Patriots 26, Jets 19: Maye’s Three Scores Survive a Messy Gillette Night

October 18, 2026 - Foxborough - Mike Vrabel said they were lucky to win. Drake Maye called it sloppy. Then he pointed at an offensive line that lost three starters and still did not give up a sack. The New England Patriots beat the New York Jets 26-19.

New England is 4-2, 3-0 at Gillette, 2-0 in the AFC East. The Jets are 2-4. The Patriots have now won four straight in the series and 19 of the last 21, the club notes said.

Maye went 18 of 32 for 235 yards and three touchdowns. No picks. Four carries for 24, including a 21-yard run in the third. It was his third straight game with at least three scoring throws. Geno Smith answered 20 of 30 for 252, one score, and his first interception of the season.

17-3, a diving 42-yarder, then the line started coming off

Romeo Doubs dove for 42 in the first quarter. The Patriots notes called it Maye's 10th touchdown of at least 30 yards over the last two seasons, the most in the NFL. Next Gen Stats, via ESPN, had Maye with 5.61 seconds to throw and Doubs hitting 21.44 mph. Doubs left with a shoulder after the catch and did not return.

DeMario Douglas scored from 9. He finished seven for 86. Jason Sanders made a field goal in the first half. 17-3 at the break.

Morgan Moses (ankle), Alijah Vera-Tucker (hamstring), and Ben Brown (knee) all left. The Jets entered tied for fourth in the league with 17 sacks. They got zero. It was New England's first sack-free game of 2026, the notes said, and the first time all year the Jets had been held without one.

Milton Williams sacked Smith for 7 in the first quarter. Christian Barmore dropped him for 10 on the next snap. The last time New England had back-to-back sacks was Sept. 14, 2025 at Miami, the club wrote. Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss stuffed Braelon Allen on fourth-and-2 from the New England 30. Gabe Jacas stopped Smith on fourth-and-1 from the 39.

Cooper from 42, then Woods on pass 166

Omar Cooper Jr. came off injured reserve after four games with an ankle. He got behind Craig Woodson and scored from 42. Six catches, 103 yards. 17-10.

David Bailey stripped TreVeyon Henderson. Jamien Sherwood recovered at the New England 36. New York reached the 10. Elijah Ponder sacked Smith. Sanders from 36. 17-13.

Maye answered in 12 plays and 68 yards. Hunter Henry from 7. Andy Borregales missed the extra point. 23-13. Four plays later Smith overshot Kenyon Sadiq. Charles Woods intercepted it. The Patriots said it was Smith's 166th pass of 2026, and the first pick the Jets had thrown all year.

Sanders finished 4 of 4 (42, 36, 40, 36) and the extra point. Borregales made 32 and 27 and went 2 of 3 on extras. New England's 26 came against a Jets defense that entered fifth in points allowed, the notes said.

A.J. Brown returned from injured reserve: three catches, 27 yards, 10 targets, three drops, the AP wrote. He played 52 of 67 snaps. ESPN's Mike Reiss had him dropping a deep ball and a fourth-down throw. The film notes on patriots.com were blunter. Brown ran open. The ball did not stick.

Garrett Wilson caught four for 44. ESPN's Rich Cimini wrote he was targeted twice in the first three quarters. Braelon Allen ran 17 times for 78 and caught two for 26. Rhamondre Stevenson had 14 for 36. Corey Kiner added 11 for 57. Henderson had seven for 31 plus the fumble.

The Jets were 0 for 3 in the red zone and 3 of 10 on third down, the AP said. Christian Gonzalez returned from a two-game shoulder absence. Aaron Glenn said 2-4 does not feel good. New England visits Chicago on Thursday night with a thinner roster than the one that kicked off Sunday.

AthX Engine on a three-score, zero-sack win

AthX Engine NFL scoring already has the Week 6 line in. Sherwood's forced fumble and tackle volume land at 45.00, the top total in this game. Maye is 42.80. Woods is 41.50. Milton Williams is 35.00. Cooper is 34.75. Sanders is 34.00. Barmore is 34.00. Douglas is 29.00. New England's team line is 69.25. New York's is 6.00.

Fantasy points measure the box. Price is what traders will pay for Maye on a short week, and for a Jets offense that moved the ball and still left Foxborough 2-4. They move together. They are not the same number.

Track Maye, Douglas, Henry, Smith, and both clubs on the marketplace. New England visits Chicago on Thursday. The Jets host Miami on Sunday.

*Sources: ESPN recap, AP, Patriots game notes, Patriots film notes. ESPN, the Patriots, and nflverse agree on 26-19. AthX Engine Week 6 lines scored from nflverse weekly stats (CC-BY 4.0). Information only; not financial advice.*