Following the 34–10 blowout that the New England Patriots suffered against the Tennessee Titans, the Patriots had the luxury of having a bye week. Most of the talk around the city was that this Patriots team is not as talented as those in years past and that they would be unable to make another deep playoff run. Aside from the team as a whole, it was also widely speculated that Rob Gronkowski was unhealthy and would never again be the same. To their benefit, the Patriots came out of the bye week with a road matchup against the New York Jets.
Right off the bat, the Patriots made it clear that they are better than what they showed in their previous game and that Gronkowski still had plenty left in the tank. On their second drive, they methodically drove down the field through the passing game. Chris Hogan and Josh Gordon each caught more than 20-yard passes, putting the Patriots inside the 40-yard line. Tom Brady then threw a 34-yard pass to Gronkowski, who made a spectacular catch which was a good touchdown. Gronkowski would go on to end his day with three catches for 56 yards and the TD, while also making a huge difference blocking for Sony Michel. It was arguably Rob Gronkowski’s best game of the season and it will be interesting to see if this could continue going forward.
In the second half, the Patriots really opened things up. Brady threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Julian Edelman after a 27-yard run from James White. Gordon made a big catch on the very next drive, setting things up nicely for Michel who ran it in for a game-clinching touchdown as the Patriots defeated the Jets 27–13. He had the best game of his young career as he ran the ball 21 times for a total of 133 yards and a touchdown. It appeared that the Patriots’ strong running game opened things up for the passing game and it is imperative that they keep it that way throughout the end of the season. 
Perhaps the most encouraging take away from this game was the offensive production the Patriots have when everyone is healthy. Edelman, Gordon, Gronkowski, and Hogan all had more than 45 yards for the first time this year. Never mind their actual stats, while watching the game it was evident that they were all getting open and playing well together. Gordon is still slowly but surely learning the offense, while Edelman is still trying to get back to his normal form. They each took a huge step in the right direction against the Jets, and it is only going to continue to get better. Hogan has not lived up to expectations this season, but that is because he was being asked to do too much. He is not a top receiver or even a number two, so he is not going to be much of a threat in either of those spots. However, when he is the fourth option as he was against the Jets, he is able to thrive. With five games remaining on the schedule, the Patriots will be focused on trying to be the top seed in the AFC.