Patriots Beat Jets 26-19 as Drake Maye Throws 3 TDs, Win Streak Hits Three

Final: Patriots 26, Jets 19. The New England Patriots beat the New York Jets 26-19 on Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. Drake Maye threw three touchdown passes and New England held on after a recovered onside kick in the final seconds. The win is the Patriots’ third straight. It lifts them to 4-2 overall and 3-0 at home, while the Jets fall to 2-4, according to ESPN’s box score.

Photo: Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, home of the New England Patriots. “Patriots preseason 2007” by jmwests, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY 2.0; cropped.

How the Patriots Beat the Jets: Scoring Summary

New England built a 17-3 halftime lead, saw it shrink to four points in the third quarter, then answered in the fourth. The official Patriots.com scoring summary lists the scoring as follows:

• 1st quarter: Jets: Jason Sanders 42-yard field goal at the end of a 13-play drive (NYJ 3-0).
• 1st quarter: Patriots: Maye to Romeo Doubs, 42-yard touchdown on a two-play drive; Andy Borregales kick (NE 7-3).
• 2nd quarter: Patriots: Borregales 32-yard field goal (NE 10-3).
• 2nd quarter: Patriots: Maye to DeMario Douglas, 9-yard touchdown just before halftime (NE 17-3).
• 3rd quarter: Jets: Geno Smith to rookie Omar Cooper Jr., 48-yard touchdown; Sanders kick (NE 17-10).
• 3rd quarter: Jets: Sanders 36-yard field goal after a Patriots fumble (NE 17-13).
• 4th quarter: Patriots: Maye to Hunter Henry, 7-yard touchdown; extra point missed (NE 23-13).
• 4th quarter: Jets: Sanders 40-yard field goal (NE 23-16).
• 4th quarter: Patriots: Borregales 27-yard field goal with 1:12 left (NE 26-16).
• 4th quarter: Jets: Sanders 36-yard field goal with 32 seconds left (NE 26-19).

Key Plays: Spillane’s Stop, Woods’ Interception and the Onside Kick

The Jets moved the ball well on the opening drive, but a touchdown was wiped out by offensive pass interference and they settled for a field goal. In the second quarter, linebacker Robert Spillane stuffed Braelon Allen to force a turnover on downs in field-goal range, and the Jets failed on another fourth down on the next drive, Patriots On SI reported. Later, an Elijah Ponder sack forced New York to kick a field goal instead of going for a tying touchdown.

Turnovers kept the Jets in the game. David Bailey stripped running back TreVeyon Henderson in the third quarter and Jamien Sherwood recovered. In the fourth, Sherwood punched the ball loose from Douglas at the end of a 40-yard catch. Both turnovers led to Jets field goals.

The biggest defensive play came early in the fourth quarter. Cornerback Charles Woods intercepted a deep pass from Smith. It was Woods’ first NFL interception and the first interception Smith had thrown all season. After the Jets’ late field goal, their onside kick bounced off wide receiver A.J. Brown’s hands, but Douglas fell on the ball to seal the win, NBC Sports reported.

Standout Stats: Maye Matches a Brady Mark

• Drake Maye: 18 of 32 for 235 yards, 3 touchdowns, no interceptions and no sacks. He is the first Patriots quarterback since Tom Brady in 2014 to throw three touchdown passes in three straight games.
• DeMario Douglas: 7 catches, including a 9-yard touchdown and a 40-yard gain, plus the onside-kick recovery.
• Hunter Henry: converted key third downs and caught a 7-yard touchdown. That ties him with Russ Francis (28) for third-most touchdowns by a Patriots tight end.
• Corey Kiner: 11 carries for 57 yards. He helped close out the game, and the late clock-killing drive that ended in the last field goal leaned on the run, according to 98.5 The Sports Hub.
• A.J. Brown: 3 catches on 10 targets for 27 yards in his home debut. He had several drops, and a first-half catch was overturned on a Jets challenge.
• Andy Borregales: 2 of 2 on field goals (32 and 27 yards); 2 of 3 on extra points.

Patriots Injuries: Offensive Line Hit Hard

The offensive line didn’t allow a sack, even though three starters left the game. Right tackle Morgan Moses left with an ankle injury and was replaced by rookie Caleb Lomu. Guard Alijah Vera-Tucker left with a hamstring injury. Both were ruled out in the second half. Guard Ben Brown later left holding his right knee and was replaced by Walter Rouse. Receiver Romeo Doubs went to the locker room with a shoulder injury after his diving touchdown catch and did not return. Updates on all of them will matter on a short week.

What It Means for the Patriots’ Record

At 4-2, New England has won three straight after a 1-2 start and is unbeaten at home. The win also counts as an AFC East victory over the Jets, who drop to 2-4. For more on the season, see our Patriots-Raiders recap, our Jets game preview and the full 2026 Patriots schedule, or visit our Patriots team page and Boston Sports hub.

Next Up: Patriots at Bears on Thursday Night Football

The Patriots play again in four days. They visit the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Thursday, Oct. 22, at 8:15 p.m. ET on Prime Video, according to the NFL’s Thursday Night Football schedule. The Jets host the Miami Dolphins next Sunday.

Postgame Reaction

When this recap was published, no verified transcripts of Mike Vrabel’s or Drake Maye’s postgame news conferences were available from the team or major outlets. We’ll add sourced quotes once they’re published.

Sources

• ESPN: Patriots 26-19 Jets (Oct 18, 2026) Final Score
• Patriots.com: Jets at Patriots Scoring Summary
• NBC Sports / ProFootballTalk: Patriots beat Jets 26-19, extend winning streak to three games
• Patriots On SI: 6 Instant Takeaways from Patriots’ Uneasy 26-19 Win Over Jets
• 98.5 The Sports Hub: Patriots hold off Jets for 26-19 home win
• NFL.com: Charles Woods’ first NFL interception
• NFL.com: 2026 Thursday Night Football Schedule