3 keys to Jets victory over Patriots in second meeting of season
1) START FAST
The Jets offense hasn’t score a single point in the first quarter. They haven’t even cracked a 100 yard total in an opening period. It’s 79, embarrassing right? Enough is enough. It’s time for the Jets offense to start scoring early so they don’t put themselves in a hole. The Jets spent the bye week figuring out a solution. Luckily for them, they face a defense that hasn’t been good to start games. In five of the Patriots six games they’ve allowed points in the first quarter. You can guess the team they shut out the first 15 minutes.
2) PROTECT THE MIDDLE OF THE FIELD
Mac Jones loves to throw over the middle of the field — 62% of his passes are in that area. Jones’ two favorite targets are tight end Hunter Henry and Jakobi Meyers and the majority of their targets come over the middle. The Jets linebackers will have to key on their assignments and have great eye discipline. The Patriots love to use the play action game to create windows over the middle.
3) RUN THE BALL
The last time the Jets played the Patriots, Zach Wilson threw four interceptions and offense only scored six points. But the running game was effective — they ran for 152 yards. The Jets know what Bill Belichick is capable of in regards to rookie quarterbacks. Belichick is 23-6 against rookie QBs for a reason. So the Jets should take the pressure off of Wilson and run the ball with the same effectiveness. The Jets and Wilson hope to avoid tossing another four interceptions. So if the run game is working it should lead to a better Wilson in this matchup.
