Trayvon Henderson scores TTD, Patriots beat Jets for eighth straight win

Foxborough, Mass. – The Patriots were willing to give coach Mike Vrabel time to instill a new culture for a team that had won just four games in each of the past two seasons.

He already has New England sitting atop the league in his first year.

Rookie Trayvon Henderson ran for two touchdowns and made a TD catch to help Drake Maye and the Patriots win their eighth straight game, 27-14 over the New York Jets on Thursday night.

“Nobody feels underdogs. We’re never going to feel like underdogs,” linebacker Robert Spillane said. “We’re going to continue to play team defense, team offense, team football and just let the chips fall where they may … we know the real season is ahead of us.”

The Patriots (9-2) matched their longest streak since Tom Brady’s final season with the team in 2019, when they won their first eight. The Patriots’ 3-0 record in AFC East play is their best start in the division since 2019 (5-0).

Looking ahead to this weekend’s games, New England has the best record in the NFL. Indianapolis and Denver are 8-2. And the Patriots will have their first winning season since 2021, when they last made the playoffs.

“It’s a journey,” Henderson said. “The NFL comes with a lot of highs and lows. I think the biggest thing is just preparation going into the week, with the reps we have, just trying to take advantage of them.”

With Raymondre Stevenson out for the third straight game with a foot injury, Henderson logged a career-high 19 rushing attempts, totaling 62 yards. His two TD runs matched his total in Sunday’s win over Tampa Bay.

“Don’t fix it if it ain’t broke,” May said. “He wants to be great.”

Maye was solid, completing 25 of 34 passes for 281 yards and a TD. Stefon Diggs had 9 catches for 105 yards, his third 100-yard game of the season.

The Patriots thrived in wet and cold conditions with temperatures dipping into the low 30s, amassing 336 total yards and holding the Jets to 245.

New York’s Justin Fields threw a touchdown pass to John Michi III but was otherwise ineffective through the air, going 15 of 26 for 116 yards. He was the Jets’ leading rusher with 67 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. Fields’ top receiver, Garrett Wilson, was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury earlier Thursday.

“You just have to roll with it and deal with it. You can’t look at your circumstances. You just have to go out there and play,” Fields said. “It’s tough, but at the end of the day, you can’t complain about it. These are the circumstances we’re in right now.”

Jets coach Aaron Glenn said the team shouldn’t rely on Fields to run the ball.

“Justin can’t be put in a situation where it’s going to backfire and I think we all know that because we’re going to put him in harm’s way,” Glenn said. “I thought he put some balls in there. We’ve got some guys that make some plays for him as well.”

Trailing 27-14 with just over two minutes to play, the Jets (2-8) had fourth-and-4 at the New England 15, but Fields’ pass to tight end Jeremy Ruckert was broken up.

The Jets won the pregame coin toss and took the ball, marching 72 yards on 14 plays and taking a 7-0 lead on Fields’ 5-yard TD rush. It was the Jets’ first opening drive TD since Week 16 of last season.

The Patriots responded with a 69-yard drive and a 7-yard touchdown run by Henderson. The 13-play march included a fourth-line pass from Maye to DeMario Douglas.

After a New York punt, Henderson ran for his second TD, also from 7 yards out. He beat several defenders in the end zone to put New England in front 14-7.

Penalties, ill-timed mistakes and poor production kept the Jets out of the passing game again.

They had a chance to get the ball back late in the half, but were denied a sack by an illegal contact call. On the next play, cornerback Qwan’tez Stiggers collided with safety Tony Adams, knocking an interception out of his hands.

Fields completed just four passes for 23 yards in the first half.

Jets: Staggers left with a hamstring injury after colliding with Adams late in the second quarter.

Patriots: DT Milton Williams left the first quarter with an ankle injury and did not return.

Jets: Visit Baltimore on Nov. 23.

Patriots: Visit Cincinnati on Nov. 23.