New England Patriots: 3 keys to striking down the New York Jets

With Week 1 of the 2021 NFL season officially in the books, it’s time to flip the page to Week 2. For the New England Patriots, that means it’s time to move on from a tough loss against the Miami Dolphins, and begin preparations for their upcoming game against the New York Jets.

This will be the first time the Patriots hit the road this season, meaning it will be rookie quarterback Mac Jones first time playing in a hostile environment in the NFL. For the most part, Jones had a solid first outing, and even graded out as the best rookie quarterback in Week 1 by Pro Football Focus.

On paper, the Jets offer much less of a challenge than the Dolphins did. The Dolphins have tons of talent up and down their roster, and were a borderline playoff team last season. The Jets on the other hand are starting from scratch again after trading Sam Darnold to the Carolina Panthers this past offseason. Their latest project is 2021 second overall pick, Zach Wilson.

Even then, the Jets cannot simply be ignored. Wilson and the Jets had an up-and-down outing in Week 1, but showed the potential to be able to put together a solid offense that can move up and down the field. Their defense remains a work in progress, but then again, so does New England’s offense. Let’s take a look at three keys for the New England Patriots if they want to pick up a win over the New York Jets.