NEW ENGLAND @ NY JETS (NYJ -6.5, 38.5)
NFL ODDS, NFL PREDICTIONS, NFL PREVIEWS
PATRIOTS @ JETS 9/19/24
Thursday Night Football will be dominated by an AFC East rivalry for the second week in a row. The New York Jets (1-1) and the New England Patriots (1-1) will square off at MetLife Stadium. The Patriots have won eight straight games there.
Despite losing their home opener 23–20, the Patriots have shown that they can be competitive through the first two weeks of the season. Jerod Mayo’s Patriots have proven they can play defense. With just 33 points surrendered thus far, New England is fifth in scoring defense. Opponents have gained just 3.3 yards per carry (3rd) and 116 total rushing yards (2nd). Although the Pats rank 25th in passing yards allowed, they rank 15th in yards per attempt allowed. In addition, this defense has two takeaways and six sacks.
The Patriots’ offensive scheme revolves around the rushing attack, particularly running back Rhamondre Stevenson. The Patriots have the third-most rushing attempts in the NFL after two weeks and average 4.7 yards per carry. The passing game has been struggling. With a completion percentage of 58.8%, Jacoby Brissett has passed for 270 yards and one touchdown. Brissett has only taken four sacks and hasn't turned the ball over yet.
The Jets defeated Tennessee 24–17 ithanks to a touchdown pass to rookie Braelon Allen in the fourth quarter last week to win their first game of 2024. With Thursday's homecoming, New York is hoping the defense can get back to its former, dominant self. With a total of 310 allowed rushing yards (ranked 24th) and 4.7 yards per carry (20th), they have been gashed twice on the ground.
The Jets have allowed 49 points (ranked 25th) in their two games. Although they played better pass defense last week, the Jets still give up 7.4 yards per attempt. With seven sacks in two games, their pass rush has been outstanding. Last Sunday, New York also came up with their first two takeaways of the season.
The Jets have scored 43 points in two games. Although the team is 20th in yards per play and 27th in yards gained, it is already better than last year because QB Aaron Rodgers is healthy. Despite 3.9 yards per carry (ranked 21st), Breece Hall and the run game have only managed 169 yards (ranked 26th). Only 6.4 yards are being gained by the Jets per pass attempt. New York didn't turn the ball over against the Titans, which is good news. The fact that Rodgers has only been sacked three times will be crucial to maintaining his health.
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Coach Rick FREE PICK:
FREE PICK: RHAMONDRE STEVENSON OVER 13.5 RECEIVING YARDS
Stevenson is the Patriots go-to back, but the Patriots are going to have a hard time throwing the ball to its wide receivers. The Jets corners are just too good. That means Stevenson and the Patriots TEs will likely see more targets tonight. Stevenson actually plays the role of receiver pretty well when playing against Robert Saleh-coached teams. In two games against the Jets last year, Stevenson had 13 receptions and 128 yards. He should clear this prop easily on Thursday night.