The Patriots lost rookie quarterback Drake Maye to a head injury in the first half, but continued to battle in a back-and-forth affair against the New York Jets, eventually pulling off a thrilling, last-second victory, 25-22. Veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett, inserted back into the lineup after Maye went down, led a final 12-play drive that gave New England the comeback victory.
Kayshon Boutte played a key role in the closing minutes, while Rhamondre Stevenson picked up the game-winning touchdown on a pivotal fourth-down play. Things looked bleak for New England when the Jets took a late five-point lead with just over three minutes left, but out of nowhere the 2024 Patriots found their clutch, drove down the field and secured a win in improbable fashion.
Here's how it all went down in Foxborough!
1. Fast Start Redux
The Patriots got off to a strong start for the second week in a row but it wasn't as easy as it was last week's against the Jaguars. Initially, New England went three-and-out on their opening possession and then allowed the Jets a 40-yard punt return that immediately put the Patriots defense in a tough spot.
But like last week, the defense pitched a strong first possession out of the gate despite entering the game for the first time with the ball already on their side of the field. Good tackling on a dump-off pass and a Breece Hall run got them to third down and then defensive coordinator Demarus Covington flashed an aggressive zero blitz look that helped force an Aaron Rodgers incompletion and ended the possession. It was a three-and-out that matched the Patriots and gave New England a second possession with the score still tied at zero.
That's when Drake Maye and the offense started to find a stride, with Maye needing to convert just one third down on the way to the end zone. Maye hit Hunter Henry for that one third-down conversion and got some help from Rhamondre Stevenson's hard running despite limited space.
But it was Maye who did the most damage with his legs, first rushing for 11 yards and then finishing the drive off with a 17-yard touchdown run as he escaped the pocket and beat a lone Jets defender to the end zone for the game's first score.
Maye and the offense looked balanced and the rookie showed the Jets what a threat he can be with his legs. It's a new twist to New England's offense that they hadn't quite seen before.
2. Jets Take Over as Maye Exits
The game continued to follow a similar script as last week, as two third-down pass interference calls helped pave the way for the first Jets score. It was a six-play, 70-yard drive with 35 yards, half the drive's total, coming via the two penalties, one on Christian Gonzalez and one on Christian Elliss.
Breece Hall had two nice back-to-back gains of nine yards and 16 yards but the Jets also had a fumbled snap that burned one of their red zone snaps. Tight end Tyler Conklin caught Rodgers touchdown throw but the Jets missed the extra point, making it 7-6 Patriots late in the first quarter.
Drake Maye sustained a hard hit on the Patriots ensuing possession, part of a three-and-out that ended with the punt getting tipped. Special teams didn't do much to help matters as the momentum swung steadily toward New York. They allowed a 40-yard return then followed that up with a net 24-yard punt as New York controlled the early field position battle.
The Jets responded with a seven-play, 59-yard touchdown drive. A 27-yard pass to Garrett Wilson stood out as the biggest play of the possession and that set New York up for a one-yard touchdown throw that handed them their first lead of the game, 13-7.
Meanwhile, Maye headed to the locker room with a head injury and would be ruled out for the second half. Jacoby Brissett took over for the offense but neither team would put a drive together for their last two possessions of the half, trading punts as New England's defense stemmed the tide, forcing a late punt and keeping it a six-point Jets lead at the break.
3. Second Half Spark
Maye was downgraded to out at the start of the second half, but the Patriots didn't allow it to get them down as the defense quickly delivered an initial three-and-out, and then Marcus Jones exploded up the sideline on the ensuing punt return for 62 yards.
Just like that the Pats were set up at the Jets 26-yard line and they wouldn't allow the opportunity to pass them by with Brissett completing passes to Kayshon Boutte (eight yards) and Stevenson (14 yards keeping the drive alive before Stevenson finished things off with a three-yard touchdown run.
The start of the second half was just the kind of complementary football the Patriots needed. A stop from the defense, a big play from special teams and clutch red zone play by the offense gave New England back a 14-13 lead.
The Jets quickly bounced back with a seven-play, 59-yard field goal drive. Garrett Wilson continued his big day with a 35-yard reception over Marcus Jones which was the biggest play of the possession. That catch put Wilson at 88 receiving yards as he played a key role.
The Pats defense stiffened inside the red zone, getting a key third down stop thanks to nice pass defense on Christian Gonzalez covering Davante Adams on a slant. The defense continued to compete into the second half, keeping it a one-score game by forcing two punts and getting a red zone stop on the Jets first three possessions of the third quarter.
The Jet reclaimed a 16-14 lead midway through the third quarter and the game stayed that way into the fourth quarter.
4. Back and Forth Continues
The Patriots defense chipped in another red zone stop early in the fourth quarter, thanks to a Christian Elliss sack that ended another threatening drive. Jets kicker Greg Zuerlein then added a missed field goal to his missed extra point, keeping the score at 16-14. The Patriots defense bent a bit in the second half, but allowed only three points on the first four Jets possessions.
The offense caught fire from the spark provided by the defense, stringing together another scoring drive while converting two third-and-longs along the way. The first went to Hunter Henry as the Jets sent a blitz and left Henry uncovered to pick up a first down, then Brissett found Tyquan Thornton on a crossing route to pick up another inside the Jets red zone.
Unfortunately, the drive would stall out just a few yards from the end zone and the Patriots would be forced to settle for a field goal that handed them back a 17-16 lead halfway through the fourth quarter. Still, it was an impressive 14-play, 61-yard scoring drive that came at a critical time and put the pressure back on the Jets offense.
But the Jets wouldn't blink from that added pressure, putting together their first touchdown drive since the first half with Rodgers connecting with Wilson and Adams on big plays that took them down the field with relative ease in crunch time.
The two-yard Breece Hall touchdown made it 22-17 with just under three minutes to play as the Jets failed to get the two-point conversion. It was a 10-play, 70-yard drive that took up 4:37 of clock.
5. It All Comes Down to One Fourth Down
Down one point and needing an improbable drive, the Patriots put together that improbable clutch drive but it wasn't easy. Kayshon Boutte played a key role on the drive with a 34-yard pass reception on a third down playa and nearly scored on another third down but was tackled at the one-yard line. That set up an all-or-nothing fourth down play and Rhamondre Stevenson powered his way in for the game-winning touchdown.
Few expected Jacoby Brissett to lead the team down the field for a game-winning touchdown but that's exactly what Brissett did, giving the Pats a thrilling comeback win thanks to a 12-play, 70-yard drive with the game on the line. Even without Drake Maye, the team was able to get their elusive second victory of the season, while leaving a 2-6 Jets team to figure out where they go from here.
Next up for the Patriots will be a trip to Nashville to take on the one-win Titans.
DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer
