Patriots Week 17 Report Card in 42-10 Rout Of The Jets

The Patriots not only curb-stomped the archrival Jets, but then, on their way home from New Jersey, saw the Bills lose to the Eagles, which secured them the AFC East divisional crown for the first time since 2019.

So, it was a great Sunday for the Patriots all the way around. The Jets won the opening toss and elected to kick off. The Patriots took the opening kick and went down the field with ease, going 61 yards in seven plays.

It was the theme of the game while Drake Maye and the Patriots’ starters were on the field. Maye began six drives, and all six ended in touchdowns, with Maye tossing touchdowns on five of them to five different receivers.

The Jets were powerless to respond, and this one was 35-3 at the half. The only question was how long Maye would play, and that turned out to be just one series in the third quarter, where Maye threw for another TD, putting the Patriots up 42-3.

With the Patriots emptying their bench in the 4th quarter, the Jets rolled up more yardage than they did through three quarters. So, don’t let the final stats fool you. It had the feel of a preseason game for the Patriots. This was pure domination.

So, as we always do, let’s break it down by position

Quarterback: A

Maye was cool, calm, collected, and in control from the opening snap in this one. He sliced and diced the Jets’ secondary with ease, almost like a 7-on-7 practice in training camp. It was beyond impressive to watch.

Maye completed 19-21 passes for 256 yards (12.2-yard average) with five touchdown passes for a passer rating of 157.0. And one of his two incompletions on the day was a drop by Kyle Williams.

We’re not going to go overboard, because…it was the Jets; however, Maye did nothing to hurt his candidacy for the MVP this week.

Running Backs: A-

Rhamondre Stevenson has been terrific the past three weeks and had another outstanding performance on Sunday with 102 yards from scrimmage on 13 touches. Stevenson had 47 yards rushing with a touchdown on eight carries (5.9-yard average) and added 55 yards on five receptions, including a 22-yard touchdown pass from Maye.

TreVeyon Henderson had a solid game, grinding out 82 yards on 19 carries for a 4.3-yard average. What was impressive was that he had runs of 17 and 16 yards where most of the yardage came after contact, and he pushed the pile down the field, showcasing some good power to go along with his elusiveness.

D’Ernest Johnson got in a few snaps on offense and returned three kickoffs.

Wide Receivers: A-

Stefon Diggs elevated everyone around him on Sunday. On a day where the Patriots were without Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins and with Demario Douglas playing with a hurt hamstring, Diggs and the rookies picked up their slack.

Diggs, for the second game in a row, went over 100 yards receiving, hauling in six passes for 101 yards and a touchdown. His 31-yard catch down the right sideline when Maye was flushed out of the pocket will be a highlight reel favorite for a long time.

Diggs toasted the Jets secondary on crossers for 26 and 21 yards, and got a nice first down on the old McDaniels’ “HOSS-Juke” staple. He also scored on the goalline with the same screen we saw from Danny Amendola in the Super Bowl against the Falcons.

WR Efton Chism III had his first NFL catch and first NFL touchdown while getting his first significant snaps this year. Chism’s first-career catch was an impressive 30-yarder where he identified all-out pressure and beat his coverage. He also had a nice sliding catch in the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown.

Kyle Williams had three catches for 20 yards, while Pop Douglas, in limited snaps, had one catch for 10 more.

Tight Ends: B+

Hunter Henry had an impressive game, displaying some solid run blocking and hauling in three catches for 49 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown. His final snap of the day was a 23-yard catch, his 55th of the season, which triggered some bonus cash for him.

Austin Hooper played more than he has recently due to Hollins going on IR and had a nice touchdown catch from Maye, but was hit-or-miss in run blocking.

Offensive Line: B+

This was an impressive game for the offensive line, as the Patriots’ running game churned out 155 yards on the ground. That number may have been higher if the starters remained in.

The Patriots rolled to 440 yards of offense and 7.1 yards per play. The pass protection was mostly good; the Jets were able to bring some pressure, but it didn’t affect Maye’s ability to make plays.

The only downer was the failure on a couple of short-yardage runs, something that has been a consistent issue all season, and needs improvement once the playoffs start.

Defensive Line: B

Don’t fall into the trap of looking at the stats, where the Jets ran for 164 yards on Sunday. Most of that, including Breece Hall’s 59-yard touchdown run, was against the Patriots’ backups. The Jets had 127 yards of offense through three quarters. In the fourth, they generated 180 against the backups, 104 of those on the ground.

Now, if you’re going to say (and it is true) that they may need their backups in the playoffs, that is a legitimate argument. But the defense held them to three points until garbage time.

I’ve been a big Anfernee Jennings guy since he was drafted. He did a bang-up job in the running game and once again, kicked inside for some snaps on the interior. Which, for a 255-pound edge player, is impressive. K’Lavon Chaisson had another solid game as well.

Elijah Ponder, Cory Durden, and Christian Barmore all had some good work inside.

Linebackers: B

Jack Gibbens, filling in for Robert Spillane, had a really nice play, avoiding a pick play and stuffing Hall for a loss on a third-and-eight screen pass. He added a run stuff and pressure on a blitz.

Jahlani Tavai had six tackles and two TFLs. Christian Elliss had five tackles.

Secondary: A-

The Patriots’ cornerbacks had an excellent game. Christian Gonzalez was matched up with the speedy Adonai Mitchell and held him to 0-5 when targeted. One of those passes was intercepted by Jaylinn Hawkins who read Brady Cook all the way, and made an excellent play to come over and snag the ball along the sideline.

Carlton Davis had a stop on a third-and-eight where he tackled the receiver two yards short of the sticks. Rookie safety Craig Woodson was not targeted but has been solid all season.

Special Teams: C+

The Patriots’ Special Teams knew the Jets were going to fake the punt at midfield, and even had three starting members of the defense on the field. But Brendan Schooler was slow to react, and it cost them a first down.

Later in the same drive, the Jets went for it again, but this time it was stuffed. Andy Borregales rang a field goal attempt off the upright. But he made all six extra points. Bryce Barringer averaged 46.5 yards net on his two punts.

D’Ernest Johnson got things started right with a 32-yard kickoff return. The coverage units were solid.

Coaches: A

Mike Vrabel and the coaching staff kept the Patriots on point, which could have been an issue after a big comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens last Sunday night. The team was focused and approached the game as a playoff matchup.

Josh McDaniels called a strong game, where they kept the short-handed Jets’ defense flummoxed. They scored six straight touchdowns.

They will need to keep it going on Sunday afternoon at 4:25 when they finish off the regular season with a chance still for the #1 seed.

We’re on to Miami, and the resurgent Dolphins, at Gillette Stadium.

Follow me on Twitter @SteveB7SFG or email me at [email protected].

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About Steve Balestrieri

A former US Army Special Forces NCO and Officer, Steve has been following the Patriots since their days at Fenway Park. Steve has worked in the film industry and wrote as an Military Editor at SpecialOperations.com, 1945.com as a reporter for the Millbury Daily Voice, Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, and the Grafton News. He's also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA)

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Tags: AFC East Buffalo Bills Christian Gonzalez Drake Maye Efton Chism III Hunter Henry Josh McDaniels Miami Dolphins Mike Vrabel New England Patriots New York Jets playoffs Rhamondre Stevenson Special Teams Stefon Diggs

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JimK

5 months ago

Baremore legal issue is in essense old news. From Aug 8th. Pats/Vrabel knew. Shouldn’t impact the team in the short term. Just news for the Boston media to “explore”. You’ll next here about this and Diggs in the off-season. Assuming BUF beats the JETS at home, the Pats are going to play the Chargers. Their O-line has been a mess all year. 56 sacks and Herbert has been beat up. Both tackles went out for season early on, and there’s been several players swapped in/out with not any solid solution. The interior guards & center positoins havn’t been good in… Read more »