3 Biggest X-Factors For Patriots to Shut Down Jets in Week 6

The New England Patriots will be taking on the New York Jets this weekend, with the team looking to win its third straight game.

After a slow start to the season, New England has started to round into form, looking like the team that reached the Super Bowl last year. Part of this has been due to the turnaround from quarterback Drake Maye over the last few weeks.

Maye looked like a shell of himself to open the new season, but over the last two weeks, he has steadied the ship. Much of the Patriots' success is based on how Maye plays, and he's given this team some life.

New England enters this game with New York sitting with a record of 3-2, while the Jets are 2-3 on the year. Both teams understand how big of a game this is, with bragging rights and a divisional win on the line.

Here are three of the bigger X-Factors for the Patriots to keep the winning streak going against the Jets this week:

1. Slowing Down Garrett Wilson

One way for the Patriots to be put into a strong position to win is by them slowing down Jets star wide receiver Garrett Wilson, which is easier said than done. For the year, Wilson has caught 31 passes for 374 yards and three scores, including him going over 100 yards last week.

However, the Patriots will be getting back star cornerback Christian Gonzalez for this game, which should help out with this quest. Gonzalez will get the brunt of matchups with Wilson, and this could determine a lot in the outcome of the game.

2. Limit the Penalties

One easy way for the Patriots to lose this game is for them to beat themselves with penalties. Against the Las Vegas Raiders last week, New England committed 16 penalties for 112 yards.

Going up against the Jets, New England will need to clean this up. If they can avoid penalties, the Patriots have enough to take down New York.

3. Drake Maye Continues Resurgence

For the Patriots, this is easily the biggest part of the game this week for them to come out on top. Maye has to keep up his strong play against a feisty Jets defense, limiting turnovers on the field.

New York has the talent to get after Maye, and he has shown to be turnover-prone whenever he gets pressured, so the quarterback will need to hold onto the ball. If Maye can keep his performance going strong this week, New England should be able to come away with the win.