This was one of those games where I’m grateful to be in Portugal and not catching it in real time. I have Rhamondre Stevenson in one league unfortunately, but none of the prominent players on the Jets (who I don’t have) went crazy, either. And I finally got a Thursday night ATS win in the books. I probably should have used it in the Circa Millions, but I hate submitting the whole slate on Thursday.
Aaron Rodgers looks sharp at 40 still. He even moved well in the pocket and scrambled for some yards. The Jets might actually be good.
Breece Hall is getting the requisite work (16 carries, five targets), but Braelon Allen (11 carries, 3 targets) looks more or less just as good. On the one hand, Hall won’t dominate the workload the way say Jonathan Taylor or Saquon Barkley might on their respective teams, but on the other, he’ll stay fresh and still get plenty. If Hall goes down, Allen is probably a top-five back instantly.
Rodgers spread the ball around, but the Jets tree is pretty narrow: Garrett Wilson, Allen Lazard, Mike Williams, Tyler Conklin and the backs. Wilson had a modest game, but it was a good sign they kept going to him and eventually got him the TD (while he was covered by top corner Christian Gonzalez) even with a big lead.
Conklin looks like a top-10 TE right now. I’d expect Williams to overtake Lazard before long as the team’s No. 2 wideout. He’s just better and more explosive.
There’s not much to say about the Pats. Antonio Gibson looked okay after Stevenson was pulled following his fumble. DeMario Douglas took Hunter Henry’s place as the lone productive pass catcher. Maybe you could use one of those two in a pinch.
It’s time to see more of Drake Maye who looked comfortable and confident in mop-up duty. The circumstances are rough, but Jacoby Brissett is best suited as a stop-gap game-manging backup, not someone who should block real prospect.