Everything You Need to Know About Patriots vs. Jets Thursday Night Football

After a disappointing loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, the New England Patriots won't have too much time to dwell on it before they face the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Thursday night.

Both teams are heading into Thursday night at 1-1. The Jets dropped their season opener on Monday Night Football in a 32-19 loss to the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers before bouncing back with a 24-17 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Patriots pulled off a 16-10 upset of the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1 but choked away a late lead in a 23-20 overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2.

Thursday night is the first divisional game of the season for both squads, with the days of Patriot dominance of the AFC East (and the Jets) long gone. New England won 11 straight divisional titles from 2009-19 and beat the Jets in 15 straight games from 2016-23. Both teams finished 2-4 in the division in 2023.

Low preseason expectations meant that New England ended up with only one primetime game this season, so Thursday night will be the lone occasion for the Patriots to play before a national audience. Meanwhile, New York will be playing their second primetime game in three weeks.

One team will move above .500 and start the season 1-0 in the division – who will it be? Here is everything you need to know heading into the AFC East showdown between the New England Patriots and New York Jets on Thursday Night Football.

The Nuts and Bolts: Start Time, How to Watch, Etc.

• Home: New York Jets
• Road: New England Patriots
• Venue: MetLife Stadium — East Rutherford, N.J.
• Date: Sept. 19, 2024
• Time: 8:15 PM Eastern (7:15 PM Central, 5:15 PM Pacific)
• TV Coverage: Amazon Prime Video/WFXT (Boston 25 News)
• Radio: 98.5 FM The Sports Hub

Please note that although the game will be streamed on Amazon Prime Video, the NFL does require the game to also be made available within the home market of the competing teams. Viewers in the Boston market can also find the game on WFXT (Boston 25 News).

Patriots vs. Jets Prediction

New England's identity on offense is hardly a well-kept secret through two games. They are going to stick to the ground game as much as they can (Patriots are third in rushing attempts per game) and try to dominate time of possession (fifth in the league) by keeping it on the ground.

New England is 29th in passing yards per game, and only threw for 32 yards in the second half and overtime on Sunday. The offense has struggled to get their wide receivers involved, as the receiving corps accounted for only three catches and 19 yards against Seattle.

Jerod Mayo acknowledged this lack of production in the passing game on Monday, saying that the team needs to push the ball down the field more, something that the fanbase has also been clamoring for.

On paper, that sounds great. Unfortunately, the New England offense line has allowed the second-highest pressure rate, despite having been only blitzed six times in two games. Opposing defenses are able to consistently get pressure while dropping seven or eight defenders into coverage. Patriots fans might have to accept the harsh reality that the offense isn't choosing not to push the ball downfield, they flat-out can't push the ball downfield with the current offensive line play.

New England's five offensive line starters were all included on Monday's injury report, further exacerbating the problem. Thursday could very well could be open season for the Jets' pass rushers, although the Patriots did catch a break with the injury to New York edge rusher Jermaine Johnson.

The Jets are trying to find their groove offensively with four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. He hasn't lived up to the hype quite yet – only throwing for 167 yards in Week 1 and 176 yards in Week 2. Is this what we should expect out of a 40-year old coming off of a season-ending Achilles injury, or is the future Hall of Famer shaking off the rust?

Patriots corner Christian Gonzalez has squared off against several of the NFL best receivers and held his own, so the Gonzalez-Garrett Wilson matchup should be fun to watch.

In the end, the Patriots just aren't able to sustain the Jets pass rush (fourth in sack percentage) with a an already underperforming banged-up offensive line, and their inability to punch it in the endzone down in the red zone will make points hard to come by.

Prediction: New York Jets 23, Patriots 13

Patriots vs. Jets Injury Report: Offensive Line Worries for New England

Neither team practiced on Monday after playing on Sunday, so the injury report released is a projection of players' participation levels had the teams practiced.

New England's injury report brings some concern regarding the offensive line, as all five starters found themselves on the report. Center David Andrews, tackle Vederian Lowe, and guard Sidy Sow were all listed as did not participate. Lowe, who had claimed the starting left tackle spot, exited Sunday's game and was replaced by rookie third-rounder Caedan Wallace. Wallace could be looking at his first career start on Thursday if Lowe isn't ready to go.

Lowe was thrust into a starting role after free agent signing Chukwuma Okorafor was pulled early in Week 1. Okorafor has since left the team and is "stepping away to ponder his future".

Sow, who played in 15 games last season, has been inactive for both games after injuring his ankle in the final preseason contest against the Washington Commanders. The team was already missing former first-rounder Cole Strange at guard. Strange is currently on the PUP list with a torn patellar tendon in his knee that he suffered in Week 15 of last season.

On the defensive side of the ball, New England got devastating news regarding standout linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley on Monday. After optimistic news early on Monday from Jeremy Fowler that Bentley could play on Thursday, Ian Rapoport reported on Monday night that he is expected to miss the season with a torn pectoral muscle. Bentley, a team captain, was knocked out early in Sunday's game.

On the Jets side of things, they could be missing some key contributors on defense.

2023 Pro Bowl pass rusher Jermaine Johnson tore his achilles on Sunday and is out for the season, while five-time Pro Bowl linebacker CJ Mosley was listed as did not participate after being carted off on Sunday in the second quarter.

Corners Michael Carter II and DJ Reed were listed as limited participants on Monday's projected injury report as well.

Both teams will need to release their game-status report (in which players will be designated as questionable, doubtful, or out) on Wednesday afternoon. That report will provide the most clarity regarding players' availability on Thursday.

Weather Report: Conditions Shouldn't Impact Game

The last time these teams squared off at Gillette Stadium in Week 18 of the 2023 season, the snow in Foxborough definitely dictated gameplans and helped influence the gameplay. Fortunately, the weather should have little impact on Thursday's contest.

The current forecast in East Rutherford, N.J. calls for a chance of rain showers early on Thursday, but any precipitation should move out of the area long before kickoff. By game time the temperature should hover in the low 60s with mostly cloudy skies over MetLife Stadium. Humidity is expected to sit around 70 percent.

The way that the Patriots are determined to run the ball, the weather feels irrelevant on their game plan.

Patriots vs. Jets Betting Odds

Spread: NYJ -6.5 (-102) | NE +6.5 (-120)
Moneyline: NYJ (-260) | NE (+215)
Total: 37.5 — Over (-110) | Under (-110)

The Patriots will head into the Meadowlands as touchdown underdogs on FanDuel Sportsbook. The Jets are currently favored by 6.5 points and New York's moneyline is set at -260. It's been a continuing theme with New England, but Vegas isn't expecting a lot of points as the 37.5 over/under is the third-lowest total across the league in Week 3.

If you feel like taking a flyer on a Patriots team that has been competitive in both of its games and believe that anything can happen on a short week, a $10 bet would pay out $31.50 on New England's +215 moneyline.

The Patriots are 1-0-1 against the spread in 2024, while the Jets are 1-1. The over is 1-1 in New England's games and 1-0-1 in New York's, per TeamRankings.

Patriots vs. Jets Matchup History

Thursday night's game will be the 131st time meeting between the Patriots and Jets. New England holds a 74-55-1 series lead, dating back to 1960.

The AFC East rivals last squared off in snowy regular season Week 18 finale. New York's 17-3 win snapped a 15-game winning streak by the Patriots, it was the first Jets win in the matchup in over seven years. The game proved to be Bill Belichick's last game with the Patriots.

The last clash between the two in the Meadowlands was a defensive battle in Week 3 of last season - a 15-10 New England win. Both the Patriots and Jets trotted out a different starting quarterback for each game in the 2023 season — Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe for New England, and Zach Wilson and Trevor Siemian for New York. All four of those signal callers are no longer with the Jets or Patriots.

For Rodgers, he has played four games in his career against the Patriots. Rodgers has a 91.6 passer rating with six touchdowns and one interception in those games. The four-time MVP obviously did not play in either of the two meetings last season as he missed the season after suffering an Achilles injury on only his fourth snap in Week 1.

More New England Patriots News:

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.