NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (10-5) at NEW YORK JETS (4-11)
Sunday, Dec. 30, 2018 at 1:00 p.m. ET. Gillette Stadium (65,878)
The New England Patriots will close out the regular season at home against the New York Jets. Last week, the Patriots clinched the AFC East for the 10th straight season with a 24-12 win over the Buffalo Bills. A win over the Jets will give the Patriots their 13th playoff bye since the 2001.
The Patriots are the only team in the NFL that is undefeated at home. A win over the Jets will give the Patriots their seventh undefeated season at home. (2003-04, 07, 09-10 and 13).
BYE-ING IN
With a win over the Jets on Sunday, the Patriots can secure a first-round playoff bye in 2018 for the 13th time since 2001, a feat unmatched by any team in the last 18 years. New England can also secure a first-round bye for the ninth consecutive season to extend an NFL record. Dallas and San Francisco earned four straight byes from 1992 through 1995 and Denver had four straight from 2012 through 2015.
SERIES HISTORY
The New England Patriots and New York Jets will meet for the second time in 2018 with the Patriots looking for their 19th series sweep, the third straight, 12th since Robert Kraft purchased the team and 10th of the Bill Belichick era. The Patriots beat the Jets, 27-13, on Nov. 25, at MetLife Stadium.
New England will close out the regular season by hosting the Jets for the second straight season. Last year, the Patriots ran away with a 26-6 victory over the Jets in the regular-season finale at Gillette Stadium.
New England leads the series 64-54-1 overall. The Patriots are 34-25-1 all-time against the Jets at home, including 13-3 at Gillette Stadium in the regular season and 1-1 at home in the playoffs.
The teams have played in the postseason three times – a 1985 Wild Card game, a 2006 Wild Card game and an AFC Divisional game in 2010. New England beat the Jets, 26-14, in 1985 at the Meadowlands en route to Super Bowl XX. In 2006, the Patriots defeated the Jets, 37-16, at Gillette Stadium and the Jets beat the Patriots, 28-21, in a 2010 Divisional Playoff game in Foxborough.
New England is 35-16 against the Jets since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994.
New England’s 64 overall victories over the Jets (including two playoff wins) are the second most over any single opponent, trailing only the 73 (4) all-time wins over Buffalo.
SERIES BREAKDOWN
Home Record, 34-25-1 (incl. 1-1 in playoffs)
- Record in Foxborough, 30-19
- Gillette Stadium, 14-4 (incl. 1-1 playoffs)
- Foxboro Stadium, 16-15
- Record in Boston, 4-5-1
- Record in Birmingham, Ala, 0-1
Road Record, 30-29 (incl. 1-0 in playoffs)
- MetLife Stadium, 6-3
- Giants Stadium, 17-10 (incl. 1-0 playoffs)
- Shea Stadium, 5-14
- Polo Grounds, 2-2
Seasonal Sweeps, Patriots 18 (most recent ‘17), Jets 14 (‘00)
Bill Belichick vs. N.Y. Jets, 29-12 (28-11 with New England)
TALE OF THE TAPE
| 2018 REGULAR SEASON | NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS | NEW YORK JETS |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 10-5 | 4-11 |
| Divisional Standings | 1st | 4th |
| Total Yards Gained | 5,920 | 4,548 |
| Total Offense (Rank) | 394.7 (5) | 303.2 (29) |
| Rush Offense | 127.1(7) | 101.2 (24) |
| Pass Offense | 267.6.4 (9) | 202.0 (25) |
| Points Per Game | 26.5 (8) | 22.0 (21) |
| Total Yards Allowed | 5,507 | 5,711 |
| Total Defense (Rank) | 367.1 (21) | 380.7 (25) |
| Rush Defense | 113.3 (13) | 126.0 (26) |
| Pass Defense | 253.9 (23) | 254.7 (25) |
| Points Allowed/Game | 21.4 (11) | 26.9 (28) |
| Possession Avg. | 31:01 | 29:09 |
| Sacks Allowed/Yards Lost | 20/141 | 33/207 |
| Sacks Made/Yards | 26/206 | 38/287 |
| Total Touchdowns Scored | 46 | 34 |
| Penalties Against/Yards | 89/714 | 110/918 |
| Punts/Avg. | 60/45.4 | 77/45.8 |
| Turnover Differential | +7 (18t) | -7 (26) |
IF THE PATRIOTS WIN…
- It will mark the franchise’s 500th regular-season victory since it began play in 1960, the most wins by an AFL franchise. Of the 12 NFL teams that have 500 or more regular-season wins, New England trails only San Francisco (532 – founded 1950), Indianapolis (515 – founded 1953 in Baltimore) and Dallas (511 – founded 1960) for most regular-season wins by clubs that were founded in 1950 or later.
- The Patriots will secure a first round playoff bye in 2018 for the 13th time since 2001, more than twice as many as any team in the last 18 years.
- The team will secure a first-round bye for the ninth consecutive season to extend an NFL record. Dallas and San Francisco earned four straight byes from 1992 through 1995 and Denver had four straight from 2012 through 2015.
- New England will tie its own NFL record for most wins (regular and postseason) in a decade with 126, a record set originally by the 2000- 09 Patriots. The Patriots will do so with one complete season remaining in the decade.
- Bill Belichick will extend his own NFL record to 16 11-win seasons as a head coach. Don Shula is second with 13.
- Bill Belichick will improve his all-time regular season record against the AFC East as head coach of the Patriots to 88-30 (.746) and improve his mark against the Jets to 28-10 (.737).
- Tom Brady will lead the Patriots to his 14th 11-win season as a starter. Peyton Manning is second with 11 11-win seasons in the Super Bowl era
- Tom Brady will earn his 234th career victory. He is currently second in NFL history behind Adam Vinatieri’s 234 wins entering Week 17.
- Tom Brady will earn his 27th regular-season victory against the Jets, improving his record as a starter to 27-6 (.818). He is the only quarterback in NFL history to have more than 20 wins against three different teams.
- It will also mark the 207th regular-season win of Tom Brady’s career. He is currently in third place for most regular-season wins in NFL history.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR…
- With two points against the Jets, the Patriots will extend their NFL record to 12 straight seasons with at least 400 total points (2007-18). The Chargers previously held the record by scoring at least 400 points in eight straight seasons from 2004-11. The 2018 Patriots are currently eighth in the NFL with 398 points.
- Through 15 games, the Patriots are averaging 27.0 yards per kickoff return, which is third-best in the league. The special teams unit is on pace to finish the season with the best kickoff return average in the Bill Belichick era. The current best mark under Belichick is 26.8 yards per kickoff return in 2006.
- The Patriots defense has not allowed a 300-yard passer in eight-straight games.
- In 2017, the Patriots limited opponents to eight or fewer fourth-quarter points in 14-of-16 games. They have continued that trend in 2018, holding opposing teams below eight points in the fourth quarter for 13-of-15 games, including fourth-quarter shutouts in four games.
