Ethan Price: "Drake Maye threw 4 touchdown passes on 11 attempts—the kind of efficiency that makes a 28-point margin feel inevitable rather than lucky." Riley Parker: "Bo Melton turned 2 catches into 89 yards and 2 touchdowns—when you're converting that efficiently against coverage, you're not a depth piece anymore, you're a problem for defenses to solve."

28 points separated these two, and Patriots had all of them. Drake Maye was steady for Patriots — 9/11, 242 yards, 4 TD. TreVeyon Henderson did the work on the ground for Patriots — 14 carries, 91 yards, 2 TD. A season best for TreVeyon Henderson. Total yards: Patriots 339, Bills 158.

Talia Morgan: "Jacksonville's two turnovers against a Patriots team playing at 87 percent pass killed any chance this got close—New England's 4 touchdown passes from Drake Maye made the margin look worse than the game felt, but the Jags' giveaways are the reason they're leaving with nothing." Luca Santana: "Jacksonville couldn't run the ball either—60 yards on the ground—so the Jags matched New England's pass-heavy approach and lost the chess match anyway, which tells you everything about where these offenses actually sit right now."

The Patriots beat Jacksonville 34-17 behind Drake Maye's 4 touchdown passes and 310 yards through the air, but the deciding factor was Jacksonville's 2 giveaways against New England's 0. Maye completed 18 of 34 with Jonnu Smith catching 7 for 105 yards and a touchdown, while the Jaguars managed just 171 passing yards and 231 total yards. New England's rushing game barely existed at 14 yards on 5 attempts, yet the Patriots won by 17 anyway, improving to 3-0 while Jacksonville dropped to 2-1.

Nobody wanted to play defence. Patriots won the shootout 42-35. Drake Maye did the damage for Patriots — 17/24, 304 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT. Jonathan Taylor ran it for Colts — 9 carries, 152 yards, 3 TD — in a losing effort. Through the air: Patriots 304, Colts 184.

Riley Parker: "This was a dirge—36 combined points in Week 18, like watching two teams negotiate instead of play. But here's what's weird: the Pats won it entirely through the air, outgaining Miami 218 to 102 passing while getting outrushed 136 to 126, and that asymmetry is what separated a 14-3 team from an 8-9 one—Drake Maye and Hunter Henry just wouldn't let it be close." Elise Carter: "New England's passing game has been the season-long difference, and it showed up exactly when it mattered—a 2 seed doesn't win 14 games on accident, and Miami's 8-9 finish tells you everything about which offense actually scaled."

Dolphins kept it respectable. Patriots still won by 4. Drake Maye threw for Patriots — 21/32, 218 yards, 2 TD. Hunter Henry was the target for Patriots — 11 catches, 113 yards, 1 TD. Hunter Henry has not had a better afternoon this season. Through the air: Patriots 218, Dolphins 102.

Ethan Price: "New England's pass rush—Milton Williams got 2 of the 8 sacks—spent the afternoon in Denver's backfield while Maye threw 4 touchdowns and the Broncos managed 11 rushing yards; that's not a scheme, that's a rout." Caleb Brooks: "Jaylen Waddle was the only Denver pass catcher who showed up—3 catches for 76 yards and a touchdown—which tells you everything about how little help the Broncos' quarterbacks are getting downfield when one receiver has to carry that much of the load in a blowout."