Welcome to the Unconventional Review, an instant reaction to standouts, stats, and story lines from the Patriots’ most recent game …
The final 27-14 score suggests the Patriots’ victory over the Jets Thursday night — their eighth straight in this unexpected marvel of a season — was more workmanlike than spectacular.
But the score doesn’t tell the entire story, just its conclusion. There was plenty of spectacular to be found in a game that never really felt in danger of being anything other than a Patriots victory.
For the second straight game, Drake Maye (25 of 34, 281 passing yards, 1 TD) showed a national audience that his MVP candidacy is real, surely thrilling the many who desperately hoped the Patriots’ downturn would last far longer than it did post-Tom Brady.