Patriots at Jets Preview: Mac Jones to Start ... Finish?

The New England Patriots will take on the New York Jets in an AFC East division duel from MetLife Stadium on Sunday.

FOXBORO — The New England Patriots are once again hitting the road for a Week 8 contest with their AFC East division rivals, the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium.

New England enters Sunday’s game having dropped their Monday night matchup with the Chicago Bears 33-14 at Gillette Stadium. In his first start since Week 3, Pats starter Mac Jones went only 3 of 6 for 13 yards and an interception.

However, after just three offensive series, Jones was relieved by rookie Bailey Zappe. New England’s fourth-round draft selection did not fare much better, finishing the night 14 of 22 for 185 yards and a touchdown to go along with two picks.

Still, the Pats offensive struggles would be outweighed by a dismal defensive effort, which surrendered 390 total yards to quarterback Justin Fields and the Bears offense.

While much speculation surrounded the identity of New England’s potential starter under center for Week 8, Jones was declared “good to go” by coach Bill Belichick. Thus, he will make the start, despite some lingering health concerns.

Conversely, the Jets welcome New England to the ‘green side’ of the Meadowlands, riding a four-game win streak. Having missed New York’s first three games, second-year quarterback Zack Wilson has been at the helm for the team’s quartet of consecutive victories, completing 574 percent of his passes for 693 yards and one touchdown. Still, the Jets continue to feel the loss of rookie sensation Breece Hall, who was placed on season-ending injured reserve after suffering a torn ACL in New York’s Week 7 victory over the Denver Broncos.

RECORDS: New England Patriots (3-4) at New York Jets (5-2)

ODDS: New England is a 2.5-point favorite at New York, with the Over/Under set at 40.5.

GAME TIME: Monday, October 24, 2022 at 8:15 p.m. EST

LOCATION: MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ)

TV/RADIO: CBS, 98.5 FM THE SPORTS HUB

GROUNDED FLIGHT? 

The Patriots have won 12 straight games over the New York Jets with six straight series sweeps (2016-21). If the Patriots win their 13th straight game against the Jets this week, they will tie the Kansas City Chiefs (13 straight wins over Denver) for the longest current streak in the NFL.

MILESTONE WATCH

Bill Belichick enters this week tied with former Chicago Bears legendary head coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer George Halas for second place among all NFL coaches with 324 total wins. A win this week over the New York Jets will give Belichick his 325th overall win and sole posses- sion of second place, just 22 wins behind the 347 total wins by Don Shula.

THE FINAL WORD

Despite his team’s success against the Jets in their recent history, Belichick recognizes that each year provides new challenges. As such, he is cognizant of New York’s improvement since last season, especially their tenacity when attempting to close out games.

“The biggest difference in their record and their season is the fourth quarter,” Belichick told reporters on Thursday. “They’ve outscored their opponents by 54 points in the fourth quarter. So that's a good place to start. They played well in those critical situations in the game, in all three phases of the game. It's one of the reasons they have a good record. They're solid. They've improved in every area of the game. But that's where you win games when you outscore your opponents by that much in the fourth quarter that's going to get you on the winning end, in the winning column. That's when it's done.”

If New England is to find success in East Rutherford this weekend, they must keep the Jets grounded, esepcially in the game’s final stanza. Otherwise, they may find themselves in an insurmountable 3-5 hole, in what has become one of the toughest divisions in the NFL. 

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Follow Mike D’Abate on Twitter @mdabateNFL and Listen/Subscribe to his daily podcast: Locked On Patriots

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