Jets Need Offense to Awaken as Patriots, Maye Visit in AFC East Test

The New York Jets, ranked 27th in the NFL in scoring, face a Patriots defense allowing the fourth-fewest points in the league Sunday in Foxborough, Massachusetts, in a game both teams need to climb the AFC East standings, according to the New York Post.

The Jets enter at 2-3 after a 17-12 win over the Cleveland Browns last week snapped a three-game losing streak, the Post reported. New England is 3-2 and coming off a 45-point, 536-yard performance against the Las Vegas Raiders.

How bad has the Jets offense been?

New York's offense ranks 26th in yards per game and 27th in points, per the Post. Against Cleveland, the Jets managed only 14 first downs and 142 passing yards. The win was aided by a Browns special-teams mistake — a botched punt snap that handed New York the ball at the 23-yard line — masking an offense that otherwise scored just 10 points, the outlet reported.

Running back Braelon Allen rushed for 116 yards against the Browns, but the Post noted that 108 of those yards came after contact, and Cleveland missed eight tackles on him. The numbers suggest Allen created yardage largely on his own rather than behind consistent blocking.

Wide receiver Tim Patrick said this week that the Jets offense can be the best in the NFL, according to the Post. Sunday's game against a Patriots defense ranked fifth in yards allowed and fourth in points allowed will test that claim.

What makes Drake Maye and the Patriots offense dangerous now?

Quarterback Drake Maye has thrown seven touchdowns against one interception over his past two games, the Post reported. New England's 45-point output against the Raiders came after what the outlet described as early-season issues for the offense.

Jets coach Aaron Glenn acknowledged the challenge New England now presents. "We know that it is going to be a challenge," Glenn said, according to the Post. "Our guys will be ready for it. Tough team, good players. Obviously, [Maye is] a guy that was up for the MVP last year. Actually, the last couple of weeks, man he's been playing really, really well. And the one thing about their offense is they've been pushing the ball down the field."

Maye was in MVP consideration the previous season, Glenn noted, and the quarterback's recent stretch — seven touchdowns, one interception over two games — has coincided with New England stretching the field vertically rather than relying solely on short, efficient throws.

Why does this game matter in the AFC East race?

Both teams sit within one game of each other in the standings, with the Patriots at 3-2 and the Jets at 2-3. A Jets win would pull New York even in the loss column and validate the turnaround that began with last week's victory over Cleveland. A Patriots win would extend New England's advantage and reinforce the trajectory of an offense now averaging explosive output after its early-season struggles, per the Post's reporting on the Raiders game.

For the Jets, the stakes are tied directly to whether the offense can produce against a defense built to limit scoring. New York's recent win total has outpaced its underlying offensive output, and Foxborough presents a tougher measuring stick than Cleveland did.

What to watch Sunday

• Whether Braelon Allen can sustain yardage against a Patriots front without relying on missed tackles, as he did against Cleveland.
• Whether the Jets passing game improves on last week's 142 yards against a Patriots secondary playing within a top-five defense in yards allowed.
• Whether Drake Maye continues his recent touchdown-to-interception pace of seven scores to one pick over his last two outings.
• Whether New England's offense, coming off 45 points and 536 yards against Las Vegas, sustains that production against a Jets defense that has helped New York win two of its last three games.

The game kicks off in Foxborough with the Jets looking to prove Patrick's preseason-style confidence in the offense was not misplaced, and the Patriots looking to show their offensive turnaround against the Raiders was not an outlier.

Artiglio is A coming-soon iPhone chief of staff for briefings and drafts. Not on the App Store yet.