FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The Patriots were prepared to give coach Mike Vrabel time to establish a new culture for a team that had won just four games in each of the last two seasons.
He already has New England sitting atop the league in his first year.
Rookie TreVeyon Henderson rushed for two touchdowns and made a TD catch to help Drake Maye and the Patriots win their eighth straight game, 27-14 over the New York Jets on Thursday night.
“No one feels outmatched. We’re never going to feel like an underdog,” linebacker Robert Spillane said. “We’re going to continue to play team defense, team offense, team football and just let the chips fall where they may. … We know the real season is ahead of us.”
The Patriots (9-2) matched their longest streak since Tom Brady’s final season with the team in 2019, when they won their first eight. The Patriots’ 3-0 record in AFC East games is their best start in the division since 2019 (5-0).
Pending this weekend’s games, New England has the best record in the NFL; Indianapolis and Denver are 8-2. And the Patriots will have a winning season for the first time since 2021, when they last made the playoffs.
“It’s a journey,” Henderson said. “The NFL comes with a lot of highs and lows. I think the biggest thing is just the preparation going into the week, with the reps that we have just trying to take advantage of them.”
With Rhamondre Stevenson out for the third straight game with a toe injury, Henderson logged a career-high 19 rushing attempts, totaling 62 yards. His two TD runs matched his total from Sunday’s win over Tampa Bay.
“Don’t fix it if it ain’t broke,” Maye said. “He wants to be great.”
Maye was solid, completing 25 of 34 passes for 281 yards and a TD. Stefon Diggs had nine catches for 105 yards, his third 100-yard game of the season.
The Patriots thrived in damp and chilly conditions with temperatures that dipped into the high 30s Fahrenheit, compiling 336 total yards while holding the Jets to 245.
New York’s Justin Fields threw a touchdown pass to John Metchie III but was otherwise ineffective through the air, going 15 of 26 for 116 yards. He was the Jets’ leading rusher with 67 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. Fields’ top receiver, Garrett Wilson, was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury earlier Thursday.
“You kind of just have to roll with it and deal with it. You can’t look at your circumstances. Just got to go out there and play,” Fields said. “It’s tough, but at the end of the day you can’t complain about it. It’s the circumstances we’re in right now.”
Jets coach Aaron Glenn said the team shouldn’t have to rely on Fields to run the ball so often.
“Can’t put Justin in a situation where that’s a running back and I think we all know that because we will put him in harm’s way,” Glenn said. “I thought he put some balls out there. We got to have some guys that make some plays for him, too.”
Trailing 27-14 with just over two minutes to play, the Jets (2-8) had a fourth-and-4 on the New England 15, but Fields’ pass to tight end Jeremy Ruckert was broken up.
The Jets won the pregame coin toss and took the ball, marching 72 yards over 14 plays and taking a 7-0 lead on Fields’ 5-yard TD rush. It was the Jets’ first opening-drive TD since Week 16 of last season.
The Patriots responded with a 69-yard drive and a 7-yard touchdown run by Henderson. The 13-play march included a fourth-down pass from Maye to DeMario Douglas.
After a New York punt, Henderson ran for his second TD, also from 7 yards out. He dragged multiple defenders into the end zone to put New England in front 14-7.
Penalties, ill-time mistakes and poor production out of the passing game again stymied the Jets.
They had a chance to get the ball back late in the half, but had a sack nullified by an illegal contact call. On the next play, cornerback Qwan’tez Stiggers collided with safety Tony Adams, knocking a would-be interception from his hands.
Fields completed just four passes for 23 yards in the first half.
Injuries
Jets: Stiggers exited with a hamstring injury after the collision with Adams late in the second quarter.
Patriots: DT Milton Williams left in the first quarter with an ankle injury and did not return.
Up next
Jets: Visit Baltimore on Nov. 23.
Patriots: Visit Cincinnati on Nov. 23.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL
