Four Studs, Four Duds From Patriots’ Demolition Of Jets

The New England Patriots officially wrapped up the AFC East on Sunday afternoon after the Buffalo Bills suffered a 13-12 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Before that, they took care of business against the New York Jets, picking up a blowout 42-10 victory.

This game was a complete mismatch on paper, and sure enough, it played out that way, too. The Pats essentially won this game in the first quarter, allowing them to give some key players a break in the second half. Before we flip the page to Week 18, though, let’s pick out four studs and four duds from this massacre of the Jets.

Studs

Drake Maye

In a season full of standout performances, this was the best of the bunch from Drake Maye. For the six drives he was in the game for, Maye was ruthlessly efficient, completing 19 of his 21 pass attempts for 256 yards and five touchdowns, while also rushing for 22 yards on three carries. On each of his six drives, New England found its way into the endzone.

Stefon Diggs

Similar to Maye, Stefon Diggs did all of his work in the first half of this one, but he certainly made his mark when he was on the field. For the second straight week, Diggs led all pass catchers with six receptions for 101 yards, and he also racked up his fourth touchdown of the season on a perfectly executed fourth-down play.

Rhamondre Stevenson

While TreVeyon Henderson has emerged as the lead running back for the Pats as of late, Rhamondre Stevenson has become a jack of all trades. On the ground, he racked up 47 yards and a touchdown on eight carries, and as a receiver, he caught five passes for 55 yards and another score. After his early-season struggles, Stevenson is rounding into form.

Dell Pettus

The defense didn’t have to do much to slow down Brady Cook and New York’s offense, but the biggest standout performer was reserve safety Dell Pettus. With more snaps coming his way, Pettus did a little bit of everything, as he was tied for the team lead in tackles with Jahlani Tavai, while also racking up the team’s only sack of the day.

Duds

Kyle Williams

With both Mack Hollins and Kayshon Boutte out, this seemed like the perfect opportunity for Kyle Williams to star in the passing game. Instead, he caught just three passes for 20 yards, and he had a brutal drop for one of Maye’s two incompletions. Hollins is on injured reserve now, so the Pats will need Williams to step up in the postseason.

Andy Borregales

It was a pretty quiet day for Andy Borregales, but he made one big mistake, and that’s all it takes to land you on the duds list in a 32-point victory. Borregales nailed all six of his extra-point attempts, but he missed a 41-yard field goal attempt late in the third quarter. It meant nothing in the grand scheme of things, but Borregales can’t be missing kicks in the playoffs.

Christian Barmore

It’s tough to harp too much on Christian Barmore, as he’s drawing more attention from opposing offenses with Milton Williams on the sidelines, but it was another quiet day for him. He didn’t rack up a single tackle, with his lone noteworthy statistic being a quarterback hit. Williams’ impending return figures to help out his partner in crime the most.

Josh Dobbs

Once Maye left the game early in the third quarter, Josh Dobbs came in and replaced him. Dobbs didn’t have to do much in this one, completing three of his four pass attempts for 30 yards, but the offense failed to score a single point during his time under center. If Maye goes down, is Dobbs capable of leading the offense forward?