Patriots look to get their first win and face a Jets team trying to rebound from an ugly loss

2023-09-22 02:55

The New England Patriots are 0-2 to start the season for the first time since 2001 when coach Bill Belichick was in his second year with the franchise

NEW ENGLAND (0-2) at NEW YORK JETS (1-1)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, CBS

OPENING LINE: Patriots by 2 1/2, according to FanDuel SportsBook.

AGAINST THE SPREAD: Patriots 0-2; Jets 1-1.

SERIES RECORD: Patriots lead 73-54-1.

LAST MEETING: Patriots beat Jets 10-3 on Nov. 20, 2022, in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

LAST WEEK: Patriots lost to Dolphins 24-17; Jets lost to Cowboys 30-10.

PATRIOTS OFFENSE: OVERALL (14), RUSH (27), PASS (7), SCORING (22T).

PATRIOTS DEFENSE: OVERALL (14), RUSH (23), PASS (13), SCORING (17T).

JETS OFFENSE: OVERALL (29), RUSH (12), PASS (31), SCORING (27)

JETS DEFENSE: OVERALL (21), RUSH (20), PASS (20), SCORING (15)

TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Patriots minus-2; Jets minus-1.

PATRIOTS PLAYER TO WATCH: LB Matt Judon. He had a sack in last week’s loss to Miami, his second of the season, and faces a shaky Jets offensive line Sunday. Last season, Judon became the first Patriots player to have at least one sack in each of the first five games of a season. He currently leads the team with two sacks and four quarterback hits.

JETS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Zach Wilson. The Jets insisted the lopsided loss last week wasn't solely on the quarterback, who had three interceptions in his first start since replacing the injured Aaron Rodgers. Wilson is being counted on to take the next step in his development despite the original plan calling for him to sit and watch Rodgers from the sideline this season and next. Wilson has been particularly bad against New England, with two TDs, seven INTs and a passer rating of 50.6 while completing just 50.9% of his passes in four games.

KEY MATCHUP: Jets' running game vs. Patriots' defensive front. New York got away from the run against Dallas early as the Jets fell behind and the offense couldn't consistently get anything going. With Breece Hall, Dalvin Cook and Michael Carter in the backfield, offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett is going to need to use all three to try to take some heat off Zach Wilson who'll be facing yet another stout D-line. If New England can successfully shut down New York's running game, it could be another long game for Wilson and the Jets' offense.

KEY INJURIES: DL Christian Barmore was limited early in the week by a knee injury. ... CB Marcus Jones, who injured a shoulder against Miami, didn't practice early in the week. ... OT Trent Brown was limited after missing last week with a concussion. Same for RG Sidy Sow. ... Jets K Greg Zuerlein continues to deal with a groin injury that sidelined him last Sunday. Austin Seibert would replace him again if Zuerlein can't go.

SERIES NOTES: The Patriots have won 14 straight meetings, with the Jets' most recent win coming Dec. 27, 2015, when Ryan Fitzpatrick connected with Eric Decker for a 6-yard TD in overtime that won it 26-20 in Week 16. ... New York has not defeated New England in regulation since the 2010 AFC divisional playoff round. ... A win this week against the Jets would match the Patriots’ mark for the most consecutive wins over an opponent. New England beat Buffalo 15 straight times from 2003 to 2010. ... The Patriots’ seven straight season sweeps over the Jets ranks third all time, behind only the 49ers’ eight straight over the Rams (1990-98) and Dolphins’ 10 straight vs. the Bills (1970-79). ... Patriots coach Bill Belichick is 37-11 against the Jets with New England.

STATS AND STUFF: The Patriots are 0-2 to start the season for the first time since 2001 in Belichick's second year with the franchise. New England is looking to avoid its first 0-3 start since Belichick’s first season, when the Patriots started 0-4. ... QB Mac Jones has started four times against the Jets and is 93 of 128 (72.7%) for 933 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, but has been sacked 16 times. ... Jones has completed more than 30 passes in each of the first two games, with a career-high 35 completions in the season opener against Philadelphia and 31 last week against Miami. This week, he can become the second New England player to have three straight games with at least 30 completions. The first time a Patriots player completed at least 30 passes in three straight games was Tom Brady in 2011. ... TE Hunter Henry matched his 2022 touchdown total with a TD reception in each of the first two games. The previous Patriots player with at least one touchdown catch in each of the first three games of the season was Rob Gronkowski in 2011. ... CB Christian Gonzalez got his first NFL interception in the fourth quarter against Miami. If he has a pick this week, it will mark the second straight season a Patriots rookie defensive back has an INT in back-to-back games. Jack Jones had a pick at Green Bay on Oct. 2, 2022, and then vs. Detroit on Oct. 9, 2022. ... DB Brenden Schooler blocked a 49-yard field-goal attempt in the third quarter against Miami, his first career block. If the Patriots block a kick this week against the Jets, it will be the first time they have blocked a kick in back-to-back games since 2017. ... After beating Buffalo in Week 1, the Jets are trying to start 2-0 against AFC East teams for the first time since 2012. ... Zach Wilson connected with WR Garrett Wilson on a 68-yard touchdown reception against Dallas, the longest touchdown catch in the NFL this season. The score marked the longest of Garrett Wilson’s career and second-longest TD pass of Zach Wilson’s career. ... Hall had just 9 yards on four carries and Cook only 7 yards on four attempts in Dallas. ... The Jets struggled on third down against Dallas, going just 1 of 10 in in those situations. ... New York was dominated in time of possession at Dallas, which held the ball for 42:15 compared to the Jets' 17:45. The Cowboys also converted 9 of 18 third downs. ... The Jets held the Cowboys to 3.0 yards per carry on 44 attempts. They have not allowed a TD run this season. Inside 10-yard line, New York has allowed 6 yards on nine carries, including three tackles for loss. ... Seibert made his only field-goal try from 34 yards and an extra point in place of Zuerlein.

FANTASY TIP: Henry has become the go-to target for Jones in the red zone and there's no reason to think that will change, even against the Jets' stout defense.

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