TreVeyon Henderson's Hat Trick Vaults the Patriots to an Eighth Straight Victory

As far as the simple things in life go, beating the Jets is either right at or very close to the top of said things. It wasn't a picture-perfect outing by any means for the Patriots, as the first drive woes continued on a Jets drive that took up half of the first quarter, but on a short week, you'll take a win (and more importantly a cover) over a division rival in front of a pretty hot crowd in Foxborough. Here were my key takeaways.

Hat Trick for Henderson

Not the most effcient night on the ground when you consider that Henderson had more yards after contact (70) than he did outright (62), however, the extra 33 receiving yards and three total touchdowns can make up for that on a short week. But before anything else, watch Big Mike Onwenu (No. 71 in your program) come across and SMOKE Quincy Williams to spring open this second TD run.

Especially on a night where it was only 3.3 per carry when the Patriots did make some attempts with six OL looks, it was nice to see Henderson make some check-down plays as a pass catcher. None of the plays really sprung for much, but knowing you have a guy who's a big play waiting to happen that can at the very least keep you ahead of schedule on down and distance is big. Still hoping for some better outcomes on a carry-by-carry basis, but five touchdowns in five days is what we call efficiency around here. Henderson is also now the first Patriot rookie to score three TDs in a game since...Rob Gronkowski, in 2010, who was back in town to sign a one-day contract to retire as a Patriot to honor former team employee Susan Hurley, who passed away two weeks ago after a courageous battle with cancer.

Christian Barmore Steps Up in Milton Williams Absense

Losing Milton Williams was an unfortunate side plot in this win, but I agree with the thought process of simply not risking his health, with a 10-day reprieve on the horizon. That also meant the Patriots' interior front would have to rely heavily on Christian Barmore, and luckily for the Patriots, he was up for the task. His six pressures and a whopping 22 percent pressure rate led both teams last night, and he frankly deserves credit for both of New England's sacks of Justin Fields (give him a hockey assist on the Elijah Ponder sack).

This was also the first time Barmore has cracked 40 snaps in a game since Week 1, and it was a great sign that he was looking as good as he did in the fourth quarter from a conditioning standpoint. Barmore felt right at home as a guy who could pin his ears back and get after it in obvious passing downs, and he probably should've come home with a couple of more sacks, to be honest. Another guy who stepped up who deserves a ton of props is Cory Durden, who played the second-most interior snaps of any Patriot defender last night and recorded four pressures on 19 pass rush snaps.

Pocket Presence and Creativity Stand Out from Drake Maye

While this was another very good game for Drake Maye, the two things that I think everyone should've come away impressed by were the pocket presence he showed off, and the playmaking ability both off of that, and outside the pocket.

This play, along with about three or four others, could/will be used as a teach tape for how QBs should keep their eyes downfield while maneuvering out of pressure in the pocket. He's done stuff like this all year, but it jumped off the screen last night in a big way. This 2nd&11 conversion to Mack Hollins was another great example of that.

It doesn't have to always be a scramble or simply Maye going to the sideline and making something happen as a runner or passer. That said, he also had this play here on the third touchdown drive (second play in the reel. Also, Prime Vision is a fun way to watch a game if you've never done it.

That entire drive was really a great showing by both Maye and Josh McDaniels, but having the wherewithal to wait for the perfect moment to fire one in between two defenders to Diggs on the sidelines was the kind of backyard playmaking you see out of guys like Mahomes and Allen.

Hard to come up with new things to say about Maye on a week-to-week basis, but he's just playing at an insane level right now. Not sure how else I can spin it.

More Oppurtunities for Dell Pettus

I tweeted this out after the fourth down PBU that iced the game, but Dell Pettus is legitamately a guy the Patriots should try to find way to use more defensively. He only got nine snaps on defense last night, but two of those were a third down stop to force a punt early, and then the afformentioned PBU, but he's someone that's unselfishly been giving max effort on special teams since he's gotten here, and makes the most of what he's given in terms of a defensive workload; hence being recognized postgame by Mike Vrabel in the locker room.

Primarily, Pettus was used as a third safety in dime looks lining up alongside Robert Spillane, but I think thats a glimpse into what his best usage would be in an expanded role. Pettus is a guy who reads and reacts very well, and in nickel looks, could do a ton from traveling with tight ends in man, blitz from the second level (which he did do on the John Metchie TD play), and work as a robber in the middle third. He's only played nine run snaps this year, and eight were in the fourth quarter vs. Carolina, but that would certainly see an uptick if the Patriots plan to get him more oppurtunities.

Final Score: New England Patriots 27, New York Jets 14

Gaffney's Three Stars from Patriots-Jets I:

1st Star: Drake Maye (25/33 for 281 Yards, 1 TD, 4 Carries for 2 Yards)

2nd Star: TreVeyon Henderson (19 Carries for 62 Yards and 2 TDs, 5 Receptions for 31 Yards and 1 TD)

3rd Star: Christian Barmore (1 Sack and 6 Pressures, 3 Tackles, 2 Stops)

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