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.
SCOUTING THE MATCHUPS
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.
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.
