The Takeaway in Week 9: What’s Left To Take Away From the Jets?

The Patriots don't need to single out one of New York's offensive players in order to succeed Monday night.

The New England Patriots have earned their fair share of enemies over the years, but there’s only one organization that Bill Belichick genuinely seems to dislike: the New York Jets.

Over the past two decades, Belichick has taken every opportunity to pick on what’s been the weakest link in the AFC East. For evidence, look no further than Belichick’s attempts to conceal his smile as he pestered Adam Gase with intentional delay of game penalties last season.

This season might be the worst one yet for the New York team, with many projecting the Jets will go 0-16. In New England’s rockiest start since 2000, a win on Monday night could be the jet fuel that propels the Patriots to a positive start against the Ravens in Week 10. Luckily for the six-time Super Bowl champions, tonight’s opponent is already busy beating themselves.

What’s Left To Take Away?

The best way to put this into perspective is by asking a simple question: is anyone on the Jets on your fantasy team?

The answer is probably no because no one on the team has really benefited much this season. Sam Darnold went over 12 points once through six games, and Frank Gore hasn’t rushed for more than 60 yards in a game. The one Jets stash on most fantasy rosters, Le’Veon Bell, got cut in Week 5.

The only other player that sees worthwhile production is Jamison Crowder: he’s the only receiver who has seen 8+ targets in every game this season. Although he’s set to play, if Crowded reaggravates a groin injury tonight, former Patriots receiver Braxton Berrios would be the one lining up in the slot.

Whether Crowder or Berrios take that space, they’ll have to face off against Jonathan Jones, who has been covering the slot all season. Jones has only allowed a 60.5 percent completion rate this season, but the average yards allowed (12.2) are a bit concerning: getting past Jones has often meant getting a first down.

However, Darnold has been ruled out, which means that backup quarterback Joe Flacco will be stepping up under center. In the two full games he’s played this season, Flacco has had no more than a 55 percent completion rating and no more than 200 passing yards, meaning he will likely flounder against a difficult Patriots secondary.

What’s even more interesting is that historically, Flacco hasn’t done so well against the blitz: in 2015, he had a 37.9 quarterback rating against blitzes, one of the worst ratings seen that season. The trend continued into 2019, when both Darnold and Flacco lined the bottom of a list of quarterback ratings against the blitz.

New England's Cover 0 blitz famously haunted Sam Darnold last season, and the powerful coverage could prevent Flacco from getting his plays off in time. If the biggest threat is Jamison Crowder in the slot, there’s no defensive concern for the deep pass, meaning Belichick can pack his men up front and head straight for Flacco. Flacco’s failure against blitzes and the Patriots being one of a few teams that can pull off Cover 0 makes for a dangerous defensive combination—one that could hand the Jets their worst stats all season.

With a backup quarterback, an injured receiver and an ineffective run game, how much damage could the Jets possibly do in this game? The sports betting world doesn’t expect much: the Patriots are projected to win by at least 10 in Vegas. However, Belichick seemed to shift his tone against the Jets, complimenting a young team that he believes is getting better and will “be at their best on Monday night.”

New York could be at their best, but it probably won’t be enough to beat the Patriots, who nearly beat the 7-2 Bills last week. As the Jets take the field with a dilapidated team, Belichick will take away what’s left with cornerbacks in man coverage and a front seven that can sack the living daylights out of Flacco.