The New England Patriots will be at MetLife Stadium in NFL Week 3 action to take on the New York Jets on Thursday Night Football. The two AFC East rivals are coming off differing results in Week 2, with the Jets defeating the Tennessee Titans 24-17 and the Patriots losing 23-20 to the Seattle Seahawks in overtime.
The Jets are currently favored against the spread by 6.5 points on most NFL betting sites, and the current over/under line is 38.5, which indicates sportsbooks see the potential for a low-scoring affair. We also cover a sportsbook promotion from Caesars. Click “play now” below to get started.
New York Jets favored over New England Patriots ahead of divisional matchup
How the New York Jets could win and cover the spread
The Jets’ offense has struggled in the first two weeks of the season and is bottom-10 in total offense yards per game with 265.5. However, the Jets odds still have them as the favorite, and the team is at its best on offense when getting the ball to its most electric playmaker, Breece Hall. The third-year running back has racked up 207 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown in his first two games, averaging 3.9 yards per rushing attempt.
While the rushing game has been less than stellar, Hall has been a big feature in the passing game, catching 12 of 14 targets for 91 yards and a touchdown. He has the most catches on New York’s roster through the first two weeks of the season, and it’s no surprise that the offense looks at its best when he has the ball in his hands.
The Patriots’ run defense was excellent against the Seahawks in Week 2 but allowed Zach Charbonnet to catch five passes for 31 yards. Given all that, Jets’ offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett could seek to get Hall even more involved in the passing game on Thursday Night Football.
How New England Patriots could cover the spread or win
One factor potentially influencing the Patriots’ odds is that the team struggled to slow down an on-fire Geno Smith as the Seahawks’ passing game took over in Week 2. Smith completed 33 of 44 pass attempts for 327 yards and a touchdown, accessing all levels of the field and hooking up with his top receivers, DK Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. That can’t happen against an Aaron Rodgers-led passing offense.
Per PFF, Rodgers has struggled when pressured this season, completing just 28.6% of his pass attempts. The problem is that Rodgers has only been pressured on 18.2% of his dropbacks. The Jets’ offensive line has done an excellent job in keeping Rodgers upright, and the Patriots’ defense is just 23rd in pressure rate through two games. The Patriots’ pass rush will need to be better against the Jets, and if it is, and is able to get to Rodgers and disrupt him, it could slow down a passing offense that’s already averaging just 181 yards per game.
