Get ready for Thursday Night Football! Check out the latest odds and expert picks for the New England Patriots vs. New York Jets matchup. Don’t miss out!
Points will be at a premium when the New England Patriots head south to face the New York Jets in an AFC East showdown on Thursday Night Football. New Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo has done better than anyone could have asked in replacing a legend, as they are 1-1 SU and 2-0 ATS despite having one of the least talented rosters in the league. As for the Jets, they are also 1-1 and will be playing their home opener after starting the season on the road against San Francisco and Tennessee.
Week 3 New England Patriots at New York Jets
New England Patriots +6.5
New York Jets -6.5
Total 37.5
The New York Jets might be happier than any other team in the NFL to see Bill Belichick move on from New England. Belichick famously spurned the Jets for the Pats in 2000 and went 38-11 against Gang Green. The Jets won their last tilt against the Pats in Week 18 last year, and it was their first time scoring a regulation win against their division rival since the 2010 AFC Divisional Round.
New England Patriots Overview
Mayo and the Pats received some bad news on Monday as it was announced that star linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley tore his left pectoral muscle on Sunday. Bentley is the leader of this defense, so it will really hurt not to have him in the lineup for an extended period of time. The front seven is pretty thin now with Sione Takitaki and Christian Barmore also out, and there are some concerns in the secondary too.
The bigger concerns are along the offensive line though. Every starter has an injury designation, and left guard Sidy Sow has been ruled as out already. Left tackle Vederian Lowe exited Sunday’s game with a knee issue, and the other three starters are all listed as questionable. That doesn’t help journeyman signal caller Jacoby Brissett at all as he has arguably the least talent at the skill positions in the NFL.
Tight end Hunter Henry leads the Pats with 10 receptions for 127 yards, but no other player has more than 36 receiving yards. The top four receivers are K.J. Osborn, Ja’Lynn Polk, DeMario Douglas, and Tyquan Thornton, and that’s undoubtedly one of the worst receiving corps we’ve seen in recent memory.
New York Jets Overview
As for the New York Jets, they shook off a rough start to the season against San Francisco to hold on for a win against Tennessee in Week 2. They played much better on defense after allowing the Niners to have a lot of success on the ground in their opener, but there are still some real questions about this team on both sides of the ball.
This defense is loaded with talent. Sauce Gardner, Michael Carter III, and D.J. Reed are all solid in the secondary, but Carter and Reed might both be out for Thursday. The front seven is very good too (even with Haason Reddick holding out), yet they might take a serious hit if C.J. Mosley is unable to play. Mosley is listed as questionable with a toe injury.
Aaron Rodgers has yet to impress on offense. Rodgers has looked more like a game manager than a future Hall of Fame quarterback with a 60.8% completion rate for 6.7 YPA with three touchdowns and an interception through the first two games. He has not thrown for more than 180 yards in a game yet, and that has led to the offense failing to crack 270 total yards in either of their first two games. Rodgers’ inability to stretch the field has led to the run game struggling too.
Thursday Night Football Prediction
It’s tempting to back the Jets in this game considering the injury concerns for the Patriots. However, the safer bet is the under. Neither one of these offenses looks good, while the defenses have both proven they can step up to the plate. Rodgers has not looked like the signal caller of old, and we tend to see offenses struggle on short weeks.
Final Score: New York 17, New England 13
