Jets vs. Patriots: Three must-know storylines for Thursday's Week 11 prime-time game

At 8-2, the Patriots already have won as many games through Week 10 as they had won the previous two seasons combined. Now they're setting their sights even higher: moving closer to their first division title since 2019.

The Patriots are going for their eighth straight victory, which would make Drake Maye the only quarterback in franchise history other than Tom Brady to achieve that within a single season.

Standing in New England's way are the suddenly plucky Jets, winners of two straight following their 0-7 start. Sunday's victory over the Browns was all the more impressive given that it came after the Jets had traded defensive starters Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams.

The Jets have won two of the past three games in this rivalry, but that was preceded by the Patriots winning 15 straight in the rivalry.

Three must-know storylines

1) Maye looks to add another feather to his MVP cap

Second-year QB Drake Maye has crashed the MVP party this season, standing tall with a 71.7 completion percentage and a 19-5 TD-INT ratio, on pace to throw for more than 4,300 yards. He's also a gifted scrambler who has made plays on the move and flummoxed defenses with his downfield strikes. Maye has an INT in three straight games, but he also has thrown multiple TD passes in five straight contests. He could have close to a full receiving corps available Thursday, too, if WR Kayshon Boutte (hamstring) is able to go. The Patriots also pass blocked better against the Bucs than they had the prior few games. But the Jets don't appear completely helpless defensively without Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams, at least not in last week's game against the Browns when they allowed a season-low 120 pass yards and notched a season-high six sacks – four by Will McDonald IV. McDonald often comes screaming off the defense's right side, so he should see plenty of Patriots rookie left tackle Will Campbell, who has had some ups and downs but has played well of late.

2) Jets must find offense without Wilson

Jets head coach Aaron Glenn has refused to say if Justin Fields or Tyrod Taylor will start at QB on Thursday. So far this season, Fields has gotten the call except for injury, and he's now led two close, exciting victories in a row, even with some offensive limitations. Now they likely must do it without Garrett Wilson, who injured his knee on Sunday after a three-target, zero-catch game and will be a question mark for this one. If he can't go, the Jets' WR options are limited, which could lead to a ground-heavy attack. Fields completed only six passes against the Browns, with only one catch by a wide receiver, and he's faced heavy pressure this season. Running back Breece Hall wasn't traded at the deadline, and he appears to be one of their few true gamebreakers, both as a runner and receiver. The problem is that the Patriots have the best run defense in the NFL, allowing only 79.2 yards per game on the ground, and they haven't allowed a single back to cross the 50-yard rush mark in 2025.

3) Henderson hopes to put stamp on RB role

Two of the Patriots' biggest plays in their win over the Buccaneers were TreVeyon Henderson long-bomb TD runs. The first came early in the third quarter when he took the ball inside against a tough Tampa Bay front and housed it for 55 yards. The Patriots were trailing 10-7 just before halftime, but Henderson's TD put them up 21-10 after Stefon Diggs gave them a halftime lead with a last-second TD catch. Then when the Patriots were backed up and trying to close out the game, Henderson ripped off a 69-yard TD to essentially lock the game in the final minutes of the fourth quarter in what was a career game. He's gradually earned more of the offensive share, especially in recent weeks with Rhamondre Stevenson banged up. Stevenson and Terrell Jennings both were limited in practice this week, so Henderson might need to be ready to be the lead back again. He now leads the Patriots in scrimmage yards (564) and has the NFL's fifth-highest rushing average (5.3) among backs with 60 or more carries. Without Quinnen Williams, the Jets allowed the Browns to run for 4.9 yards per carry in Week 10 albeit with no runs longer than 19 yards. The Jets' biggest problem has been forcing takeaways -- only one this season -- although New England has turned the ball over five times in the past three contests.

Jets' Week 11 injury report

Patriots' Week 11 injury report