Following a nail-biting victory in their last game, the New York Jets will look to move to 2-1 on the season in their home opener against the New England Patriots (1-1) on Thursday Night at MetLife Stadium.
Since 2015, the Jets have struggled against the Patriots, winning only two of the 18 games against their AFC East rival. However, these are two very different Jets and Patriots teams.
This season marks the first for new Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo, who takes over for the legendary Bill Belichick. Mayo led his team to a Week 1 upset victory over the Bengals in Cincinnati but could not overtake the Seahawks this past Sunday, falling 23- 20 in overtime.
After a tough week 1 loss to the 49ers, the Jets bounced back with a 24-17 victory over the Tennessee Titans.
Jets vs. Patriots Week 3 viewing information, odds
- Date: Thursday, Sept. 19
- Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
- Venue: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
- TV: Amazon Prime Video
- Spread: Jets -6.5 (courtesy of DraftKings)
- Over/Under: 38
- Jets Moneyline: -225
- Patriots Moneyline: +278
At quarterback, Aaron Rodgers will look to fare better than he did his last time playing at MetLife, having tore his Achilles only four plays into his Jets debut. In his first two games, the 40-year-old has shown flashes of his former self but will look to break out against a lackluster Patriots defense.
So far this season, Rodgers has thrown for 343 yards, three touchdowns, and only one interception. On the other side, it will be Jacoby Brissett getting the start for the Pats while the No. 3 overall pick from the 2024 Draft, Drake Maye, continues to prepare for his eventual NFL debut.
Brissett turns the ball over at an incredibly low rate, with an interception percentage of only 1.4%, meaning the Jets will have to find creative ways to try to force turnovers.
The running back matchup features two standouts. Rhamondre Stevenson for the Pats and Breece Hall for the Jets. Both men are focal points of their offenses, but the Patriots have allowed the second-fewest rushing yards against through the first two games of the season, while the Jets have allowed the ninth-most rushing yards.
With the Patriots’ defense dominating the run game, Rodgers will look to take it to the air. With the likes of Garrett Wilson, Mike Williams, Allen Lazard, and Tyler Conklin, Rodgers will have plenty of targets to throw to. It will be interesting to see how Rodgers attacks the Patriots defense, which lost superstar Matthew Judon in a trade to the Falcons during the offseason.
The Patriots’ weapons consist of players such as KJ Osborn, Hunter Henry, and DeMario Douglas. While that isn’t a group that should cause a strong secondary like the Jets’ much trouble, if they continue to struggle like they have in the last two weeks, it could be a long night.
