Three Keys to Success as New York Jets Prepare to Host New England Patriots

Here are three keys to success for the New York Jets as they prepare for their first meeting with the New England Patriots.

Sep 9, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; New York Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood (44) before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The New York Jets and the New England Patriots are preparing for their Week 3 showdown on a short week, as they take the field at MetLife Stadium on Thursday night at 8:15 p.m. eastern on Amazon Prime TV.

Any game in the AFC East is a big game, but both The Jets and the Patriots come in to this contest at 1-1 and moving in slightly different directions.

New York is coming off a 24-17 win over Tennessee, where it drove the length of the field for a go-ahead touchdown with five minutes left in the game. The Jets’ defense was able to preserve the win with a goal-line stand.

The Patriots are coming off a 23-20 overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks, which has already resulted in some chatter that it’s time to accelerate the development of young quarterback Drake Maye, who right now is behind veteran Jacoby Brissett on the depth chart.

The injury report looks lengthy, especially for the Patriots. The Jets have already lost and Jermaine Johnson for the season to a torn Achilles. New York could be without a couple of other key defenders, depending upon how their weeks evolve.

Here are the Jets’ three keys to success in this game.

New Defenders Step Up

The New York Jets already know that they will be without edge rusher Jermaine Johnson for the rest of the season after a torn Achilles.

There's a good chance they could also be without linebacker C.J. Mosley and cornerback D.J. Reed, as both are trying to recover from injuries on short weeks.

If all three are unable to play, that puts the onus on three defenders that stepped up and produced last week.

Edge rusher Will McDonald IV had a coming-out party last week with three sacks and a forced fumble. Linebacker Jamien Sherwood had 10 tackles, including four run stops, and per Pro Football Focus was one of the highest-rated linebackers of the week. Cornerback Brandin Echols stepped up to pick off a pass in Reed’s absence.

In the NFL there's an old saying — next man up. It's cliche, but it's also true. When players are hurt, that's an opportunity for other players to step up and make a difference. McDonald, Sherwood and Echols all did so last week. They will likely need to do so again this week.

Protect the Passer

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ passing numbers don't look like he was once a four-time NFL Most Valuable Player. But that's not really what New York needs from him. The Jets only need solid quarterback play. And to get it, Rodgers needs to get through the game healthy. So far, the New York Jets offensive line has done its job.

According to PFF, all five of the Jets’ starting linemen graded out among the Top 13 among offensive linemen going into Monday Night Football, per data collected by The Jet Press.

Joe Tippmann, Tyron Smith, Alijah Vera-Tucker, John Simpson and Morgan Moses are doing exactly what they should be doing — giving Rodgers a clean pocket.

While he’s been sacked three times, he’s clearly had plenty of time to throw on the majority of his drop-backs. Some of that is Rodgers’ classic quick release. Some of that is due to the blocking up front.

Possess the Ball

Look at the New England Patriots and something stands out. Through two games, the Patriots are winning the time of possession game against their opponents. In fact the New England offense is holding the football on average nearly 35 minutes per game.

New England has relied heavily on the run game as a way of insulating their quarterback situation, which is shaky at best between starter Jacoby Brissett and starter-in-waiting Drake may.

The New York Jets got their ground game going last week between Breece Hall and Braelon Allen, who combined for more than 150 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns.

If the Jets can get into a mode where these two help them move the chains and possess the ball more than their season average (25:41), it puts New York in a position to flip the time of possession game and put the game in the hands of its defense.