Henderson shines as Patriots top Jets to earn best record in NFL

Foxborough, Mass.– new England Patriots rookie running back traveyon henderson Made the most of his opportunity, filling in for the injured starter Ramondre StevensonWho has missed the last three matches due to a toe injury. Henderson’s two touchdown runs and one receiving touchdown helped the Patriots win 27-14 Above New York Jets Thursday night, questions arose about whether Stevenson could play a bigger role when he returns.

With the win, the Patriots improved to 9–2, the best record in the NFL, and earned their eighth consecutive win.

Henderson became the second rookie in Patriots history to have multiple rushing touchdowns in consecutive games, joining Curtis Martin, who had a three-game streak and a two-game streak in 1995.

Henderson also became the first rookie in Patriots history with five touchdowns in a two-game span. He is the third rookie in Patriots history with three touchdowns in a game (including playoffs), joining tight end Rob Gronkowski (2010) and running back Sony Michel (2018).

Henderson, Ohio State’s 38th player, has more than doubled his playing time over the last three weeks with Stevenson out. Henderson played 51 snaps in each of the two games through Thursday night, and, once again, he played the majority of the snaps in the win over the Jets.

Here are the most important things to know from Thursday night for both teams:

What is meant by QB performance: drake may Quickly got into rhythm and completed his first 11 passes, the longest since starting a game in his career. Mays, who was in complete command, was effective against the blitz, completing 5 of 5 passes for 41 yards and 3 first downs in the first half. Mayes entered the game completing 69.1% of his passes against the blitz, ranking third in the NFL. He finished the game 25 of 34 for 281 yards and one touchdown. He was dismissed only once.

Viewing Trends: The Patriots’ defense gave up an opening-drive touchdown for the sixth time this season, most in the NFL. In practice, coach Mike Vrabel has asked assistant coach Ben McAdoo to prepare an offensive script, as if he were the opposing offensive coordinator attempting to prepare the defense for the opening drive in games. But the defense is not consistently producing the desired results.

Statistics to know: The last time the Patriots won eight consecutive games was in 2019, when they opened the season 8-0. –Mike Rees

Next game: But cincinnati bengals (1 p.m. ET, Nov. 23)

With a war chest of premium draft picks, the Jets could find their quarterback of the future in 2026 or 2027. Or so they hope. Meanwhile, they face seven more games Justin FieldsOr tyrod taylor,

does it matter?

Coach Aaron Glenn’s quarterback game, where he refuses to name his starter until game day each week, can’t hide the obvious: Week after week, the Jets’ passing attack is non-competitive.

playing without a wide receiver Garrett WilsonFields, placed on injured reserve Thursday with a knee injury, passed for just 116 yards on 15-25 efficiency. He dropped his fifth game with less than 100 passing yards due to a late completion in garbage time. You can’t win in the NFL by completing only three passes longer than 9 air yards, and the Patriots softened their coverage late in the game.

The Jets looked great on their opening possession, a run-heavy drive that drove 72 yards for a touchdown, but they went cold for long stretches after the Patriots adjusted. The Jets needed Fields to produce through the air, and he didn’t except for a 22-yard touchdown. John Mechie III At the end of the third quarter.

Now, Glenn has a QB decision: Is it time to bench Fields?

Viewing Trends: It was a tough start for the wide receiver adonai michelobtained from indianapolis colts In Sauce Gardner The trade, Mitchell dropped two passes. he had a step Christian Gonzalez On a well thrown deep ball but could not hold on. The Jets’ passing attack isn’t doing enough to overcome fatal mistakes. Still, you’ll be seeing a lot of Mitchell throughout the rest of the season.

Biggest hole in the game plan: The Jets blasted less than usual, putting a lot of pressure on the patchwork secondary. It wasn’t very good, as Maye passed for 284 yards and a touchdown. The Jets miss Gardner. His replacement, the newbie Azareyeh Thomas (concussion), did not play, forced to third-stringer Quantez Stigers In the lineup. brandon stephens (expensive penalty, one TD allowed) and Jarvis Brownlee Jr.(Two penalties) Both had tough nights,

Most Amazing Performance: Will McDonald IVComing off a four sack game, there were no sacks and one quarterback pressure. He was suffering from quad injury since last week.

Statistics to know: Once again, the Jets failed to intercept a pass. This makes it 10 straight games without an interception, and is the longest such streak in NFL history. The last team to not intercept an opponent’s pass in their first 10 games of the season was the 2017 Raiders. -Rich Cimini

Next game: But Baltimore Ravens (1 p.m. ET, Nov. 23)