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Nov 13, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots linebacker Anfernee Jennings (33) retrieves the ball after a bad snap by the New York Jets in the fourth quarter at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images David Butler II-Imagn Images

Anfernee Jennings Making Case for Bigger Patriots Role

Originally posted on New England Patriots on SI
By Ethan Hurwitz | Last updated Nov 15, 2025 3:12 PM ET

When the NFL's annual cutdown day rolled around, Anfernee Jennings' name was tossed around as a potential cut candidate for the New England Patriots. Three months later at the trade deadline, the veteran edge rusher was reportedly being shopped around.

The Patriots held onto Jennings at the deadline, who made one of the biggest defensive plays of the game during the team's eighth-straight win, a 27-14 victory over the New York Jets under the primetime lights.

Anfernee Jennings Should Be in the Mix More for Week 12

With 7:34 left in the fourth quarter, and the Patriots nursing a 10-point lead, Justin Fields and the Jets offense trotted out to the field in the hopes of stringing together some sort of drive. On the first snap of the series, Fields took the shotgun snap and immediately dropped it. Instantly, Fields was leveled by cornerback Carlton Davis (who was blitzing on the play) and the ball squirted away.

Jennings looked down and fall the loose football. He fell on it, swinging field position back toward New England's favor and resulted in a field goal — pushing the team's lead to 13, a lead they wouldn't give up.

While the Patriots could have dealt Jennings elsewhere at the deadline, the team that drafted him out of Alabama in 2020 stuck with the rotational player. He'd been lost in the defensive end/edge rusher shuffle this season, with free agents K'Lavon Chaisson and Harold Landry being added into the mix. With both of those players excelling and eating into his playing time, Jennings had been relegated to more of a reserve role.

But on Thursday Night Football, with defensive tackle Milton Williams being ruled out with an ankle injury, it opened the door for the Patriots to utilize Jennings more in the passing and running games. He recorded just a single tackle, but his timely recovery helped put the game on ice.

Now with Williams reportedly being on the mend for the next few weeks with what ESPN called a high ankle sprain, Jennings could be seeing a larger role as the team preps for the stretch run ahead of their playoff push.

"You never know when your opportunity is to be called," linebacker Robert Spillane said postgame. "Our defensive line throughout has been preparing as a starter. I can't say enough great things about those guys in front of me. They have been eating up double teams all year, making plays in the backfield. Just been a really solid defensive line, no matter who it is in front of me. Whether it's our starting defensive line or our second defensive line, they are rotating all game long, and it's fun to have those fresh bodies in front of you."

Jennings was reportedly happy to remain in New England after the deadline, and now that he's finding some space to carve his name onto the stat sheet, that's likely to make him (and the Patriots) even happier.

This article first appeared on New England Patriots on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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