There is a saying in the NFL that many teams live by, even if it isn't always the best mantra, and the Patriots are living that this week with their Week 6 win over the Jets.
"A win is a win," and while that's true, the Patriots still have plenty of takeaways from their divisional matchup to work on for the rest of the season, particularly as they prepare to face the Bears on a short week.
The team that dominated the Raiders in a 45-17 blowout just one week ago looked much different this past weekend. They clearly didn't play anywhere near as poorly as they did in the first few weeks of the season, but two turnovers, multiple receiver drops, and costly penalties were a problem once again.
That was something Mike Vrabel quickly acknowledged after the game, echoing what Patriots fans were likely feeling in the immediate aftermath, amid the glory of three straight wins and another win over the Jets, the division's longtime joke.
To put it simply, the head coach believes they were "probably lucky" to have walked away with a win in Sunday's game.
Mike Vrabel isn't glossing over just how close the Patriots were to losing to the Jets
For the most part, he's not wrong. Most analysts and fans overlooked the Jets because, at the end of the day, they are the Jets.
However, they went into Week 6 with a top-5-ranked defense, led by rookie David Bailey, and quarterback Geno Smith has always been the Patriots' kryptonite, beating them in their last two matchups, first with the Seahawks and then with the Raiders last year.
He could have easily handed them another this week, since the Patriots were starting to self-destruct, a point Vrabel acknowledged, and they'll need to get that under control quickly before it's too late.
“Probably lucky to win,” Mike Vrabel said. He later added: “We tried to beat ourselves.”
— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) October 18, 2026
Sums it up. Pats weren’t good today. But a win is a win. pic.twitter.com/TfYZlV4XR7
That's the kind of luck you can never get tired of, even if the team needs to improve in many areas so games don't end as close or come down to the wire as often.
For the Patriots, that could easily be how the rest of the season goes, with injuries piling up every week and the roster shuffling as a result. That's what happened this week, too: multiple players exited the game with injuries, and now WR Romeo Doubs has joined the long list of players on injured reserve.
It's going to put a lot of pressure on this team to keep delivering and win, with the Bears next on the docket and the odds stacked against them.
That won't be an easy matchup, but now that Chicago is coming off an impressive win over the Falcons, they'll be more motivated to keep that momentum going. The Patriots will want to do the same and prove they can win tough road games this season, despite their poor start.
With so many injuries on offense, Maye will have to show he can overcome the obstacles, lead the team to a win, and, hopefully, help his teammates avoid making the mistakes that could have cost them the win against the Jets.
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