You might be asking yourself, wait, there is more New York Jets football already? Didn’t they just play?
If the turnaround feels fast, it’s because it is. After defeating the Tennessee Titans this past Sunday, the New York Jets will face the New England Patriots in their home opener on Thursday night. It is the team’s third game in 11 days, a stretch that is borderline unprecedented.
Visit our New York Jets Schedule page to stay updated on the entire 2024 NFL season.
It just so happens that the third game of this stretch is arguably the most important. New England is a divisional opponent who always gives New York trouble. The game will have division and playoff ramifications, as New York cannot afford to lose to an inferior opponent (the Jets are favored by 6.5 points, per FanDuel Sportsbook).
Thursday night will be tough and grimey, and will require a solid overall performance from the Jets for them to win the game. In other words, it will have to be a performance that embodies the New York mentality of the city that the Jets represent.
Jets vs. Patriots Game Info
- New York Jets (1-1)
- New England Patriots(1-1)
- 2024 NFL Week 3
- Thursday, September 19th, 8:15 p.m. EST
- Amazon Prime
- MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
In a pivotal Week 3 matchup, the bitter rivalry between the Jets and Patriots marks its latest matchup on a short week.
The AFC East tilt will occur on Thursday night and air on Amazon Prime. The legendary Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit, and Kaley Hartung will be on the call for the broadcast.
Regarding the Jets’ uniform combination, they will be rocking the same pairing they wore in Week 2. New York will have their green helmets, green jerseys, and white pants.
Home opener uniform combo #NEvsNYJ pic.twitter.com/ket7B9t6C9
— Woody Johnson (@woodyjohnson4) September 18, 2024
Jets vs. Patriots Game History
- New England leads the all-time series over New York 74-55-1
Historically, New England has a significant advantage over New York. Thanks in large part to the dominance of the Tom Brady and Bill Belichick era, New England leads the series 74-55-1.
The Patriots are 4-1 in the last five matchups of the series. However, the Jets won the last matchup of the 2023 season on January 7, 2024. New York, powered by an impressive Breece Hall performance, won by a score of 17-3 in a snowy matchup at Gillette Stadium. The victory broke New York’s streak of 15 straight losses to New England.
Tonight, the Jets are seeking their first win against the Patriots at MetLife Stadium since Week 16 of the 2015 season.
Jets vs. Patriots Odds
- Spread: Jets -6.5 (-102), Patriots +6.5 (-120)
- Moneyline: Jets -255, Patriots -198
- Over/Under: 38.5 (O: -105, U: -115)
Based on the spread, FanDuel Sportsbook expects a decisive yet low-scoring affair in East Rutherford.
Despite the teams’ even 1-1 starts, the Jets remain significantly favored over New England due to their perceived talent advantage on paper.
More interestingly, the game’s over/under is set at 38.5. Neither team is expected to light up the scoreboard tonight. This could make some sense as well, considering the short week and injuries that both teams are facing.
Jets vs. Patriots Injury Report
New York Jets
- LB Jermaine Johnson, Achilles – Out
- LB C.J. Mosley, Toe – Questionable
Outside of the crushing loss of Jermaine Johnson last weekend, the Jets are looking to be relatively healthy in Week 3.
Linebacker C.J. Mosley is still dealing with his toe injury that knocked him out of Sunday’s game. He is a true “50-50” for the game, and if he does not play, Jamien Sherwood will step into Mosley’s shoes, a role he was impressive in against the Titans.
After being labeled “50-50” by Saleh earlier in the week, cornerbacks D.J. Reed (knee) and Michael Carter II (ankle) have no injury designations and are expected to be active for Thursday’s game. It is a great sign for the secondary to have both players active, as it allows the trio of Reed, Carter II, and Sauce Gardner to play together again after Reed missed last week’s game against Tennessee.
New England Patriots
- LB Ja’Whaun Bentley, Shoulder – Out
- T Vederian Lowe, Knee – Out
- G Sidy Sow, Ankle – Out
- LB Oshane Ximines, Knee – Out
- C David Andrews, Hip – Questionable
- OL Mike Onwenu, Wrist – Questionable
- S Jabrill Peppers, Shoulder – Questionable
- DE Deatrich Wise Jr, Shoulder- Questionable
The Patriots’ injury report is littered with players, which is not a good sign at this point of the season. They will be without two of their offensive line starters and possibly may be down a third in Onwenu. They will also be without Ja’Whaun Bentley, their leading tackler from a season ago.
Jets vs. Patriots prediction
The calculus is quite simple for the Jets in this matchup.
As a team, the Jets are more talented than New England. In theory, Robert Saleh and company should be able to take advantage of a first-time coaching staff on defense, while Aaron Rodgers should do the same on offense.
Regardless of their rest or the amount of games they have already played, New York must find a way to win. It does not have to be pretty with a plethora of offensive fireworks; rather, they need to rely on their talent to push them through the adversity that will surely pop up on Thursday. If they can do that, the Jets will be in a great position to go on a run over the next few weeks.
As for my prediction, I have a multi-score victory for the Jets over the Patriots, 27-13. I see the Jets’ offense knocking off even more of their rust and showing that they can carry the team in 2024.
