2) Mei sees the arrow pointing back up
Drake Mays has had a stellar year and leads the league in completion percentage (71.0) and passing yards (3,130) entering Week 13. If he continues to pace all passers in both categories by the end of the season, he will join the list of notable Hall of Famers and future Hall of Famers who have accomplished such a feat since the 1980s: Drew Brees (2011), Tom Brady (2007), Peyton Manning (2003), Kurt Warner (2001) and Brett Favre (1998). Two weeks ago, he had a five-game streak with multiple TD passes. He threw only one ball against the Jets in Week 11, then threw a pick for his lone touchdown in Week 12 versus the Bengals. The Patriots were barely able to get into it, and it’s a testament to how well their season has gone that the narrow win – the team’s ninth in a row – was causing some nervousness within the fan base. While New England is in great shape and the biggest concern is closing out holes, a player of Maye’s caliber would rather go back to another world than just a good one, especially after facing the worst defense in the NFL with its worst passer rating (87.1) since Week 1. New York’s D has also proven to be easy to expose, and one of the most dangerous things about New England’s offense is that guys never know where the output is going to come from. Sometimes it’s a tight end day, like it was last week when Hunter Henry had 115 yards and a score with seven catches. Other times, it’s a steady dose of Stefon Diggs or a deep-ball attack by Keyshon Boutte. Rookie running back Trevion Henderson has also been involved more and more recently. Hopefully for the Patriots, whoever’s turn it is on Sunday coincides with Maye returning to MVP form.
3) Charlie Bullen watches his first game as interim DC
New York is not sitting still as the season goes on after firing head coach Brian Daboll. After another late collapse, interim coach Mike Kafka fired the defensive coordinator and replaced him with outside linebackers coach Charlie Bullen. This was a step that had to be taken at some point. Despite giving up the second-most amount of cap space on the defensive side of the ball in 2025, the Giants have allowed 27.8 points per game and 385 yards per game, both of which rank 30th in the NFL. Perhaps it makes sense to elevate Bullen on an interim basis, given that the pass-rushing group he was responsible for is doing its job. Although Kayvon Thibodeaux is out with a shoulder injury, Brian Burns has 13 sacks on the season, trailing only the Browns’ Myles Garrett through 12 weeks. Rookie Abdul Carter only has 0.5 sacks, but his 43 pressures stand up very well next to Burns’ 44. He’s getting to the QB and creating tension, just not getting home. Bullen will now have to spread his focus beyond the edge to an interior defense that allows the most rushing yards in the league, a secondary that ranks in the bottom third against the pass and an overall unit that often scores late in games. This will be the first Test against the No. 4 who will be aggressive with the bat.
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