Heading into Drake Maye’s second season, much of the discussion centered on one big problem the former North Carolina quarterback couldn’t seem to shake.

With the Patriots sitting at 9-2, along with already having lost a head-to-head battle at home against them last month, the Bills faced off against the Texans on the road, needing to try and keep pace against their Division rivals.

The Patriots opened as 8.5-point favorites, and then Ja’Marr Chase was suspended for the game.  In addition, starting cornerback Cam Taylor-Brit needs Lisfranc surgery and will also be out.  Joe Burrow is not expected to be ready for Sunday’s game, and Trey Hendrickson is probably out as well.

The Bengals defense ranks last in DVOA, points allowed, yards allowed, and EPA – 32nd in the NFL in all major categories

Hallelujah. The war between Disney and YouTube TV has finally come to a ceasefire.

Craig Woodson is playing nearly all the defensive snaps is ranked 51st, but he is the #4 Safety amongst all rookies. 

Coming into Thursday night’s game against New York, Drake Maye had quietly had a tough stretch when it came to his play in the first quarter in recent weeks.

TreVeyon Henderson had two touchdowns Sunday, and topped that off with three more tonight, two seven-yard runs and a six-yard pass reception. 

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.