FOXBOROUGH - Well, maybe the Patriots and their fans can have nice things after all. You just didn't know it would happen like this, with Jacoby Brissett filling in for an injured Drake Maye and leading an improbable 70-yard game-winning drive in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter as the Pats beat the Jets, 25-22.
"I don't look at it as no redemption," said Brissett when I asked. "I think this is a testament to me believing in myself and not y'all, and I'm very aware of that, and I was very fortunate that I had this opportunity to go out there and get a win with our guys. It's sweet. I mean, you can't put it into words. I'm not trying to be arrogant, but I'm very proud of myself today."
Benched after repeated anemic performances to begin the season, Brissett re-entered the game in the second quarter after Maye got concussed (more on that later) to boos from an unknowing crowd. The boos only got louder as the Pats went into an offensive shell, running on five of the six plays the veteran signal-caller got before halftime (over two possessions).
But gifted with a short field to start the second half (thanks to a 62-yard punt return by Marcus Jones), Brissett led the Pats on a touchdown to move in front of the Jets, 14-13, then answered a hobbled and old-looking Aaron Rodgers with two more scoring drives, one a field goal, then the other, essentially a walk-off win as running back Rhamondre Stevenson cashed in on a fourth-and-goal from the one-yard with 22 ticks left on the clock.
"I just believe in myself and sticking to what I know is right, and you know that I can play in this league," said Brissett. "I don't look at his as anything else, but that..."
"Veteran QB, I mean, incredible teacher, incredible leader," said tight end Austin Hooper. "There's a reason why he's a team captain. He does so much like before we even get out - he does so much like in here (locker room), to be able to communicate with everybody, get everybody on the same page, adjustments, everything.
"Then, once you get on the field, just the command he has in the huddle. Being a veteran. QB, you would expect that. When he got in the huddle, he said, 'All right, everybody, take a deep breath. All right, let's go to work.' So I mean, well, there's chaos going on. He never wavers."
"He did a great job," said Kendrick Bourne. "He just responded, well, you know, it's hard going to the bench, and then you never know when your name is going to be called again coming in poise; he knows the plays, and he just did a good job of taking leadership."
Brissett made plays on that final drive with both his legs - he had a 14-yard scramble on third-and-six from near field - and his arm - the biggest throw being a 34-yarder to Kayshon Boutte to put the Pats on the doorstep.
"Kayshon made a great play," said Brissett. "I felt like I under-threw it. As soon as it came off my hand, I was like, ‘damn.’ He made an unbelievable play, a play that we needed at that time."
Brissett was embraced by teammates on the sidelines after the drive and then again following the game. The noise of that victory made its way back through the tunnel and into the locker room as the team tasted a win at home for the first time this year. But it did come at a cost - losing the team's most exciting player.
(Adam Richins for BSJ)
Maye had given this season life; he gave it hope. The rookie had his coach's back after the "soft" comments from the previous week and did his best to answer that call, scoring the game's first touchdown on a 17-yard scramble. However, Maye's willingness to turn himself from quarterback into a runner — an essential piece of who he is as a player — proved costly later in the opening quarter. The rookie suffered a head injury that knocked him out of the game.
The play in question was a smart one by Maye. On 2nd and 10, the Jets rushed three, dropping eight into coverage. The 22-year-old immediately recognized a massive running lane developed in front of him and took off without hesitation. He shook contact, splitting three defenders for the first down while being off balance. When he started to regain his footing, he saw former Patriot safety Jalen Mills closing in and decided to slide. But it was a late decision, and linebacker Jamien Sherwood had already committed to contact. Unfortunately, his helmet caught the back of Maye's helmet.
The kid quarterback sat on the turf for a minute, trying to collect himself while teammates begged the officials for a flag (they missed it). When he did get up, the referee clearly asked Maye if he was okay, and he shrugged it off, finishing the drive. But the independent spotter called down after the possession, and Maye disappeared into the blue medical tent. Then, he was sent to the locker room, not to be seen for the rest of the day. Will we see him next week?
"I walked in at halftime and saw him," said Jerod Mayo. "The competitor that he is, obviously he wanted to go back out there and play. But there's a protocol that he has to go through. Again, can't wait to get him back."
"It was tough. It was tough," repeated Bourne. "You never want to lose a player, so anybody that has an impact on the game - he started the game great. Scored a touchdown. And then, it's just the mentality of the team. Next man up. We responded well as a group."
"We got to stay locked into the game," said Stevenson, who ran hard from start to finish. "We got a whole game to play. Drake got hurt pretty early, so we still have a lot of time on the clock to get a W, and we did a good job believing in Jacoby, just believing in AVP (Alex Van Pelt), and going to get a dub."
It's a credit to a team that had been beaten up this week for their previous performances - rightfully so - to not fold when given the out that was Maye's injury. And when you consider that the Tennessee Titans are 1-6 and just got embarrassed in Detroit, 52-14, there's hope that they could stack back-to-back wins for the first time in Mayo's brief tenure.
"You got two options," said Hooper. "You can either fold, or you can fight. So, I mean, thank God, Drake's gonna be all right, but when you know you have a guy like Jacoby, who's won here, you don't really blink. It's just like, all right. I mean, just like you said, next man up mentality."