Week 3 of the NFL kicks off with an AFC East battle on Thursday Night. Jerod Mayo and Jacoby Brissett take their New England Patriots to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. They’ll face Robert Saleh, Aaron Rodgers, and the New York Jets. Kickoff will take place Thursday, September 19th at 8:15 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime. Let’s dive in and take a look at this Patriots-Jets preview.
New England Patriots at New York Jets Preview and Predictions
Both teams enter the game 1-1. The New York Jets got blown out on Monday Night Football in San Francisco in Week 1 but followed it up with a win over the Titans in Week 2. It was the opposite for the New England Patriots who held on for a big upset win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1 before falling to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2 in overtime.
This has been a lopsided matchup over the last 10 years with the Patriots owning the Jets and holding the 18-2 record over them since 2014. When the Jets beat the Patriots in January of 2024 in their last meeting, it was the first Jets win in the series since 2015. Keep in mind these division foes play twice a season.
That was mostly in the Bill Belichick and Tom Brady era, however. It’s a new look for both these teams. This is the first time in this matchup the Jets have had Aaron Rodgers at the helm. For the Patriots, their first time without Bill Belichick.
New England Patriots at New York Jets Preview and Predictions
Under 39 Total Points Scored (-115)
The NFL has blessed us with a game that likely isn’t going to be a shootout. Expect both of these teams to grind this game out and run the clock as much as possible. Both teams have great defenses who should hold tough in this game, and this series tends to go under this total lately. The last three matchups featuring the Patriots-Jets have not gone over 25 points scored.
Both teams are in the bottom half of yards per game through two weeks. The Patriots have scored 18 points per game, while the Jets have scored 21.5 points per game. It adds up to that 39 total exactly. In 2023 the under hit went 11-6 on Thursday Night Football. Players are coming off short weeks and are banged up so this trend makes sense. In Week 1 the over hit by just a single point, last week’s Dolphins and Bills contest went under the projected total of 49.
Rhamomdre Stevenson Over 70 Rushing Yards (+105)
Running the ball has been the Patriots’ offense through two weeks. Against Cincinnati in Week 1 they ran the ball 39 times, 25 of which went to Stevenson. He ran for 120 yards and a touchdown in that game. In Week 2 they hit the run game hard again. This time they rushed the ball 36 times, and it was Stevenson again getting 21 of those carries. He ran for 81 yards and another touchdown.
In Week 2 Antonio Gibson also saw 11 carries for 96 yards. The Patriots know the only way their offense runs is through the running game. To the point made above, running the ball and slowing down the game is how they’ll keep themselves in it. They paid Stevenson this off-season and have already proven he’s their workhorse. He’s going to get 20+ carries again Thursday night and this defense has proven susceptible to the run allowing Jordan Mason to rush for 147 yards Week 1 and the Pollard Spears combo to go for 82 last week in Nashville.
