Drake Maye had a shaky start, Marcus Jones made an explosive play, and Hunter Henry came up big.
Drake Maye had a shaky start, Marcus Jones made an explosive play, and Hunter Henry came up big.
The Patriots overcame a shaky start from Drake Maye to secure their ninth consecutive win on Sunday against the Bengals in Cincinnati.
Depending on it’s severity, the knee injury rookie left tackle Will Campbell suffered in the third quarter could wind up being the biggest story of the day. New England’s revamped offensive line has been key to their success, and Campbell is a big part of that.
This was a close win against a struggling team without its two best players. Cincinnati’s offense did not pack much of a punch without Ja’Marr Chase and Joe Burrow.
New England’s pass rush was lackluster, but the secondary held up strongly for the most part. Marcus Jones changed the game with an interception return for a touchdown that gave the Patriots their first lead of the day.
Maye eventually found his footing and made some big throws while his starting left guard and tackle were out.
Here’s a look at who stood out and struggled in the win.Stock Up
Marcus Jones
Jones’s effort on his pick-six was remarkable. He was about 10 yards behind the intended receiver when Flacco first looked his way.
A pump-fake and a hesitant throw gave Jones time to dart in front of Tahj Brooks and jump the route. Jones was so fast on the return that he had time to spin around and backpedal before he crossed over into the end zone.
It was Jones’s second-career pick-six. His other one, also against the Bengals, came in 2022 during his rookie season.
