As fans, we now have higher expectations of the Patriots.  Not blowing the doors off the NY Jets may seem like a disappointment, but given the fact that it was a short week to recover and plan for the Jets, the Patriots did very well. 

Here’s what Mike Vrabel after the New England Patriots beat the New York Jets on Thursday night at Gillette Stadium:

Now you have to be convinced beyond a doubt that the good times have returned to Gillette Stadium. The Patriots beat the Jets, covered the spread, dominated the AFC East cellar dwellers, and you are perhaps more disappointed than elated.

The Patriots take on the NY Jets in a short week with a Thursday Night game at Gillette.  This is their NFL Rivalry Game in which they will wear their new “Noreaster” jerseys and white helmets with the Flying Elvis.

Some NFL thoughts after the Patriots finished out the week with their seventh straight win.

TreVeyon Henderson accounted for 147 of the 166 rushing yards and showcased the explosiveness that we’ve been waiting to see.

It looks like former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski will officially close out his NFL career in a Patriots uniform.

One of the biggest discussions during the New England Patriots’ winning streak has centered around the fact that before anyone can make a real evaluation on this football team, we needed to see how they fared against a better opponent.

It was a very gutsy call by Vrabel, who simply said, “we wanted to end the half with the ball in our hands,” to the CBS broadcast crew.

The Patriots are contenders!  They went into Tampa Bay, who were playing at home, on natural turf, had their bye week and two weeks to prepare for the Patriots, played in the heat (and rain) and the Patriots still beat them.

The Patriots went down to Tampa Bay and shocked Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers, 28-23 on Sunday afternoon at Raymond James Stadium. The Patriots are now 8-2 and haven’t lost since the turnover stink-fest against Pittsburgh. With Buffalo losing at Miami, the Patriots effectively have a two-game lead over the Bills in the AFC East with one more meeting in Foxborough on tap in December.

And you’ve seen them force a lot of turnovers, especially on 3rd down, when QBs are making quick decisions, that they make the wrong decision.

The Bucs, in their last three games, notched 15 sacks, and the team is +7 in the turnover department. That should give you pause this week.

This week will be the biggest test for the young upstart Patriots this season.  Are they Contenders or Pretenders?

Maye’s numbers, 19-29 for 252 with two TDs and one interception for a 102.5 passer rating, are fine. However, there were missed opportunities

Will Campbell has the #5 Grade of all rookies in this draft and the top rookie Offensive lineman grade. 

Cam Little of Jacksonville extended the NFL’s longest field goal record on Sunday. The previous record of 66 was held by Justin Tucker of Baltimore. He hit the 68-yarder just before halftime, which is when a lot of mega-kicks are attempted.

“we’re going to learn from winning …about taking care of the ball and complementary football and how quickly things can change,” Vrabel said

This game was sloppy. The Atlanta Falcons perform better with Michael Penix and Drake London, but John Parker-Romo’s missed extra point cost them the win.

“Obviously, Bijan [Robinson] is a focal point for what they’re going to do. He’s an excellent player, I compared him to Marshall Faulk”

Penix has a very good arm and can attack the area outside the numbers. But he’s struggled to use the middle of the field.

We only see the Falcons once every 8 years, so we are not very familiar with this foe.  What kind of Front Office signs an aging veteran QB to a 4-year $100 million contract in the Spring before the Draft and then turns around and drafts a QB in the 1st Round #8 overall?  

In the second half, Maye added a perfect passer rating of 158.3, going 8-8, 114 yards, three touchdowns, and 34 yards on the ground. 

The Patriots passed the test!  Drake Maye was facing the #1 defense in the league.  It didn’t matter.  Maye not only is a top ten QB in the league, but he is in serious contention for MVP.  This Brown’s defense was legitimate, and he shredded them in the second half.  All he did was go 8 for 8 and a perfect 158.3 passer rating and 3 TDs. 

Some random takeaways from the Patriots and the NFL coming off another busy Week 8