6 winners and losers from the Patriots' win over the Jets

The New England Patriots returned to the win list with a 25-22 victory over the New York Jets in Week 8, improving to 2-6 on the year.

Here you can find out who caught our attention during the live broadcast, for better or for worse.

winner

QBs Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye: The rookie quarterback from New England continued to impress in three appearances before exiting with a concussion. Maye's biggest impact came with his legs as he beat New York as a scrambler with a total of 46 yards on three carries – including a 17-yard touchdown run. As a passer, Maye completed just 3 of 6 passes for 23 yards, but had impressive throws – including an outside-of-structure deep throw – that was blocked by two receivers.

As for Brissett, the veteran deserves kudos for leading New England to victory. Although it was a slow start with some repeat errors early in the season, Brissett had one of the best throws of the day against Kayshon Boutte downfield to help get the go-ahead run.

TE Hunter Henry: One of his reliable pass catchers was tight end Hunter Henry. On National Tight Ends Day, Henry rushed for 45 yards on a team-high five receptions. That included a 12-yard completion on 3rd-and-11 on New England's final field goal drive before another 12-yard catch kicked off the game-winning drive.

CB Christian Gonzalez: Gonzalez had the duel against Davante Adams and won it easily. According to Next Gen Stats, New England's top cornerback faced Adams on 23 of 29 tackles and allowed just one catch for 16 yards. This only catch came on the last play of the game. Gonzalez also had an impressive PBU on a slant near the goal line to force a field goal.

PR Marcus Jones: Jones' work as a punt returner sparked New England's offense after the quarterback change. With Brissett standing behind center, the Patriots felt like they needed a big play from their defense or special teams. Jones scored the game-winning touchdown with a 62-yard punt return in the third quarter, helping set up a touchdown.

loser

CB Marcus Jones: However, it was an all-round eventful day for Jones, who took over as the No. 2 cornerback. As the opponent of Christian Gonzalez, who drew against Davante Adams, Jones saw plenty of Garrett Wilson throughout the day. Wilson finished the game with a game-high 113 yards on five catches – all against Jones.

Wide receiver: As mentioned, New England's pass catchers had a lot of trouble catching the ball on Sunday. Tyquan Thornton and Kayshon Boutte dropped the aforementioned passes from Maye, while Boutte then hit the turf (a little behind him) on another ball that should have been caught. Kendrick Bourne also had two close passes on the pitch.

“I have to play better. I hated this game. I just played so badly,” Bourne said after the game. “I need to make more plays and as a group we just need to focus on that.”

We give credit to Boutte and Thornton for converting crucial third downs on the final two scoring drives, but New England needs more from this group.

Honorable Mentions

• New England's ground game continued to be difficult overall, as their defenders managed just 54 yards on 25 carries. However, Rhamondre Stevenson found the end zone twice – including the game-winner (where he then added a two-point conversion).
• The pass protection seemed to take another step forward. It was the first time this season (Week 6) that New England started with the same starting five as a previous game, and the group left the game healthy – which should continue to lead to increased continuity.
• Credit goes to defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington, who turned heads on Sunday. Covington opted for more single-high structures and cover-zero looks against Rodgers, which helped New England's defense get off the field in crucial moments.
• New England's run defense was also better, although New York totaled 1,128 yards on 28 carries (4.0 YPA). Davon Godchaux noted that the unit has gone back to basics, which appears to have helped them take a step in the right direction.
• After Jones' punt return, the Patriots allowed Xavier Gipson to take the first punt 40 yards the other way. Second week in a row with an explosive return against.