Patriots Country

Patriots Power Rankings: Game vs. Jets Gives 'Clue'?

The New England Patriots' season could become very grim with a loss against the New York Jets.

Jeremy Brener

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The New England Patriots are one of nine teams to start their season with an 0-2 record.

Some 0-2's look worse than others, and if there is such a thing as a "good" 0-2, the Pats might have that. The Pats and the Minnesota Vikings are the only teams in the winless column to have lost both games against playoff teams from a year ago.

That's part of the reason why the Pats are given some leeway in this week's power rankings from Sports Illustrated. New England clocks in at No. 24.

"They are much improved, but they are facing off against a handful of teams to start the year with Super Bowl aspirations," SI writes. "Narrow losses to the Eagles and Dolphins look like an indictment on New England, though I’m not sure they would have been within 15 points of either team last year with a different offense. A game against the reeling Jets in New Jersey should clue us in on how their season will go once the schedule softens." 

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones against the New York Jets.
New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones against the New York Jets

The Pats' first road test of the season comes against the Jets, a team New England has had a fair amount of success against over the years. Knowing the fact that they will play Zach Wilson rather than Aaron Rodgers, this could be a must-win for the Pats.

Only 9.58 percent of teams have started 0-2 and made the playoffs, but that statistic shrinks to 2.5 percent for those who begin the year 0-3. Just four teams have started off 0-3 and made the playoffs since 1992, so a loss on Sunday would give the Pats extremely long odds to return to the postseason.

The Patriots and Jets kick off at 1 p.m. Sunday inside MetLife Stadium.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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