The interior duo of Milton Williams and Christian Barmore combined for three QB hits, a sack, and two tackles for loss.
In his highly anticipated return, A.J. Brown’s performance was disappointing as he seemingly lacked chemistry with Maye. Though Brown was targeted more than any other Patriots player, he only finished with 27 yards on 3 receptions. At times, he looked to either track the ball poorly or have issues with concentration, as he dropped several open passes.
Brown’s struggles were highlighted early in the second quarter. He ran a go route and even created separation, but the ball went straight past his hands. This was one of New England’s biggest missed opportunities, as the drive would end in a punt.
Following this miss, Brown would drop an open pass on a short slant route and fail to come down with a potential touchdown grab. These missed opportunities are concerning, as he was brought in to be the Patriots’ WR1. Though his performance was underwhelming, it is likely that his timing with Maye was simply off and that this issue will fade as the season goes on.
“There’s no excuses,” said Brown. “I stacked my guy; I should have made the play. I beat my guy on third down; I should have made the play”.
Throughout the season, New England has lost many players to injury, and that theme continued in Week 6. Following a 46-yard touchdown grab, Romeo Doubs exited the game in the first quarter and did not return. With Mack Hollins already on IR, this left the Patriots thin at WR yet again.
The New England offensive line was devastated by injuries against the Jets. Alijah Vera-Tucker, Morgan Moses, and Ben Brown all left the game with various injuries. This forced the Patriots to use all of their available O-linemen, as Walter Rouse and Matt Pryor had to step in at guard.
The injuries affected the defense as well. Late in the game, Dre’Mont Jones also went down with an injury. New England’s depth has been tested all season, but Vrabel believes that they can continue to get players ready to step into bigger roles.
“You never know what’s going to happen in this league, and we talk about it all the time, preparing for the journey,” said Vrabel. “When guys get their chance, they go in there and perform. I hate that we don’t have the guys. I hate when guys get injured, but I also understand that on the other side of that there is an opportunity”.
Though the Patriots earned a win in Week 6, their performance was undesirable. Their offense missed multiple opportunities to put the game away by turning the ball over and failing to connect on big plays. Meanwhile, the defense made crucial stops but gave up significant yardage. With New England facing the Chicago Bears on Thursday, they have limited time to heal and address these issues before the game.
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