Schedule Breakdown: A Look at the Next Four Games for the Patriots
By Joe Lewis
Anyone who doesn’t expect a tough game on the road against the Jets is fooling themselves. The records don’t mean much in this rivalry. New England almost always gets everything they can handle each year when their schedule takes them into MetLife Stadium. The Jets may be down, but Todd Bowles is a capable coach and he’ll have his team ready to go for this one.
Tom Brady is 22-8 against the Jets in his career. The only team he has beaten more is the Buffalo Bills (26 times) and this contest will likely notch another one in the W column. Scoring an anemic 18.6 points per game, the Jets offense is struggling behind Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has once again shown why he has never been able to stick with a team in his career. Flashes of brilliance aside, he can’t win week-to-week in the NFL.
For the Jets defense, the main weakness is their vulnerability in the passing game. They rank dead last in passing yards allowed per game (289.1) and cornerback Darrelle Revis has all but admitted he isn’t the shutdown defender that he was in his prime. New England should be able to take advantage of holes in the Jets secondary, blowing a competitive game open late against a tired, overmatched group.
Prediction: New England 30, New York Jets 14