Game Preview: Patriots at Jets

The New England Patriots will remain in AFC East Division play for the second straight week when they travel to the New York Jets on Monday Night Football. It will be the first of two straight prime-time games. Following Monday’s game against the Jets, the Patriots will return home to face Baltimore on Sunday Night Football on Nov. 15.

This week’s game marks the second of three Monday night games for the Patriots in 2020. In addition to the Jets game, the Patriots played at Kansas City Week 4 on a Monday night and they will host Buffalo Week 16 on Monday, Dec. 28. It will be the fourth time the Patriots will have three Monday night games in one season. They also played three Monday night games in 1980, 1997 and 1998.

SERIES HISTORY

The New England Patriots and New York Jets will square off this week for the first of two 2020 meetings. The clubs will play on Monday Night Football for the ninth time in team history and for the second consecutive season at MetLife Stadium. Last year the Patriots beat the Jets, 33-0, in a Monday Night Football game from MetLife Stadium on Oct. 21. Overall, the Patriots are 4-4 in Monday Night Football games against the Jets, including 2-2 on the road.

In 2019, New England earned its 20th series sweep over New York. It was also the fourth straight and the 11th under Bill Belichick and their 13th since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994.

New England leads the series, 67-54-1 overall. The Patriots are 31-29 all-time on the road against the Jets, including 7-3 at MetLife Stadium.

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 38-16 against the Jets since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994. New England’s 67 overall victories over the Jets (including two playoff wins) are the second most over any single opponent, trailing only the 74 wins over Buffalo.

SERIES BREAKDOWN

NEW ENGLAND 67, NEW YORK 54, 1 TIE
(INCLUDING NEW ENGLAND 2, NEW YORK 1 IN PLAYOFFS)

Home Record: 36-25-1 (including 1-1 in playoffs)

• Record in Foxborough: 32-19
• Gillette Stadium: 16-4 (incl 1-1 playoffs)
• Foxboro Stadium: 16-15
• Record in Boston: 4-5-1
• Record in Birmingham, Ala: 0-1

Road Record: 31-29 (incuding 1-0 in playoffs)

• MetLife Stadium:7-3
• Giants Stadium: 17-10 (incl 1-0 playoffs)
• Shea Stadium: 5-14
• Polo Grounds: 2-2

Seasonal Sweeps: Patriots 20 (most recent ’20), Jets 14 (’00)

Bill Belichick vs NY Jets: 32-12 (31-11 with New England)

SCOUTING THE MATCHUPS

By Paul Perillo

When the Patriots run – Edge: Patriots

The Patriots got back on track on the ground during the second half of their tough 24-21 loss at Buffalo on Sunday. After rushing for just 44 yards on 14 carries as a team in the first half, including five attempts for just 17 yards for Damien Harris, things improved dramatically after intermission. Harris racked up 102 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries and ran with toughness and elusiveness. Mostly due to his great work New England wound up with 188 yards on the ground against the Bills, averaging 5.5 yards per carry. That will need to continue if the Patriots offense intends to build off the production it showed in the second half. For all of the woeful Jets problems, stopping the run really hasn’t been a huge issue. New York allows 116 yards per game on the ground, which is good for 13th in the league, and opponents pick up 4.1 yards per rush, which ranks 10th. Considering the Jets are winless and their opponents are always protecting leads, those numbers are more than respectable. Quinnen Williams and Henry Anderson lead the group up front, but that job will be tougher after the Jets sent inside linebacker Avery Williamson to the Steelers ahead of the trade deadline. That leaves fellow linebacker Neville Hewitt to try to handle Harris & Co. The Patriots offensive line remained intact in Buffalo, and assuming that is the case Monday night the Patriots should have success.

When the Patriots pass – Edge: Patriots

This is a matchup of two of the worst groups in the league on both sides. The Jets are dreadful on defense in general ranking last in points allowed, yards allowed, passing yards allowed and first downs allowed. The Patriots ranks 29th in passing offense, 32nd in interception rate and 29th and points scored. Obviously something has to give in this matchup, and considering how many pieces have been shipped out of New York the assumption will be the Jets. Jakobi Meyers emerged as a reliable target in Buffalo, catching six balls for 58 yards. Other than that, Cam Newton and the passing game were largely non-existent again. Newton passed for just 174 yards against the Bills, most coming on short throws underneath the coverage. The Jets secondary was torched in Kansas City last week, surrendering five touchdown passes to Patrick Mahomes. That was a continuation of the struggles New York has been through with corners Pierre Desir, Brian Poole and Bless Austin unable to prevent big plays all season long. Jamal Adams is long gone after being dealt to Seattle, but fellow safety Marcus Maye has played well alongside rookie Ashtyn Davis. The group overall is overmatched, and even the Patriots struggling passing attack should find some holes in this secondary.

When the Jets run – Edge: Patriots

The ageless Frank Gore leads a weak rushing attack for the Jets, but the Patriots run defense has been shredded all season long. And now the front seven may be without Lawrence Guy, who was forced out of the Buffalo game with a shoulder injury after just 20 snaps. Even with Guy the run defense was awful, allowing over 140 yards per game and ranking 27th in the league. Gore and Lamical Perine share the ball carrying duties and neither averages 4 yards per rush, but the Jets as a team average 4.3 per carry thanks in part to the mobility of quarterback Sam Darnold. The Jets offensive line is in shambles, which should give the Patriots a chance to keep this modest group of running backs in check. Bill Belichick has experimented with lineups in recent weeks, removing Chase Winovich from the equation in favor of some bigger bodies. It hasn’t worked, and it’s possible Belichick will return to more conventional looks as he searches for answers. Either way the Patriots should be able to contain Gore and Perine while preventing the Jets from maintaining any offensive consistency, which the team has lacked for the entire season.

See Also

Obituary: James Bradley “Brad” Watterson (1947-2024)

When the Jets pass – Edge: Patriots

Darnold remains a talented young quarterback but he looks overmatched playing with very little help around him. Receivers Jamison Crowder, Breshad Perriman and Braxton Berrios have battled injuries all season, and Crowder has been the only consistent playmaking threat. Crowder (groin) and Perriman (concussion) missed last week’s game, leaving the Jets with virtually no options in the passing game. Berrios caught eight balls but managed only 34 yards. The Patriots secondary continues to take the ball away on a consistent basis with nine interceptions, which is tied for third in the league. Darnold has struggled in the past against New England and with these weapons that should continue Monday night. He’s completing just 58.6 percent of his passes and has only three touchdowns against six picks this season. He’s missed time with a shoulder injury already this season, and he appeared to aggravate it during a scramble against the Chiefs on Sunday. He’s often been under siege in 2020, suffering 19 sacks, and the Patriots secondary should be able to take advantage of everything collapsing around the Jets beleaguered quarterback.

Special Teams – Edge: Patriots

Nick Folk has quietly righted the ship and now gone four straight games without missing any kicks. He hasn’t been asked to make any from long range, but nonetheless he’s been perfect when called upon. Jake Bailey had an uncharacteristically inconsistent day Sunday with a 25-yarder downed outside the 20 followed by his first touchback of the season. Bailey remains a strong point on the Patriots special teams, however. The return game hasn’t given much of a boost with Gunner Olszewski handling both kicks and punts. He did turn in a modest 15-yard punt return Sunday to give the Patriots good field position, but otherwise he’s been a liability on kicks, often being hemmed inside the 25 rather than taking touchbacks. Jets kicker Sam Ficken missed the last two games with a groin injury but had been solid prior to that, making 9 of 10 field goals and all six PATs. His replacement, Sergio Castillo, made 4 of 5 field goals with the miss coming on a 47-yarder that was blocked. New York uses Berrios on punts and he hasn’t made an impact in that department. Ty Johnson handled kicks against the Chiefs but was quiet as well. Braden Mann is the Jets punter and someone we’ll likely be quite familiar with during the game. The Patriots have been their steady selves in the kicking game of late and that should continue Monday night.

TALE OF THE TAPE

BELICHICK AGAINST THE AFC EAST

Bill Belichick has a 94-32 (.746) all-time regular-season record against the AFC East as head coach of the Patriots, including a 30-10 record against the Jets.

CONNECTIONS

A look at the connections between the New England Patriots and the New York Jets.

FORMER PATRIOTS

• DLC Andre Carter – Defensive End (2013)
• Asst. HC/WRC Shawn Jefferson – Wide Receiver (1996-99)
• LB Harvey Langi – Made the Patriots roster as an undrafted rookie in 2017 and played one game (9/17/17 at New Orleans). Spent the majority of the season on injured reserve. 

FORMER JETS

• DB Terrence Brooks – (2017-18)
• K Nick Folk – (2010-16)
• HC Bill Belichick – Asst. Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator (1997-99) Named head coach in 1999, resigned shortly after.
• WRC Mick Lombardi – Asst. Quarterbacks Coach (2017-18)
• Chief of Staff Berj Najarian – Public Relations (1995-99)

WORTH NOTING

• Jets wide receiver Braxton Berrios was taken 210th overall in the sixth round of the 2018 draft by the Patriots. He was placed on IR prior to the start of his rookie year and was released before the 2019 season when the Jets claimed him.

IF THE PATRIOTS WIN…

• New England will get their 131st road win since 1994, most in the NFL over that span.
• The Patriots will improve their intra-division record to 93-26, the best intra-division record in the NFL since 2001.
• And a player eclipses 100 yards rushing, the team will improve to 53-3 since the 2000 regular season when a player rushes for at least 100 yards.
• And the team does not commit a turnover, New England will win its 70th game since 2008 without committing a turnover. The Patriots enter Week 9 with a 69-9 record in zero turnover games since 2008.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR…

• The Patriots have been called for an NFL-low 20 total penalties. The fewest penalties the Patriots have ever had in a 16-game season was 57 in 2008. Since 2000, the fewest penalties in a season is 55 by the 2012 Atlanta Falcons. The 2020 Patriots are on pace for 46 total penalties.
• Bill Belichick enters this week third all-time with 275 career regular-season wins, behind George Halas (318) and Don Shula (328).
• Belichick’s 306 career victories as a heads coach (including postseason) are third-most all-time behind George Halas (324) and Don Shula (347).
• J.C. Jackson has recorded an interception in three consecutive games heading into Week 9, marking the eighth time in team history a player has achieved the feat. The Patriots record for most consecutive games with an interception is four by Devin McCourty (2019) and Mike Haynes (1976).
• If Jackson gets one more interception this season, he will become the first Patriot since Asante Samuel (2006-07) and fifth overall to net at least five picks in consecutive seasons. Jackson totaled five interceptions last year and enters this week with four picks in 2020.
• With his next interception, Devin McCourty (28) will tie Ron Hall, Roland James and Fred Marion for third all-time in Patriots history with 29 career interceptions.
• Devin McCourty has 493 interception return yards in his regular-season career and needs seven yards to become the third Patriot with 500 return yards.
• If McCourty returns another interception for a touchdown this season, he will tie the team record with two pick-sixes in a single year. The feat has been accomplished nine times.
• Cam Newton has scored six rushing touchdowns in 2020, on pace for 14 for the season. That mark would break the Patriots record for a QB, which was 12 by Steve Grogan in 1976.
• Newton has two multi-rush TD games so far this season and is one multi-rush TD performance short of matching his own (and others listed below) for most in a single season.
• Newton has 59 rushing attempts so far in 2020, on pace for 135 for the season. The NFL record for most rushing attempts by an NFL quarterback in a single season is 176 by Lamar Jackson in 2019. Cam Newton’s single-season career-high was 139 rushing attempts in 2017.
• Steve Grogan set a Patriots QB record in 1978 with 81 rushing attempts for 539 yards. Newton is on pace for 135 rushing attempts for 681 yards.
• Newton has the most rushing first downs by quarterback in NFL history with 385 and has 25 through Week 8 in 2020. He is second in 2020 among QBs behind the 28 by Arizona’s Kyler Murray. 
• James White has 24 touchdown receptions in 83 career regular-season games. Brian Westbrook currently holds the record for the fastest running back to reach the 25-TD reception mark, achieving the feat in 87 regular-season games.
• White needs two receiving touchdowns to tie Larry Garron (26) for the most in franchise history by a running back.
• White currently sits ninth on the Patriots all-time receptions list with 341. Irving Fryar holds the eighth spot with 363 regular-season receptions as a Patriot.
• White enters this week with 2,980 career regular-season receiving yards and needs 20 more yards to join Kevin Faulk (3,701) as the only other Patriots RB with 3,000 career receiving yards in the regular season.
• Since White became a regular contributor on offense in 2015, he has more receptions (336), receiving yards (2,957) and receiving touchdowns (24) than any other running back in the NFL.
• Damien Harris enters Week 9 looking for his first stretch of consecutive 100-yard rushing performances. The last Patriots running back to put together consecutive 100-yard rushing games in the regular season was LeGarrette Blount with 123 yards rushing vs. Miami (9/18/16) and 105 vs. Houston (9/22/16).
• Gunner Olszewski enters this week’s game ranked 10th in the NFL with a 23.8-yard kickoff return average.