The Patriots went from being among the NFL's healthiest teams last season to becoming one of its most injured during the first half of this season.
It hasn’t stopped them from winning their first three AFC East games.
Working without wide receiver A.J. Brown and an ever-changing group of offensive linemen, quarterback Drake Maye helped New England's offense figure things out as the Patriots rallied from a 13-3 halftime deficit and through rainy conditions to beat Miami 24-19 on Sunday.
The Patriots (5-3) have won four of five after a 1-2 start. While his team left Sunday with yet another injury — a foot issue for tight end Hunter Henry — coach Mike Vrabel likes the fight his team has shown.
“I learned that if I can keep my composure, I think they’ll keep their composure,” Vrabel said. “I have to do a better job of understanding that they can make some plays and we can make some plays too.”
Maye, who finished 16 of 20 for 199 yards and three total touchdowns (two passing, one rushing), has gone without a turnover in three of the last four games.
Maye said when the Patriots remain composed, they can find a way to win no matter what adjustments they have to make in personnel.
“We just started to finish off drives,” Maye said. “We hit some big ones which helped and we had some catch-and-runs which were nice, but we started running football pretty well. It was nice to see that and then we started playing complementary football.”
A week after rushing for a season-low 70 yards in a loss at Chicago, New England found its running game against the Dolphins, Led by Rhamondre Stevenson’s 19 carries for 82 yards, the Patriots finished with 131 yards. With a 7-yard run in the third quarter, Stevenson became the fourth player in Patriots history to eclipse 4,000 yards rushing for his career (he now has 4,036).
Ball security. Wide receiver Efton Chism fumbled in the first quarter, and the Patriots have a minus-7 turnover differential this season. Only the Indianapolis Colts are worse with a minus-11 differential.
Kyle Williams. The second-year wide receiver continues to make the most of his targets in his second season. His 13 targets and seven receptions this season are the fewest among Patriots receivers. But he is making big plays when he gets the ball. His 43-yard TD reception in the third quarter was his second scoring catch this season of 30-plus yards. All three of his touchdowns during his rookie season also covered at least 30 yards.
Kicker Andy Borregales. His miss from 40 yards Sunday dropped his field goal percentage to 76.9% (10 of 13), including 3 of 5 on attempts of 40-49 yards.
Henry left in the second quarter and did not return. Neither did rookie linebacker Gabe Jacas (knee) following his exit in the third quarter.
27.3 — Williams’ team-leading average yards per reception this season.
The Patriots host Green Bay on Sunday.
See AP’s full NFL coverage here
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel watches as players do drills before an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins in Miami Gardens, Fla., Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
New England Patriots wide receiver Kyle Williams (18) reacts during a replay review as his touchdown was confirmed during the second half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins in Miami Gardens, Fla., Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) stands back to pass as Miami Dolphins linebacker Chop Robinson (44) defends during the first half of an NFL football game in Miami Gardens, Fla., Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Less than 24 hours before polls opened across America, Democrat on Monday fought through to stay focused on the economy amidst intraparty drama in the Midwest, while President Donald Trump promoted construction projects in Washington and cast his Democratic opponents as dangerous.
The dueling closing messages came as the nation's two major parties battled for control of Congress and key governor's offices, which could redefine Trump's final two years in the White House. Democrats remained overwhelmingly optimistic, despite ugly infighting in Michigan, while Trump acknowledged that Tuesday's election may not go well for him or his party.
“For some reason, the sitting president doesn’t win the midterms, but we gave this a very strong shot," Trump said in rambling remarks at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, where he talked extensively about new grass, pipes and algae. “We have a lot of great things planned for Washington, and I could get into the nation, but for that you don’t have enough time.”
The speech at the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall, the same site where Democrat Kamala Harris delivered her final address before Election Day 2024, marked Trump's final scheduled public remarks before Election Day. Separately, the Republican president was scheduled to participate in nine telerallies for Republican midterm candidates.
Democrats, for their part, spent the eve of the election courting voters in areas where Republicans have long dominated, while trying to contain the fallout from a messy intraparty split in Michigan. Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed was brushing aside concerns that his prospects could be hurt after his former primary opponent threw her support behind his Republican opponent Mike Rogers.
“If we’re nervous about where we’re going to go from here, go vote,” El-Sayed said at a campaign event in Ypsilanti, campaigning alongside fellow Michigan Democrat Debbie Dingell and Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
Much of his rally speech featured his push to get corporate money out of politics and establish universal Medicare.
Haley Stevens, whom El-Sayed defeated in the August Democratic primary, endorsed Rogers on Sunday, infuriating Democrats who privately worried the infighting could change the outcome in the high-stakes election, especially if the final tally is close.
Democrats fought through an ugly intra-party fight in battleground Michigan, while President Donald Trump touted his
one side warning of lunatics, jihadists... perhaps laying groundwork to dispute the validity of the elections...
appealed california to scotus, raised prospect of voter fraud in alaska... Said he would potentially pardon Elon Musk...
Optimstic dems tried to stay focused on the cost of living and change, even as a intra-party fight in the high-stakes Michigan race was a major distraction...
Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed has a message for his supporters worried that his former opponent’s endorsement of his Republican rival could hurt his chances.
As Republicans and Democrats were making their final pitch to voters on the eve of Election Day, President Donald Trump opted to forgo the campaign trail and instead focused on his renovations at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, drawing attention to an expensive, problem-plagued repair job in a place far away from most of the people his party wants to persuade.
It was an unusual closing argument for Republicans to keep control of Congress. But it conforms with the way the president has devoted considerable time, attention and money in his second term on beautifying his Washington surroundings.
Trump, wearing a white “USA” hat, even seemed to admit that he had spent much of his time focused on improving the capital city.
“We have a lot of great things planned for Washington, and I could get into the nation, but for that, you don’t have enough time," Trump said.
Instead of focusing on issues voters have said they're worried about, Trump dedicated a large portion of his remarks to his D.C. makeover and the pool, announcing its official re-opening, joking that he wanted to name it after himself, and repeating his false claims that the repair work he ordered was vandalized.
After he finished his remarks on Monday, Trump’s stood silently while triumphant music played and he held up a poster with an image of the previously algae-clogged pool. It was his last public appearance before Election Day.
Vice President JD Vance, meanwhile, hit the campaign trail with more traditional stops in New York and Ohio, where Republicans were fighting for House and Senate seats.
The Reflecting Pool, a long, narrow basin at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial, is one of Washington’s most iconic sites. Martin Luther King, Jr. famously gave his “I Have a Dream” speech from the steps of the memorial in 1963, looking out over the pool.
But this summer it became a focus of Trump's attention, with the president frequently speaking about his plans for the shallow pool on social media, at the White House and beyond. He displayed posters about the project in the Oval Office and even had his motorcade drive him over the resurfaced pool before it was refilled.
The pool was soon clogged with algae blooms, and its “American-flag blue” liner began peeling and floating up in chunks. The Justice Department charged former Olympian David Hearn with intentionally damaging the Reflecting Pool but then dropped the case this summer after determining he was not responsible.
But the president continues to repeat false claims that vandalism — rather than shoddy workmanship — was to blame for a new blue surface peeling away.
On the platform where he spoke Monday, signs were hanging that said “Restoring Our Capitol” and “The Reflecting Pool." A poster perched on a display board showed the reflecting pool under the words, “Back, and more beautiful than ever!”
He waxed on about the particular color blue he selected to have the bottom of the pool painted, the kinds of grass and types of columns he had selected for repairs around Washington, and held up a series of blown-up images of rusted pipes taken during the renovation process.
He then started repeating some of his midterm elections pitch, defending his record and attacking Democratic nominees, before eventually turning back to the pool.
The president's message in the closing days of the midterm campaign was similarly detached from voters' concerns about the high cost of living. He's called affordability a “hoax” while boasting to audiences far from the nation's capital about his renovations of the reflecting pool and the White House, along with repeatedly praising the physiques of the GOP's nominees.
Vance stuck closer to the party message as he campaigned Monday in Rome, New York. As he campaigned for Republican House candidates Kailee Buller and Anthony Constantino, he touted Trump's moves to end taxes on tips and overtime and secure the border while branding Democrats as “lunatics" who have contempt for American voters.
Democratic candidates were working to capitalize on widespread disaffection over high prices, the fallout from Trump's war with Iran and historical trends that typically favor the party out of power in midterm elections.
In places like Iowa, where voters have not elected a Democratic governor in two decades, Democrat Rob Sand was asking canvassers knocking on doors to help break that streak.
“This is it," said Sand, who faces Republican Zach Lahn. "We have 30-whatever hours to change the direction of the state of Iowa.”
He was appearing with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, seen as a potential 2028 presidential candidate, who cited his own races as proof that a Democrat can win over Trump-backed candidates in states like his own and Iowa.
Democrats in Michigan — a key state in their efforts to try to retake the Senate — were trying to keep their coalition together after a shock on Sunday when Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens announced she would back the GOP candidate instead of her party's nominee, appearing at a church service with Mike Rogers.
Stevens — who lost in the primary to Abdul El-Sayed — is a staunch supporter of Israel, while El-Sayed is a fierce critic of the U.S. ally. He has also been criticized for past remarks regarding a Michigan synagogue attack and for appearances with controversial streamer Hasan Piker.
El-Sayed, who campaigned on Monday with fellow Michigan Democrat Debbie Dingell and Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, told supporters worried that Stevens' endorsement could hurt him that “If we’re nervous about where we’re going to go from here, go vote."
Associated Press writer Hannah Fingerhut in Ankeny, Iowa, Mike Householder in Ypsilanti, Michigan and Mike Catalini and Moriah Balingit in Washington contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump speaks in front of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
President Donald Trump speaks in front of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
President Donald Trump speaks in front of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand, surrounded by his running mate Dave Muhlbauer, left, and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, right, speaks to reporters during a canvass launch, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, in Ankeny, Iowa. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)
Vice President JD Vance speaks during for a campaign rally at Griffiss International Airport, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026 in Rome, N.Y. (Tom Brenner/Pool Photo via AP)
Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed speaks during a campaign rally at Eastern Michigan University, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, in Ypsilanti, Mich. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
The podium is seen where President Donald Trump will speak in front of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and the Washington Monument, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
