AFC EAST CHAMPIONS. Say it again. AFC EAST CHAMPIONS. The New England Patriots clinched the division title with a devastating, absolutely merciless 42-10 demolition of the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. This wasn't a football game — this was a statement. This was a coronation.
Where do you even start with a performance like this? How about 498 total yards of offense? Six touchdowns? A running game that racked up 201 yards and made the Jets' defense look like it was stuck in mud? The Patriots came out with their foot on the gas and never let up. From the opening drive to the final whistle, this was total domination in every sense of the word.
The defense matched the offense's intensity with three forced turnovers that turned an already lopsided game into a full-blown embarrassment for New York. Every time the Jets tried to get something going, the Patriots ripped the ball away. The pass rush was terrorizing. The secondary was suffocating. It was a complete defensive performance against a division rival on their own turf.
Drake Maye looked like he was having the time of his life out there, and why wouldn't he? He just led this team to a division championship. The kid from North Carolina is officially the king of the AFC East, and the rest of the division better figure out an answer real quick because he's not going anywhere.
Division champs. Playoff-bound. And the best might still be ahead. Pats Nation, this is OUR year. Let's go get that Lombardi.