It was a chilly Sunday at MetLife Stadium on December 28, 2025, as the New York Jets and New England Patriots squared off in a Week 17 NFL matchup that carried significant playoff implications for the visitors and a chance at redemption for the hosts. Fans braved the cold, hoping for a memorable chapter in what has been a lopsided rivalry for nearly a decade. With the Patriots sitting at a formidable 12-3 and the Jets limping in at 3-12, the stakes and expectations couldn’t have been more different.
Historically, the Patriots have dominated this matchup, winning all but two meetings since 2016. The shadow of Tom Brady may have faded, but New England’s stranglehold on the Jets has remained firm, and rookie quarterback Drake Maye has quickly stepped into the spotlight as the franchise’s new hope. Maye, in just his second season, has put up numbers worthy of MVP chatter—completing a league-high 70.9% of his passes for 3,947 yards, 25 touchdowns, and only eight interceptions. Patriots fans have every reason to be excited about their future under center.
On the other side, the Jets have spent the season searching for answers at quarterback. Brady Cook, pressed into service, has managed just one touchdown against six interceptions in his recent starts. The offense has sputtered, and the defense has struggled to keep games close. Still, amid a dismal campaign, there have been glimmers of hope—most notably from running back Breece Hall, who entered the game with 954 rushing yards, just 46 shy of his first career 1,000-yard season. Hall’s journey has been a rare bright spot, especially after falling heartbreakingly short of the milestone in 2023 due to a miscalculation by the coaching staff.
One of the marquee matchups of the afternoon was Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs against Jets cornerback Brandon Stephens. Diggs, at 32, may not be lighting up the stat sheet quite like his prime years with Minnesota or Buffalo, but his 76 receptions for 869 yards and three touchdowns this season remain impressive. Diggs and Maye have forged a strong connection, providing the Patriots with a reliable weapon on the outside. As Jets coach Aaron Glenn said, "He’s always been a high-level receiver in this league for a long time. When he was in Minnesota to now, that doesn’t change. He’s smart, he’s confident, he’s highly, highly competitive. He understands how to win in zone and man coverage, and when you have a receiver of that caliber, usually the career kind of results in that of their yardage and the catches that they have, and he’s been doing that for a while."
Stephens, who joined the Jets in March on a three-year, $36 million deal, was initially pegged to play opposite Sauce Gardner. But after Gardner’s trade to the Colts, Stephens became the team’s top cornerback. While he’s allowed six touchdowns this season and remains without an interception, his steady presence has kept the secondary from completely unraveling. However, the Jets’ defense has set an unwanted NFL record—no interceptions through 15 games, a truly staggering statistic in today’s pass-happy league.
For the Patriots, the stakes were clear: clinch the AFC East with a win and a Buffalo Bills loss. The oddsmakers had New England as 13.5-point favorites, and most models—including SportsLine’s 10,000 simulations—gave the Jets just a 25% chance to win. The Patriots’ offense has been humming, ranking fifth in the league with 370.1 yards per game, while their defense sits sixth, allowing just 302.1 yards per contest. On the ground, TreVeyon Henderson has chipped in with 776 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, providing balance and taking pressure off Maye.
The Jets, meanwhile, have struggled on both sides of the ball. Offensively, they rank dead last in passing yards per game (145.9) and fifth-worst in points scored (18.8 per outing). Their defense has been leaky, surrendering 28.4 points per game, third-worst in the NFL. The turnover margin has been a glaring issue, sitting at a league-worst -18, with only four takeaways all season compared to 22 giveaways.
Injuries have further hampered the Jets’ aerial attack. Top receiver Garrett Wilson, limited to seven games before a mid-October injury, leads the team with just 395 yards. Mason Taylor, the next man up, is sidelined with a neck injury, leaving Breece Hall as the team’s third-leading receiver heading into the final two games. The likelihood of a Jets receiver eclipsing 500 yards this season is slim—a feat not seen since 1976.
As the game unfolded, all eyes were on the Patriots’ playoff pursuit and the Jets’ quest to avoid another ignominious milestone. A loss would mark the fifth time in franchise history the Jets dropped 13 games in a season, putting them alongside the infamous teams of 1995, 1996, 2020, and 2021. Their point differential of minus-144 entering the contest was already among the worst in team history, with the potential to sink even lower by season’s end.
Patriots coach and players, aware of the stakes, entered the game with focus and determination. As Jets coach Aaron Glenn observed about Maye’s confidence, "He feels like he can take over a game with his arm, and you see that in a number of different situations. Especially these end-of-half, end-of-game situations. He wants the ball in his hand and they manage the game so he can have that opportunity. That goes to show how much confidence they have in him."
The betting world took notice, with the Patriots listed at -1055 on the money line and the Jets as +675 underdogs. The over/under was set at 42.5 points, reflecting expectations of a high-scoring affair. Projections varied, with SportsLine’s model predicting a 28-17 Patriots victory, while other analysts saw an even wider margin.
For fans in the stands and at home, the game was broadcast on FOX, with streaming available on FOX One. The Patriots’ faithful hoped for a clinched division and momentum heading into the playoffs, while Jets supporters clung to the hope of a surprise performance or at least a personal milestone for Breece Hall.
As the final whistle approached, the narrative remained clear: the Patriots looked every bit the playoff contender, led by a poised young quarterback and a balanced attack, while the Jets continued to search for answers and a spark to carry into the offseason. Whether Hall reached his 1,000-yard milestone or the Jets managed to avoid another unwanted record, the outcome would shape the stories told about this season for years to come.
With one game left on the schedule, the Patriots are eyeing the postseason, and the Jets are left to regroup and rebuild. The rivalry rolls on, but for now, New England’s dominance remains the headline in the AFC East.