Week 3 pregame: No more boogeyman
Everything you need to know ahead of tonight's game between the Jets and Patriots. Plus, weekly odds and game predictions!
What’s Up with the Jets? 🛩️
The Jets (1-1) will face-off with the Patriots (1-1) for the first time tonight in their home opener at MetLife Stadium
New York will look to win their first home game against the Patriots since the 2015-16 season
CBs D.J. Reed (knee) and Michael Carter II (ankle) did not have injury designations and will be active for tonight’s game
The Jets have the only offensive line in the NFL to have zero accepted holding penalties over the first two games this season
Former Jets Nick Mangold, Tony Richardson, Antonio Cromartie, John Abraham, Brandon Marshall and James Farrior were among 167 modern-day players to be nominated to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025
Injury Report 🏥
❔ QUESTIONABLE
LB C.J. Mosley (toe)
Today’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Jets (1-1) vs. Patriots (1-1)
Where: MetLife Stadium – East Rutherford, NJ
When: Thursday, 8:15 PM EDT
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video
The Odds 🎲
ESPN Analytics: Jets 66.5% chance to win
Line: Jets -6
Over/Under: 38.5 points
Postseason Odds: -170
⬇️ from -170 last week
Super Bowl Odds: +1500
🔁 unchanged from last week
Our Predictions 🔮
Rich MacLeod
Patriots PTSD is certainly real – Ras and I talked about this in our most recent podcast – but the more I strip my emotions away and think logically, it’s hard to see the Jets losing this game at this stage of their season. The Patriots have played a lot better than we’ve all expected, but they’re no great team. They played both of their games at home, a place they’ve historically had a much bigger advantage, and are incredibly one-dimensional on offense. Jacoby Brissett is a solid veteran, but he has no mobility at this moment of his career and no true wide receiver weapons that scare you. It’s essential the running game and Hunter Henry, and that’s about it.
While the Jets got lit up by the Niners and started slow in Tennessee, their defense – specifically in the run game – started finding their footing vs a really good rushing team in the Titans on Sunday. New York held Titans running back Tony Pollard to just 3.6 yards per carry last week, while Tyjae Spears was even worse a 3.3 per carry.
New England also isn’t going to do anything that surprises the Jets coaching staff on offense. They’re a pretty straight-forward running team with not much trickery involved, and they’ve run sets with an extra sixth offensive lineman in nearly 20 percent of their snaps this season. I think the Jets defense, even on another short week, will come ready to play against a non-exotic rushing attack. And if their offense under Aaron Rodgers continues to shake the rust off and scores early on, this is not the type of Patriots team that is built to come-from-behind.
The uniforms may still scare us, but the boogeymen have left the building.
Score: Jets 24, Patriots 13
Ryan Marcone
The schedule makers have done the Jets zero favors early in the season, as the team is set to somehow play their third game in just ten days, against an all too familiar opponent in the New England Patriots. I'm predicting an ugly game in this one against a New England defense who has been very stout through two weeks, led by budding star pass rusher Keion White. The Jets will have their hands full keeping White off Aaron Rodgers, and on the other side of the ball will have to contend with the one two rushing punch of Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson, who provide a thunder and lightning style tandem in the backfield. The defense will have to play bend but not break here, as Jacoby Brissett will not throw the game away to the Jets like Will Levis did, but I ultimately think the home opener crowd gives the Jets just enough fuel to get over the top against our hated rival. Ugly wins are still wins, but that line of Jets -6 is way too friendly.
Score: Jets 19, Patriots 16
Ras Guevara
As I was lying in bed earlier this week, suffering from a bad case of Patriots PTSD and repeatedly mouthing, “The Jets are 1-6 under Saleh on short rest,” a realization came to me: Braelon Allen cannot legally buy alcohol for another four months. The youngest player in the NFL, along with his fellow Killer Bee partner, Breece Hall, will be critical in helping to carry the offense until the passing game rounds into form.
The Jets’ overall rushing efficiency is only 20th in the league, but when you factor in their efforts in blitz pickup and catches out of the backfield, their importance becomes clear. In fact, Breece leads the Jets in receptions (12), is second in targets (14) to Garrett Wilson (17), and is third in yards. Braelon is 4th in targets (5), receptions (3), and yards (32), despite only playing extensively in one game. The Jets' running efficiency is barely scratching the surface of what it could be, but their role as Aaron’s safety valves has been a key reason they’ve scored three touchdowns in back-to-back weeks.
These numbers will likely decrease as Mike Williams rounds into form — he played 37 snaps last game and completely changed the look and feel of the offense when he was in the game. The same goes for when Tyler Conklin remembers he can still catch the ball. Meanwhile, Rodgers gets the luxury of shaking off the rust behind one of the best offensive line units in the NFL, which will face a Patriots pass rush that has struggled to generate much pressure. Through the first two weeks of the season, they’ve posted the 3rd lowest pressure rate in the league at 24.1%. Look for the continued evolution of our offense to keep leveling up against the Patriots.
Score: Jets 21, Patriots 7
Mark Levine
It's like déjà vu all over again, as Yogi Berra would say. The key on the defensive side of the ball yet again this week will be the run defense. PFF grades the Jets as the 28th best run defense so far this season, and Rhamondre Stevenson is averaging 100 yds/game. The Patriots seem pretty one dimensional thus far, so the Jets should be looking to completely sell out to stop the run and force Jacoby Brissett to beat them. The loss of Jermaine Johnson will hurt an already thin pass rush a lot, but getting out to an early lead could be a recipe for some coverage sacks. The Patriots haven't committed a turnover yet this season, and if no pressure can be put on Brissett then that streak will most likely continue.
Coming off back-to-back three-touchdowns weeks by the offense, the Jets need to have a hot start out of the gate to keep the momentum going. The crowd at the first home game of the season should help with that. The Patriots' defense held both the Bengals and the Seahawks to just 70 and 46 rushing yards respectively, but neither of those teams have a two-headed monster in Breece Hall and Braelon Allen. Rodgers should continue to shake the rust off and get more comfortable behind this much improved offensive line. I guarantee I will eventually pick the Jets to lose, but this week is not that week.
Score: Jets 24, Patriots 10
Payback for all the years of being kicked around pretty regularly by the evil empire, will hopefully start a new trend as the saying goes, payback is a.... Well we all know the rest! Beat them so bad it ruins the rest of their season!