Jacoby Brissett Deserves His Flowers for Patriots Victory

The New England Patriots did it. They won a football game.

After suffering a six-game losing streak, the six-time Super Bowl champions secured a 25-22 victory over the New York Jets, their first at Gillette Stadium in 371 days.

But the win came without starting quarterback Drake Maye, as the third overall draft selection suffered a concussion in the first half. According to head coach Jerod Mayo, Maye wanted to come back into the game after halftime but was unable to due to concussion protocol. Before the injury, Maye looked competent through the air but impressed on the ground. The rookie had three rushes for 46 yards with a 17-yard rushing touchdown to give New England an early lead.

Brissett Steps Up

Jacoby Brissett — who suffered a demotion to backup duty just three weeks ago — stepped up during the biggest moments to deliver New England its first win in 49 days.

Brissett has struggled mightily this year, averaging just 139 passing yards in his five starts this year. But the ninth-year quarterback impressed during the second half as Brissett steered the ship to the Patriots comeback win.

Like most games this season, the Patriots played ugly football. But in a year that has seen most of the AFC East struggle to win games, the Jets joined New England in their style of play on Sunday.

The veteran quarterback has always believed in himself. Brissett made that more evident during a media appearance following his performance on Sunday. “I think this was a testament of me believing in myself and not y’all,” Brissett said. “I’m not trying to be arrogant or nothing, but I’m very proud of myself today.”

Despite a rocky start, the Patriots are technically still in the playoff hunt. Currently in third place in their division, New England is still afloat in the postseason race due to lackluster performances in the AFC. Whether New England uses this win as a momentum swing, or the rough start to the season finally catches up to the six-time Super Bowl champions, Brissett at least has given the team the chance to compete.

For a team that faced criticisms from the head coach about being soft, New England fought hard and secured a necessary win.