Jets looking to beat Patriots at home for first time since 2015. Here's what to expect Thursday night.
NEW YORK -- For all the angst the New York Jets have given their fans during their dubious run of 13 years without a playoff appearance, there is one opponent that has owned them more than any other: The New England Patriots.
The Jets will look to end an eight-game home losing streak in the series when the teams get together for New York's home opener on Thursday night at MetLife Stadium.
"I hope it's off the chain," Jets head coach Robert Saleh said. "I know our fans are some of the most passionate fans in all football. Really looking forward to the atmosphere on Thursday night. And to answer your question, you want to play in the spotlight. Being under the lights and being the only show on TV is a fun thing."
While it's true the Jets did end an overall 15-game losing streak to the Patriots during the final week of the 2023 regular season, that 17-3 victory in the snow of Foxborough, Massachusetts carried very little meaning beyond the fact that the Jets finally beat their arch-nemesis. The Jets' supposed season of promise was derailed in Week 1 when Aaron Rodgers suffered a torn Achilles and the guys in green limped through the next 16 games without much of a prayer of playing a postseason game.
The once-mighty Patriots were even worse, finishing 4-13, their worst record since going 2-14 in 1992, eight years before Tom Brady began the greatest career an NFL player has ever experienced and Bill Belichick emerged as arguably the best head coach North American professional sports have ever seen.
You know the rest. During the time of the "G.O.A.T" and "The Hoodie," the Patriots won six Super Bowls and appeared in nine. The Jets? Well, aside from what many would consider a miracle win in the Divisional Round of the playoffs at Foxborough on Jan. 16, 2011, we'll just keep their follies to ourselves.
Jets-Patriots all-time series
The Patriots lead the all-time series, including playoff games, 74-55-1, and have won 23 of the last 26 meetings.
Since 2001, the Patriots are 19-4 against the Jets at MetLife. The last time the Jets beat the Patriots at home was on Dec. 27, 2015, a 26-20 victory in overtime.
The last time the Jets held the upper hand for any stretch of time was from Oct. 19, 1997-Sept. 23, 2001, when they won seven of eight meetings.
Since so many names and faces have changed since Brady and Belichick left New England, is it time to finally say these franchises are at least on even footing? Thursday should give everyone a good indication of whether the Jets are at long last ready to again make this series competitive.
Rodgers said he's looking forward to his first taste of the rivalry.
"I think you need more than a couple of games to put a stamp on a rivalry," he said. "I'm excited to play in it, I played in arguably the best rivalry in football -- the Bears and Packers. It's the oldest and was a part of turning that thing around. When I first started, I was behind in the all-time series. And when I finished, we were ahead, and the Packers have beat them 10 straight. So that was fun to be a part of. These two games will be great to be a part of against the Patriots, but I don't feel like there is going to be a stamp."
Where Jets stand through Week 2 of the 2024 season
The biggest concern heading into this season was the health of Rodgers, the four-time NFL MVP quarterback who is viewed by many as the supposed savior of the franchise. Forget the fact that he's 40 and coming off a brutal injury. The thought was and shall remain that if he can stay healthy, the Jets will win far more games than they lose.
So far, the reviews on this team have been mixed. The Jets were awful on defense in their season-opening 32-19 loss at San Francisco. Rodgers got through the game unscathed, throwing for 167 yards, a touchdown and an interception. While those numbers don't exactly elicit memories of Rodgers' countless All-Pro seasons, the Jets barely had the ball on offense, losing the time of possession battle by 17 minutes, 20 seconds. The Jets' supposed vaunted defense was gashed for 401 total yards by the 49ers, who were missing Christian McCaffrey, perhaps the best all-purpose offensive player in the league.
But if you look at the defeat as far as timing goes, the Jets lost on the road in Week 1 to a team that had made it to at least the NFC Championship game in four of the previous five seasons. So, yeah, the Jets looked bad, but perspective goes a long way in the NFL.
The Jets played a much better overall game this past Sunday at Tennessee, coming from behind to win 24-17. Rodgers again threw for less than 200 yards, but connected on two touchdown passes. Running back Breece Hall accounted for 114 all-purpose yards, including seven receptions and a touchdown. His primary backup, rookie Braelon Allen, made the most of his nine touches, gaining 56 yards and scoring two touchdowns.
"We're looking at an offense that's still trying to learn itself, find itself and it's still able to generate scoring drives, more so than most teams in this organization's past," Saleh said. "So, it's going in the right direction."
The defense wasn't great, but played well when it had to, especially in the second half, when it limited the Titans to just seven points. Overall, the Jets forced two turnovers and recorded four sacks, including three by second-year defensive end Will McDonald IV.
What remains to be seen is how key injuries will impact the Jets' defense going forward. Middle linebacker C.J. Mosley suffered a toe injury that forced him out of the Titans game early, defensive end Jermaine Johnson was lost for the season with a torn Achilles, defensive back D.J. Reed missed the game due to a knee problem, and nickel back Michael Carter II is suffering from an ankle issue.
Reed and Carter will play Thursday, but Mosley is questionable. How the Jets make up for the loss of Johnson will also be something to watch, given that they are still at an impasse with holdout edge rusher Haason Reddick.
Where Patriots stand through Week 2 of the 2024 season
Not much was expected of the Patriots coming into the season, given their apparent issues at quarterback and overall lack of talent compared to previous years. However, they have been very competitive, winning 16-10 on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals, who are expected to be right there at the end despite their 0-2 start, and losing 23-20 at home to the much-better-than-expected Seattle Seahawks.
"They are doing a lot of the same stuff they used to do, so in our mind, they're running a system that they're very familiar with," Saleh said. "They're very sound, very disciplined."
Jacoby Brissett has thrown for only 270 yards and one touchdown so far, but that appears to be more by design. The Patriots have relied heavily on bulldozing running back Rhamondre Stevenson, who is averaging 4.4 yards on his 46 carries. The 6-foot, 225-pounder has also scored twice.
Antonio Gibson was a nice compliment to Stevenson against Seattle, running for 96 yards on just 11 carries.
Tight end Hunter Henry has been by far the Patriots' top receiving option, with a team-high 10 receptions on 15 targets, which on the one hand shows how good he is but on the other seems to indicate New England doesn't have much out wide.
The Patriots' defense has been stingy, allowing an average of 291 total yards and three total touchdowns through two games.
"They're a typical Patriot defense. They play really sound football, smart. They have a lot of techniques you don't see across other teams," Rodgers said. "As far as some defensive line stuff, their front often can disguise the pressure pretty well, back end seems to be playing pretty good together. So, it's a really smart, stout, solid defense front to back."
How this game could go
Given the Jets' inconsistency stopping the run over the first two weeks, it's a good bet Patriots rookie head coach Jerod Mayo will hand the ball to Stevenson early and often and mix in Gibson here and there, or at least until the Jets prove they can stop the run.
If this becomes a battle through the air, the Jets will have a decided advantage, well beyond Rodgers being far superior to Brissett. Garrett Wilson will easily be the most talented wide receiver on the field, and the next two or three best -- Allen Lazard and a probably-more-involved Mike Williams -- will be dressed in green as well.
The Jets can do themselves a big favor by getting out to an early lead and forcing the Patriots to open things up, something they just don't seem equipped to do. If the pass rush takes the next step following last week's encouraging showing, the Jets will be in good shape to get that long-awaited win at home against the team that has owned them forever.