Patriots vs Jets Week 6: Injuries, TV

The Patriots vs Jets matchup on Sunday, Oct. 18, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough brings back New England’s best wide receiver. The Patriots (3-2) activated A.J. Brown from injured reserve on Saturday, a day before they host the New York Jets (2-3) at 1 p.m. ET in the first AFC East meeting of the season between the two teams.

New England comes in on a two-game winning streak after a 1-2 start. Here is where the team stands, who is hurt and what to watch against New York. For schedules, standings and more coverage, see our Boston Sports hub and the New England Patriots team page.

Patriots record and last week’s 45-17 win over the Raiders

The Patriots beat the Las Vegas Raiders 45-17 at Gillette Stadium on Oct. 11. Drake Maye completed 26 of 34 passes for 374 yards and four touchdowns, a 150.9 passer rating, and also ran for a 3-yard score. According to the AP game story, it was Maye’s first game of the season without a turnover. DeMario Douglas caught two of the touchdown passes, including a 35-yarder on the opening drive. Hunter Henry and Kyle Williams caught the other two. Rhamondre Stevenson added a 5-yard touchdown run, the 30th rushing touchdown of his career. Efton Chism III and Eli Raridon led the team with five catches apiece. For the full breakdown, read our Patriots vs Raiders recap.

Patriots.com’s game notes say the offense gained a season-high 536 yards and 29 first downs. The 45 points were the team’s most since a 50-10 win over Jacksonville on Jan. 2, 2022. The defense held Las Vegas to 38 rushing yards, and the AP reported that Kirk Cousins was sacked three times. “It was beautiful to be a part of today,” Maye said afterward, according to the AP. Coach Mike Vrabel told reporters, “That’s what it has to be.”

The win put New England over .500 for the first time this season. Here are the team’s results so far:

Week 1, Sept. 9: lost 13-10 at Seattle
Week 2, Sept. 20: beat Pittsburgh 20-3 at home
Week 3, Sept. 27: lost 35-6 at Jacksonville (our recap)
Week 4, Oct. 4: won 29-26 at Buffalo
Week 5, Oct. 11: beat Las Vegas 45-17 at home

In ESPN’s AFC East standings after Week 5, the Patriots were second behind Buffalo (4-1). The Jets were third and Miami (0-5) was last.

Key Patriots players and stats

NFL.com points to a big turnaround for Maye. He threw for 585 yards, one touchdown and six interceptions, a 58.6 passer rating, over the first three weeks. In the last two games he has 643 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception. Patriots.com says he is the first Patriots player with back-to-back games of at least three touchdown passes since Tom Brady in 2018.

In the team’s official Week 6 preview, New England ranks eighth in the NFL in total offense at 372.4 yards per game and fifth in total defense at 296.2 yards allowed. The Patriots allow 18.8 points per game, fourth in the league. The weak spot is turnovers: New England is at minus-5 for the season. Linebacker Elijah Ponder has had at least half a sack in four straight games.

A.J. Brown returns: Patriots injury report vs. Jets

Brown suffered a high-ankle sprain 30 snaps into his Patriots debut at Seattle and went on injured reserve Sept. 12. He missed four games. Patriots.com notes the team traded a 2028 first-round pick for him in June. He practiced on a limited basis all week and was officially listed as questionable before Saturday’s activation. Earlier in the week, he said his return was “definitely still up in the air” and would be “Coach Vrabel’s decision.” Patriots.com analyst Evan Lazar expects the team to ease Brown back in, because New England plays at Chicago four days later. Maye said Brown’s presence “definitely opens up other parts of the field” for his teammates.

Here is the official Friday injury report for New England:

Out: CB Carlton Davis III (neck), CB Karon Prunty (hamstring)
Questionable: T Marcus Bryant (ankle), T Will Campbell (knee), CB Channing Canada (hamstring), LB Christian Elliss (chest), RB TreVeyon Henderson (ankle), S Craig Woodson (shoulder). Brown was also listed as questionable before he was activated.
No game status: CB Christian Gonzalez (shoulder) is expected to play after missing time. QB Drake Maye (right shoulder) practiced fully all week.

Campbell and Henderson left the Raiders game with injuries. The Patriots didn’t activate Bryant from injured reserve or call up a running back on Saturday. Patriots.com reads that as a sign Campbell and Henderson are trending toward playing. The team also elevated safety Elliott Davison from the practice squad.

For New York, running back Breece Hall (quad), wide receiver Adonai Mitchell (finger), edge rusher Joseph Ossai (ankle) and offensive lineman Dylan Parham (knee) are out. Safety Dane Belton, wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. and tight end Kenyon Sadiq are questionable.

Patriots vs Jets preview: kickoff, TV and matchup

When: Sunday, Oct. 18, 1 p.m. ET
Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.
TV/radio: CBS (WBZ in Boston) and 98.5 The Sports Hub

The official preview calls it a matchup of top-five defenses. New York ranks fourth in total defense at 293.0 yards per game and fourth against the pass. The Jets also have 17 sacks and are plus-3 in turnovers. Their offense has struggled, though. It ranks 26th at 284.0 yards per game and averages 18.6 points. The AP reports that Jets quarterback Geno Smith comes in on a streak without an interception, which could test a Patriots secondary that is missing Davis. With Hall out, Patriots.com expects the Jets to rely on running back Braelon Allen.

History favors New England. The Patriots lead the all-time series 77-56-1, have beaten the Jets three straight times, and are 21-5 against them at Gillette Stadium, including playoffs. Last season New England swept the Jets, finishing with a 42-10 win at MetLife Stadium on Dec. 28, 2025, when Maye threw five touchdown passes. A win Sunday would give the Patriots a 3-0 home record for the first time since 2019 and a 2-0 start in the division.

The schedule tightens right after this game. New England plays at the Chicago Bears on Thursday, Oct. 22, at 8:15 p.m. ET at Soldier Field (Prime Video). The rematch with the Jets is Dec. 27 at MetLife Stadium. Our Patriots 2026 schedule guide covers the rest of the season, including the Munich game and the bye week.

Featured photo: The main entrance and lighthouse at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. Photo by Kenneth C. Zirkel, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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