Maye Deals vs. Vegas, Jets en-route
The Patriots kept the momentum rolling into week 5 with a 45-17 victory over the Raiders, proving the Bills' win wasn't a fluke. The win improves their record to 3-2 on the year. The now 3-2 Raiders, who were chalked up to be a challenge, failed to put much of a dent in New England's depth pieces on defense. Maye put up arguably the best statistical game of his career with 26/34 Attempts, 399 Total yards, 5 total Touchdowns and averaged 11 yards per attempt, while only being sacked once by a formidable pass rush.
The one sack was impressive for the Pats’ injury riddled offensive line, who lost another starter in LT Will Campbell (MCL Sprain). He is expected to miss 3-4 weeks. First round pick, rookie Caleb Lomu took over in his absence and is expected to stay there until Campbell’s return. While stepping up, he faced Maxx Crosby 1 on 1 for a single rep and won it handily, before Crosby switched to the other edge to rush Morgan Moses. Throughout the rest of the game, Lomu allowed 1 single pressure on 25 pass blocking snaps, which was second best among New England's offensive linemen. On the previous play to Campbell's injury, second year RB TreVeyon Henderson suffered a high ankle sprain on a run. Henderson exited the game, adding to the injury report and is also expected to miss multiple weeks. This leaves Rhamondre Stevenson with the bulk of the run game reliant upon him.
With Mack Hollins and A.J. Brown missing another week with their respective injuries, it left targets out there for young guys trying to get more volume. The receivers include Kyle Williams (3 Rec, 91 Yards, 1 TD), DeMario Douglas (4 Rec, 65 Yards, 2 TDs), and Efton Chism III continuing to make plays, picking up an efficient 5 receptions for 57 yards. To round out the receiving room, both tight ends made an impact. Veteran TE Hunter Henry hauled in 3 receptions for 44 yards and a touchdown, and rookie TE Eli Raridon caught all 5 of his targets for 57 yards.
On the defensive side of the ball, Elijah Ponder and Rookie Gabe Jacas continue to tear it up, with the lack of playing time for Dre’Mont Jones due to his injury struggles. The second-year edge rusher Ponder, has 4.5 sacks thus far, ranking 6th in the NFL. He has recorded at least a half sack in every game besides week 1 vs. Seattle. The second-round pick, Jacas is continuing to carve out a role on defense as he’s logged 1.5 sacks, 9 total tackles and an interception to this point.
The Patriots ‘Laundry List’ of injuries has now racked up the following players of note on IR: LB Harold Landry, OT Marcus Bryant, P Bryce Baringer, G Mike Onwenu, S Dell Pettus, G Greg Van Roten, WR Mack Hollins, and FB Reggie Gilliam. Players also hurt but not on IR include DE Dre’Mont Jones, CB Charles Woods, RB TreVeyon Henderson, and LT Will Campbell. Thankfully for the Patriots, WR A.J. Brown returned to practice this week on Wednesday ahead of New England's matchup with the Jets. The return to practice does not guarantee he will suit up and play, but still a great sign, nonetheless.
The most glaring issue I saw despite the win was the defense’s struggles to contain Raiders TE Brock Bowers. Bowers went for 8 Receptions, 110 Yards and 1 TD in the Raiders loss. Most of the game we had CB Marcus Jones on him, an interesting decision with Bowers being 6’ 4” and 235 lbs. and Jones clocking in at 5’8”, 188 lbs. Many of Bowers catches he seemed to simply overpower the smaller corner. Ahead of week 6, New England fans are hopeful for the return of CB’s Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis, as neither have been placed on IR but both have missed at least one of the last two matchups. On a positive note, Gonzalez, similar to A.J. Brown, returned to practice on Wednesday, trending towards hopefully playing this week.
ADVERTISEMENT
My Take?
This week's game seems to be an easy slam dunk win for the Pats who are on a roll. Whereas the Jets were having struggles; a three-game losing streak before scraping by the Browns in a pitiful 12-17 win last week. The biggest threat to New England will be if RB Breece Hall suits up for the game as he is currently week to week with a quad injury. If Hall plays, then it will add another dynamic to the Jets offense that has been heavily reliant upon the Geno Smith to Garrett Wilson connection.
Offensively for the Patriots, they will have to continue to keep Drake Maye comfortable in the pocket against the Jets' front seven. The unit racked up 8 total sacks vs. The Browns last week, led by rookie David Bailey who took over with 3 sacks, 9 pressures and 7 run stops. As Patriots fans, it's easy to overlook the Jets as we hold a 10-2 record over them since 2020. This Jets team is not as bad as ones in previous history; they competed in close games with the Packers, Lions and Bears 2 of which ended in one score.
According to BetMGM, the Patriots are heavy 7-point favorites over New York ahead of this Week 6 showdown. As I previously mentioned, if the replacement O-line can play up to standard and keep Maye comfortable, New England should have no real issues this week. My score prediction for Jets vs. Patriots is 37-16 in New England's favor. This Pats offense has just begun hitting their strides and if A.J. Brown makes his return this week, it's hard to see this offense trend anywhere but up.
My Record: 1-2
ADVERTISMENT
