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Mike Vrabel, Drake Maye say Patriots aren’t taking Jets matchup lightly
"There's times when I want to pull the head coaching card out, and kind of run around here, slamming everything, yelling. I really haven't had to."
With the Jets (2-7) coming into New England Thursday night, this matchup should serve as a much easier for the Patriots (8-2) than Sunday’s victory over Tampa Bay.
The latest odds have the Patriots as 12.5 point favorites, with the Jets being without star receiver Garrett Wilson. Along with Wilson being sidelined, New York traded away two staples of their defense in Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams last week.
With everything trending in New England’s favor, some are looking at this as a potential trap game. Oftentimes teams can take things easy when they look at a team with a 2-7 record, especially coming off an important win like the one against the Buccaneers.
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However, head coach Mike Vrabel is proud of his team’s mindset going into Thursday night, with them treating it just like any other game.
“It’s a quick turnaround. These guys are locked in, prepared,” Vrabel said during a press conference on Tuesday. “There’s times when I want to pull the head coaching card out, and kind of run around here, slamming everything, yelling. I really haven’t had to.”
Playing on a Thursday makes this focus and mindset all the more important, as there is uncertainty over who will be able to play.
Along with Vrabel, Drake Maye knows how important this game is, and why the Jets will have extra incentive to get a win here.
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“The Jets are coming off a win, and they’ve got some great players, so we’ve got a tough task,” Maye said in his press conference Tuesday. “They’re coming here wanting to beat in division, we’re wearing whatever jerseys, and they’re gonna have something to play for.”
The Jets have now won two in a row, beating the Bengals and Browns, and have shown that they are capable of putting up points. Maye believes you can’t take any week for granted.
The Patriots will look to improve to 9-2 on the season, and get their “Rivalry Jerseys” off to a good start, as they will debut them Thursday night.
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