The Jets play for the third time in eleven days. After opening the season with two consecutive road games, winning one, Aaron Rodgers and his team welcome the divisional rivals, the Patriots, to MetLife Stadium for a Thursday Night fixture.
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However, Kevin Wildes during the recent episode of First Things First, predicted the result won’t go their way, as New England will take home all the points with a close 17-14 win in the battle of running the ball:
“They can’t run on us. They can’t throw to Garett Wilson and they can’t stop our run. It’s an outright win for the Patriots, 17-14. Is it going to be a barn burner? No. But that’s what going to happen.”
Wildes boldly predicted the Pats to win on the road. He pointed out that like the Green Gang, the Patriots rely on their defense and their numbers so far have been impressive, giving up merely 58 yards on the ground while star CB Christian Gonzalez has kept receivers like Ja’Marr Chase and DK Metcalf on a short leash.
The Jets won’t be able to run the ball against this defense. Wildes also highlighted that there hasn’t been much difference in numbers between Rodgers and Brissett. It’s just one extra pass completion and two TDs, with both throwing the ball 51% of the time.
So, are the Patriots going to win? Unlike their rivals, they have relied on running the ball. In week 1, against the Bengals, they had 170 yards on the ground, while against the Seahawks, they were even better with 185 rushing yards.
The Jet’s defense, on the other hand, gave up 180 rushing yards against the 49ers and 130 yards against the Titans. They can’t seem to stop the run, giving New England an advantage in this crucial battle.
The Patriots lead their divisional rivals in all-time series, including playoff games, 74-55-1, and have won 23 of the last 26 meetings. Since 2001, the Pats have only lost four times at MetLife, winning 19. The Jets ended their losing streak of 15 games against them last season, winning 17-3 in the final week.
However, the records don’t mean much as both franchises are in different places. The Jets have a great roster and are expected to challenge for the Super Bowl while the Pats are in a rebuilding year, trying to win as many games as they can.
