Jets Now Account For Half Of Patriots' Victories In Last Calendar Year
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots have fallen off from their days as perennial Super Bowl contenders. But at least they've still got the Jets.
New England welcomed the Jets to Foxboro on Sunday afternoon for the second of their two meetings this season. And just like they did in Week 2, the Patriots won convincingly ... and then some. By the time the final horn mercifully sounded, the Patriots walked away with a 54-13 win. (And it wasn't even that close.)
The Jets now account for two of the Patriots' three wins this season. (The other came against the 1-5 Texans.)
Going back a full calendar year to last October, the Patriots have won eight games. Four of those wins have come against the Jets.
The Patriots have now won 12 straight games against the Jets. They've won 15 of their last 16 meetings with the Jets, and 20 of their last 22.
After starting the 2020 season with a 2-1 record last September, the Patriots went 5-8 from the start of October through the end of the season. The Patriots ended a four-game losing streak with a 30-27 win over the Jets in Week 9, and they ended a three-game losing streak with a 28-14 win over the Jets in Week 17.
This year, the Patriots rebounded from a Week 1 loss by beating the Jets 25-6 in Week 2. They bounced back from an overtime loss to the Cowboys last week to roll over the Jets this week, getting their first home victory in their fifth try in the process.
Patriots points scored in five games against non-Jets teams: 100
— Michael Hurley (@michaelFhurley) October 24, 2021
Patriots points scored in two games against the Jets: 79
Point differential non-Jets games: -21
Point differential in Jets games: +60
The Jets are good for the Patriots' soul.
The Jets started last year 0-13 before winning back-to-back games against the Rams and Browns. They finished the year at 2-14, earning the No. 2 overall pick, which they used on Zach Wilson. The team hired highly respected San Francisco defensive coordinator Robert Saleh as their new head coach, hoping to usher in a new era.
Wilson suffered a knee injury on Sunday and left the game in the first half, and the Jets -- now 1-5 -- appear to be stuck in the same cycle they've been in since 2016. That's tough for them ... but as ever, it's great for the Patriots.