Nov 13, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) and New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields (7) react after the game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Why Jets’ Offense Changed After Opening TD Vs. Patriots

Originally posted on New York Jets on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Nov 14, 2025 8:42 AM ET

The New York Jets had a dominant first drive of the game on Thursday night against the New England Patriots. But, what happened afterward?

New York received the ball to open the first half. From there, the Jets would march down the field in 14 plays culminating in a Justin Fields rushing touchdown to open the scoring. The drive carved off 8:04 of game time and seemed like a good strategy. The offense was unpredictable and was run-heavy, but Fields also completed two passes.

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Fields went 2-for-3 on the first drive for 16 yards. On top of that, he had 28 yards on the ground. Breece Hall had 17 rushing yards and Isaiah Davis had 11 rushing yards. It sounds very run-heavy, which it was, but there were option plays involved and the offense looked good, but strayed away from the playstyle a bit the rest of the way. Jets head coach Aaron Glenn explained why that was the case after the game.

The Jets showed some upside against the Patriots

"We don’t want to make a habit of our quarterbacks continuing to run because we can put them in harm’s way,” Glenn said. “The plan was to get the ball. And I wanted to get it first. I want the offense to get the ball first. The reason why is when you look at how they've operated, they've had six times their defense on the field, it was three touchdowns and two field goals. I felt like if we got a fast start we’ll be in a good position."

Overall, Fields finished the game with 11 carries for 67 yards and one touchdown on the ground. He was 15-of-26 in the air for 116 yards and a touchdown.

The Jets started and ended Thursday night's matchup against the Patriots with drives that moved down the field. New York's final drive of the night went for 50 yards on 12 plays in 4:39 before turning it over on downs. In both cases, the Jets' offense was mixing it up between the passing and running game and Fields was a threat.

The same can be said about the third quarter touchdown drive, although that was pass-heavy. But, the balance did have some success against the Patriots, but now they need to find a way forward and make it consistent across more than just the three drives.

This article first appeared on New York Jets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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