How to watch New England Patriots versus New York Jets

The New England Patriots travel to face the New York Jets in Week 7 on Monday Night Football. Here’s all the information you need to watch the game.

If you’d told New England Patriots fans back in Week 3 that the team’s stiffest challenge to date in the 2019 season would come Week 7 in a rematch against the New York Jets, they probably would have laughed out loud… and it would be hard to blame them.

After all, the Pats absolutely pasted the Jets four weeks ago in Foxborough by a final score of 30-14, and the score really shouldn’t have even been that close. Returner Gunner Olszewski muffed a punt – the only instance he’s done so this season – that was taken in for a touchdown, and rookie backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham threw a pick-six. It’s not hard to imagine a world in which Tom Brady stays in the game for all four quarters and Olszewski keeps his eyes on the ball just a few seconds longer, and New England leaves that game with a 30-0 victory.

Nevertheless, the Patriots still beat the Jets that day by 16 points… but New York was starting its third-string QB out of necessity. Four weeks later, that signal-caller (Luke Falk) isn’t even on the team anymore.

First-stringer Sam Darnold is back in action, and he looked especially sharp in his first game back from a bout of mononucleosis last week against the Dallas Cowboys. Behind Darnold’s play, the Jets offense looked like a completely different squad altogether.

In three games without Darnold, New York scored just 23 total points – one offensive touchdown (with a failed two-point conversion), one field goal, and two defensive/special teams touchdowns. In one game with Darnold back under center, New York scored 24 points on a field goal and three touchdowns (two of them passing).

The Jets will need a similar offensive output if they want to climb to 2-4 on the season. With all due respect to Dallas and their better-than-advertised defense, the Patriots defense is not the Cowboys defense. New England has allowed just one passing touchdown all season, and they’ve only allowed three touchdowns total on defense through six games. That’s an absurd statistic to consider in today’s NFL, and yet it’s 100% true.

Last time these two teams played, the Patriots limited the Jets to just 36 yards on the ground. Prized free agent addition Le’Veon Bell had 35 of those yards on 18 carries, meaning his average that afternoon was a measly 1.9 yards per rush. If the Patriots can bottle Bell up again and get pressure on Darnold (through Chase Winovich, Deatrich Wise, John Simon, etc.), the Jets offense could be in for a long night.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Patriots offense will look to put together a more promising effort than what they’ve shown over the past three weeks. Some of New England’s offensive struggles can be chalked up to injuries and personnel attrition, but mostly it’s been a matter of the offensive line underperforming on the season.

If the O-line can get it together against a very pedestrian Jets pass rush, Brady and the Patriots could have a very nice outing in the Meadowlands. New England should benefit with the addition of Benjamin Watson at tight end this week; the Patriots are also looking for increased contributions from their running backs and wide receivers as well, many of whom missed recent games with injury.

Here’s all the info you need to take in tonight’s game:

Date: Monday, October 21, 2019
Kickoff time: 8:15 pm EST
Location: East Rutherford, New Jersey
Stadium: MetLife Stadium
TV channel: ESPN
Radio: TuneIn
Live stream: fuboTV (try for free)
Odds: New England -10.0 (Over/Under: 44)
Weather updates: 60 degrees F; partly cloudy; 0% chance of precipitation

The Patriots will look to win their eighth straight game in this series against their AFC East rivals. The Jets have won just once in the past five years against New England, back in an overtime thriller at MetLife Stadium during the 2015 season. The Patriots also lead the all-time series 66-54-1.