The New England Patriots have ascended to the top of the NFL standings. New York Jets fans could do without the flashback to their rival's glory days.
The Patriots ride a seven-game winning streak into Week 11 and will put their stellar defense up against Justin Fields, Breece Hall and the Jets on Thursday in Foxborough, Mass.
New England (8-2) has tied Indianapolis and Denver for the best record in football thanks to a run that dates back to Sept. 28. The Patriots have benefited from a schedule that afforded victory laps against bottom-feeders New Orleans, Tennessee and Cleveland.
But the Patriots also beat Buffalo on the road during this stretch to overtake the AFC East division lead -- and they played four solid quarters Sunday to prevail 28-23 at the NFC South-leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Drake Maye threw for 270 yards and two touchdowns and his offensive line performed better, allowing just one sack after surrendering 16 over the three previous games.
The Patriots are angling for their first eight-game winning streak since 2019. That's also the last time New England started a year 8-2 or better -- Tom Brady's final season in town.
"We never want to take the cheese and get into all that," first-year Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said about his team's national attention. "Certainly there's a human element to it. When things are going good, you have to be able to prepare for things when they're not."
New England owns the best run defense in the league at just 792 yards allowed through 10 games, which could force more passing downs for the struggling Fields.
The Jets (2-7) won their second straight game Sunday despite Fields going a meager 6 of 11 for 54 yards. Star running back Hall was responsible for 42 of those 54 yards on one play when he took the go-ahead touchdown catch to the house in a 27-20 victory over Cleveland.
Hall's season has run hot and cold, but he's 10th in the league at 664 rushing yards and he put up 133 yards and two TDs in the Jets' first win over Cincinnati.
"He's that man," Fields said. "It's simple. He's that man."
The Jets need Fields to be the man as well.
Any hopes of ending their 14-year postseason drought have evaporated, but New York has stuck with Fields over veteran Tyrod Taylor at the most important position.
"I don't care if it's three games. I don't care if it's one game. We just want to win," Jets coach Aaron Glenn said. "The more you win, the more confidence you get as a player, the more confidence you get as a team. That's the only thing that we care about."
Both head coaches have experienced the Jets-Pats rivalry as players -- Glenn with the Jets from 1994-2001, Vrabel from 2001-08 at the outset of the Brady era. The Pats won 15 in a row against the Jets from 2016-23, but the Jets broke that drought at the end of the 2023 season and split the two meetings last year as well.
New York returned a kick and a punt for touchdowns in the first quarter against Cleveland -- the first time in franchise history that combo occurred in the same game -- and Will McDonald IV tied a team record by logging four sacks. Vrabel said the Jets don't look like a team on tape that dealt away two top defensive players (Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams).
"That didn't show up at all," Vrabel said. "I saw an energy, I saw excitement that jumped off the screen. This will be a challenge. I know they'll be ready to go on the road and we'll have to continue to prepare and ultimately play well."
The Patriots' biggest injury concerns are in their backfield. Rookie TreVeyon Henderson (430 yards) has a knee injury but practiced in full for two days and didn't receive an injury designation Wednesday. Rhamondre Stevenson (toe) will miss his third straight game, and third-stringer Terrell Jennings (knee) is questionable.
New England receiver Kayshon Boutte (hamstring), linebacker Christian Elliss (hip) and tight end Austin Hooper (concussion) will sit out. Defensive lineman Joshua Farmer (ankle) is questionable.
The Jets will reportedly be without top receiver Garrett Wilson (knee sprain) for 3-4 weeks, though Glenn left media at his press conference baffled by directing them to find out which players are injured by grilling the reporter who broke the Wilson re-injury news.
New York also ruled out cornerback Azareye'h Thomas (concussion) and listed five players as questionable: defensive linemen Harrison Phillips (foot) and Braiden McGregor (shoulder), McDonald (quadriceps), offensive lineman Xavier Newman (ankle) and running back Khalil Herbert (groin).
--Field Level Media