The New England Patriots sit comfortably at 9-2, after a 27-14 win over the New York Jets, giving the Jets one more setback in their already derailed campaign. However, the buzz after the game didn’t come from the scoreboard; it was the courtesy of Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez. He drew attention by making a bizarre comment in the post-game press conference.

The reporters asked him a very simple question: What is the difference he feels this team has than the previous Patriots roster?

“We have energy. We bought in, and everybody’s bought in,” Gonzalez responded. “Just coming into work every day and pushing each other. We’re real tight. I feel like, as a team, especially as a defense, we just come in and come to work, and it translates to Sundays.”

He made it pretty clear the team feels more connected now, and this seemed like a quiet shot at the old coaching staff. However, this wasn’t the first time that Christian Gonzalez compared the previous and current versions of the team. When Jerod Mayo was fired, the CB said the locker room was more relaxed, not necessarily in a good way.

“I would say the building got a little more lax. I mean, that might have hurt us. I would probably say it got a little more lax.”

And honestly, it fits. Jerod Mayo’s time with the Patriots was brief, but he was struggling to rebuild the team. The locker room struggled to have one common identity, especially after his “soft football team” statement.

On the other hand, those final Belichick years in New England came with plenty of problems. The team fell from grace, resulting in a 29-38 record from 2020 to 2023. Moreover, in 2022, the offense was run by Matt Patricia, who had been a defensive coach and didn’t have the right background for that role. That led to constant miscommunication between players and the staff. And since the offense kept stalling, the defense was forced to carry the weight.

Therefore, Gonzalez’s comment about the energy and a unified atmosphere had great importance. Overall, if we look at the Patriots’ rebuild journey, they have done a great job on that part, especially after Tom Brady’s era. However, everything is not yet perfect, and Gonzalez acknowledges that as well.

Addressing the Patriots’ slow start issue, he said, “Yeah, just being able to make adjustments. They are going to make adjustments, and we have to make adjustments. So, we have to do better at starting fast.”

But he didn’t forget to appreciate the team efforts.

”Credit to us and the coaches for being able to get the adjustments, and us going out there and executing.”

The Patriots win over the Jets amid Christian Gonzalez’s revelation

The rookie running back, TreVeyon Henderson, proved his importance in the team, as he scored three touchdowns. He has impressed not only the Patriots fans but his quarterback as well. In return, Drake Maye is backing his running back to an extent that he feels they should continue with Henderson even after Rhamondre Stevenson, who is out with a toe injury, returns.

While addressing the media, he said, ”Honestly, don’t fix it if it ain’t broke. I think just him stepping up.”

However, it was a complete team effort by New England, because of which they continue to dominate the AFC East. Drake Maye continued with his MVP-level performance, finishing 25 of 34 for 281 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. In this season, he has a 71.9% completion rate, recording 20 touchdowns in total.

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On the other hand, the Jets continued to struggle; at 2-8, they failed to reach the 100 passing mark for most of the games, and they need serious re-shuffling after the end of this season.

The Patriots will be facing the Bengals next on Sunday at Paycor Stadium.