Bedard: Eight thoughts as the Patriots push their win streak and record to 9-2 in win over Jets

FOXBOROUGH — Eight thoughts on a variety of subjects in honor of the Patriots' eight-game win streak that has run their record to an NFL-best 9-2 and earned a three-day weekend ...

1. Giardi wrote about it, but the drive Drake Maye put together to put the Patriots up 21-7 in the third quarter was a thing of beauty. He stepped out of a Malachi Crunch sack to hit Stefon Diggs on a 21-yard pass on 2nd and 8. On the next play, he put his Josh Allen cape on, barely avoided a shoestring sack by Jermaine Johnson, and picked up another 18 yards when he found a way to dump it off to Diggs, who looked like he thought the play was over.

And then another off-balance throw to TreVeyon Henderson, who was wide open thanks to a Josh McDaniels special putting Diggs in the backfield with Henderson.

That was about the most ho-hum, he's not really being taxed 25 of 34 for 281 yards that you'll ever see.

Can you imagine if Mack Hollins was able to hold onto this one?

There would have been a seismic reading in Foxborough, a place that has very much come alive thanks to Maye and his ability to infuse belief in the fanbase that something special could happen every time he starts a game.

"I’m biased, but I think he’s the best player in the NFL," said Will Campbell, who did a pretty good job on Will McDonald in this game. "There’s no game that we’re out of when we have him. He’s just, even how good of a player he is, he’s an even better person, and an even better teammate. That just makes it that much cooler. To be able to share the huddle and in the locker room, and be friends with somebody like that. I just look forward to the future, to continue to play with him, and grow with him. As we all continue to grow in this offense, he’s got everything in front of him now. I’m super excited to be a part of it."

2. You put McDaniels, Maye and Diggs together against an inexperienced defense that plays a lot of zone (78% - and very poorly) and doesn't really have much of a pass rush, and they are going to wear out the opponent. McDaniels sets the table with his formations and moving people around. Maye now knows how to use the tools in this offense to manipulate the defense, and then nobody is smarter at Diggs at knowing how to settle into zones ... it's borderline unstoppable.

3. People want to make Henderson happen but I don't think he's there yet (3.3 average). However, two big things happened tonight. It looked like he was better in pass protection, and that will earn him more playing. And his second touchdown run was exactly the type of play we've been waiting to see as the game slows down for him a bit. He was patient, allowed the blocking to develop, and then used his afterburners to penetrate the hole for the score. That was an excellent run. The more he does that, the more he will play.

"It’s a journey, the NFL comes with a lot of highs and lows," Henderson said. "I think the biggest thing is preparation going into the week and with the reps that we have, just trying my best to take advantage of them. Continuing to try and grow and get better as a player. My running backs coach does a good job of pushing us, Coach Vrabel does a good job of pushing everyone. I think preparation is key.”

I still think the Patriots would rather not wear him down in the regular season at his size. With 10 days off, this was an opportunity to push him a little.

4. Did you enjoy the Kyle Williams era that lasted all of one game? He was back to having zero catches on three targets, and none of them was remotely close to being completed. Would it shock you to learn that he played 45 snaps (70%)? Never thought the Patriots would miss Kayshon Boutte this much, but it's evident. It's time for Williams to go back to being, at least as a rookie, a 10-15 play shot player. Maye needs as many viable weapons as possible, and Williams is not that.

5. I asked Mike Vrabel in the postgame press conference about whether Milton Williams could have returned if this were a different type of game, and he pretty confirmed that.

"Maybe," he said. "I made a decision that we felt like we should probably just start treating that thing and get ahead of it and see where he's at here tomorrow, the next couple of days and try to weigh -- again, he wanted to try to go. He's out here standing with me when guys are coming in, and he's excited for them, so I appreciate his leadership, but I just made a decision that I felt like was best for the team for his instance."

That would be a big bullet dodged. It's pretty evident that they need all hands on deck up front in this defense. Kudos to Christian Barmore (sack, six pressures) and Elijah Ponder (sack) for stepping up, but this team is going to need a lot more out of Harold Landry (two pressures) and K'Lavon Chaisson (three) on the edge. I wonder if the Patriots' inability to add any edge help at the trade deadline might sink this team in the end. Their inability to get consistent pressure is starting to show up on third down. The Bucs (38.5%) and Jets (57.1%) were decently successful despite not having great offenses (the Bucs only had one receiver and one tight end to worry about). The Patriots hadn't allowed a conversion rate better than that since Week 5 against the Bills. The Browns and Falcons were less than 20%.

6. Another nitpick from this game: I think Vrabel and John Streicher are a little too obsessed with ending the first half and the game with the ball — I think it's Vrabel's dream scenario each week — especially after that debacle of a drive before halftime. I know Maye got strip-sacked against the Falcons, and maybe last week Baker Mayfield put the fear of god in you a bit. But to get the ball at your 46 with three timeouts and 1:48 left to play, can we move it along a little bit? It's Justin Fields on the other side. At least with nine seconds and one timeout at the 28-yard line, can you take one shot at the end zone?

7. Check out Dell Pettus coming up big again in a big spot, following his stop against Kyle Pitts of the Falcons. Pettus halted Mason Taylor 3 yards shy of a first down in the second quarter, and then iced the game with a 4th-and-4 pass breakup.

"Somebody who is so consistent, reliable, and showed up at big points this year," said Robert Spillane, who led the team with eight tackles.. "Huge play on Kyle Pitts the other week, comes up huge for a game-winning play for us on fourth down. I can’t say enough good things about him. He comes every day looking to get better, preparing to win and preparing as a starter. So, when you make plays in this league, you tend to get more opportunities to make more plays. So, we’re excited to see where it goes.”

You could say something similar about Jack Gibbens, who followed up a big game against the Bucs with a huge screen stop in this one along with another six tackles.

8. Kudos to the special teams unit for limiting the No. 1 DVOA unit to 6.0 yards on three punt returns, and 23.8 on four kickoff returns. Combine that with zero offensive turnovers, and the Patriots pretty much eliminated the Jets' only path to victory in this game. The Jets' average field position was the 28-yard line.

"I thought we got off blocks, didn't give them a lot of space," Vrabel said. "Schooler got triple-teamed one time, went down there and made a play. We punted well. The gunners did a nice job. But, you're right, they are have a really good return unit. I thought our kickoff coverage took a lot of pride, and I think we've done a really good job of covering kicks. So that was a good challenge. They stood up to it. It's a good unit, and I was excited to watch them. You know, brings some energy to the sidelines. I told you, if everybody is going to get up off the bench, we better give them something to cheer about."