The New England Patriots made it three wins in a row on Sunday, holding off the New York Jets 26-19 in a Week 6 AFC East matchup at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Drake Maye threw three touchdown passes, the Patriots defense twice stopped the Jets on fourth down inside New England territory, and an onside kick attempt in the dying seconds fell to the home team — sealing a result that lifts the Patriots to 4-2 while dropping New York to 2-4.
It was not the cleanest afternoon for Mike Vrabel’s side. The Patriots led 17-3 at halftime, went scoreless in the third quarter, and watched a 10-point fourth-quarter lead shrink to seven before the defense finally closed the door. They also paid a steep physical price: wide receiver Romeo Doubs left with a shoulder injury after his touchdown catch and did not return, right tackle Morgan Moses suffered an ankle injury, and offensive lineman Ben Brown went down holding his knee and had to be helped off the field.
How the game unfolded
The Jets won the coin toss and started with the ball, and for a while the visitors looked like the sharper team. Geno Smith, in his second stint with the Jets after being traded for in the offseason, hit Garrett Wilson and Mason Taylor on early first-down passes, and runs by Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis carried New York into the red zone. The drive stalled there, but Jason Sanders put the Jets ahead 3-0 with a 42-yard field goal.
New England’s response set the tone for the rest of the day. After a three-and-out on their first possession, the Patriots defense delivered back-to-back sacks — Milton Williams with his first of the season, then Christian Barmore beating right guard Joe Tippman on the very next snap to bring down Smith. Good field position followed, and Maye made it count: on the second play of the drive he took a deep shot to Romeo Doubs, who hauled it in for a 42-yard touchdown and a 7-3 lead. The celebration was short-lived — Doubs hurt his shoulder on the play and was later ruled out for the remainder of the game.
The rest of the first half belonged to the Patriots defense and a series of Jets failures on fourth down. Robert Spillane met Braelon Allen in the hole on a 4th-and-2 to force a turnover on downs, and when New York got the ball back, the Patriots stuffed Smith’s quarterback sneak on 4th-and-1 for a second straight stop. New England’s offense, meanwhile, ground out a 32-yard field goal from Andy Borregales, then struck again just before halftime. Maye connected with A.J. Brown and Hunter Henry to move the ball to the Jets’ 9-yard line, and after two incomplete shots into the end zone, he found DeMario Douglas for an 11-yard score. The Patriots went into the break up 17-3.
The Jets fight back — and fall short again
New York’s best stretch came in the third quarter. Rookie Omar Cooper Jr. got behind the Patriots defense on the Jets’ first possession after halftime and turned it into a 48-yard touchdown pass from Smith, cutting the deficit to 17-10. Moments later, TreVeyon Henderson lost a fumble that handed the Jets the ball at the New England 36-yard line, and suddenly a tie game was in reach.
It never came. The Patriots defense bent but did not break: Williams and Spillane combined on a tackle for loss, and Elijah Ponder — the team’s sack leader — brought Smith down for an 8-yard loss on 3rd-and-5 to force a field goal. Sanders made it 17-13, and that was as close as the Jets would get in the period.
Maye answered early in the fourth. On the third play of the quarter he hit a wide-open Hunter Henry for a 7-yard touchdown. Borregales missed the extra point, but New England led 23-13. The Patriots later added a 27-yard field goal with about a minute and a half left to make it 26-16, and after Smith drove the Jets into range for a 36-yard field goal with 36 seconds on the clock, New England recovered the ensuing onside kick attempt to end it.
Maye keeps rolling, Brown has a day to forget
For Maye, this was another step in a remarkable stretch. A week earlier, the Patriots quarterback had thrown for 374 yards and five total touchdowns — four passing, one rushing — in a win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Against the Jets he was efficient rather than spectacular, spreading the ball to Doubs, Douglas and Henry while also picking up 21 yards on a scramble to open the second half. After a rough start to the 2026 season, Maye has rediscovered the form that made him an All-Pro.
The same could not be said of A.J. Brown, who returned from injured reserve for this game and endured a frustrating afternoon. The veteran receiver was targeted early — Maye’s first pass of the day went his way and was batted at the line — and a catch that would have been his first since returning was ruled incomplete after a Jets challenge. He finished the first half with a career-high three drops, including two on the same third-quarter drive, before the Patriots finally leaned on other options.
Injuries pile up on both lines
The injury list was the ugliest part of the win for New England. Doubs’ shoulder injury took away one of Maye’s emerging targets. Moses went down with an ankle injury and was listed as questionable to return. Brown’s knee injury was the most alarming: with him off the field, Walter Rouse — described as the last healthy offensive lineman — came in, a sign of how thin the Patriots’ front has become.
The Jets had problems of their own. Guard Alijah Vera-Tucker left with a hamstring injury, and Smith spent much of the second half hobbling after taking a crushing hit from Dre’Mont Jones. New York was already without running back Breece Hall and Adonai Mitchell, both of whom were inactive, which put more on Allen and Davis in the running game. Allen ran hard — three first-down runs in the first quarter alone — but the Jets kept stalling once they crossed midfield.
What it means for both teams
For the Patriots, the win extends a surge that began with the Raiders game and confirms them as one of the NFL’s form teams over the past two weeks. They got reinforcements before kickoff, too: left tackle Will Campbell and running back TreVeyon Henderson were both cleared to play, and cornerback Christian Gonzalez returned from a two-game absence. The concern is the growing list of casualties on offense, which will shape how New England approaches the coming weeks.
For the Jets, the loss is a familiar story with a new twist. Aaron Glenn’s team arrived in Foxborough having snapped a three-game losing streak with a win over the Cleveland Browns, and for long stretches they moved the ball well enough to stay in the game. But two turnovers on downs in the first half, a fumble recovery wasted in the third quarter, and a red-zone drive that ended in a field goal instead of a potential game-tying touchdown all pointed to the same problem: New York can move between the 20s, but it cannot finish. Smith’s first interception of the season — picked off by Charles Woods late in the fourth quarter — summed up the day.
The Jets will now look to regroup, while the Patriots carry a three-game winning streak out of Week 6 — battered, but very much in the AFC East race.
FAQ
What was the final score of the Patriots vs Jets Week 6 game?
The New England Patriots beat the New York Jets 26-19 on Sunday, 18 October 2026, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. New England led 17-3 at halftime and 17-13 after three quarters.
Who scored the touchdowns in the Patriots vs Jets game?
For the Patriots, Drake Maye threw touchdown passes to Romeo Doubs (42 yards), DeMario Douglas and Hunter Henry (7 yards). For the Jets, Geno Smith hit rookie Omar Cooper Jr. on a 48-yard touchdown pass. Andy Borregales kicked two field goals for New England, while Jason Sanders kicked three for New York.
Which players were injured in the Patriots vs Jets game?
Patriots wide receiver Romeo Doubs suffered a shoulder injury on his touchdown catch and was ruled out. Right tackle Morgan Moses went down with an ankle injury, and offensive lineman Ben Brown hurt his knee and was helped off. For the Jets, guard Alijah Vera-Tucker left with a hamstring injury, and quarterback Geno Smith was hobbling after a hit from Dre’Mont Jones.
How did the Patriots stop the Jets on fourth down?
Twice in the first half the Patriots defense ended Jets drives on fourth down: Robert Spillane stopped Braelon Allen on a 4th-and-2 run, and the defense stuffed Geno Smith’s quarterback sneak on 4th-and-1. Later, Elijah Ponder sacked Smith on 3rd-and-5 to force a field goal instead of a potential game-tying touchdown.