The New England Patriots face off against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium this week in a battle between division rivals. New England (11-3) and New York (3-11) enter this week’s game going in two different directions. The game will begin Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET and can be seen on CBS.
The last time the Jets and Patriots faced each other was in Week 7, a 27-25 loss for New York. Chris Ivory had a big performance running the ball in that game, gaining 107 yards and one TD on 21 carries. Jeff Cumberland added 50 yards and a TD on three receptions. Shane Vereen had a huge day, putting up 114 total yards and two TDs. He had some success as both a runner (43 yards) and receiver (71 yards).
New England is a huge 10-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is 47 points. Heading into Week 16 of league action, the Jets are 3-11 Straight Up (SU) and 4-9-1 Against The Spread (ATS). In the past five games, New York is 2-3 SU and 3-2 ATS. New York has kept their running game going like a well oiled machine lately, averaging 160.2 rushing yards during its last five matchups. The Jets defense has stepped up its play in the past five games as well. They’ve allowed 21 points during that stretch, down from their season average of 25.7. Expect the Patriots to have a tough time running against the fourth-ranked Jets run defense, which gives up just 87.5 yards per game on the ground.
In the other locker room, the Patriots have 11-3 SU and 9-5 ATS records this season. In the previous five games, New England has a record of 4-1 both SU and ATS. They enter the week as the league’s best scoring offense, dropping an average of 31.6 points per game on opposing defenses. New England has lit up defenses all around the league over the past five games, putting up an average of 410.4 total yards during that time. New England’s defense must be getting pumped up to face off against the Jets, who average a measly 16.4 points per game this season. Stopping the pass doesn’t have to be New England’s first priority since the Jets aren’t putting up scary numbers through the air at home this year. New York is the worst in the league with an average of 168.3 passing yards per home game. The pass rushers for the Patriots have got to be excited about their matchup this week against the Jets, who rank 28th in the league with an average of 3.1 sacks allowed per game. The Jets defense seems to take a wrong turn out of the gate. The Patriots can take an early advantage against New York and its average of 6.9 first-quarter points allowed.
Predictions: SU Winner – NE, ATS Winner – NE, O/U – Under
Notes
The total has gone OVER in 8 of New England’s last 11 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of the NY Jets last 6 games.
New England is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games.
NY Jets are 2-11 SU in their last 13 games.
New England is 6-11-1 ATS in its last 18 games on the road.
NY Jets are 4-9-1 ATS in their last 14 games.
New England is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road.
NY Jets are 1-5 SU in their last 6 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 9 of New England’s last 10 games when playing NY Jets.
NY Jets are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games at home.
New England is 6-1 SU in their last 7 games when playing NY Jets.
The total has gone OVER in 9 of the NY Jets last 10 games when playing New England.
New England is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games when playing NY Jets.
NY Jets are 1-6 SU in their last 7 games when playing New England.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of New England’s last 5 games when playing on the road against NY Jets.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of the NY Jets last 5 games when playing at home against New England.
New England is 10-3 SU in their last 13 games when playing on the road against NY Jets.
NY Jets are 3-10 SU in their last 13 games when playing at home against New England.
NY Jets are 3-12 ATS in their last 15 games when playing at home against New England.
New England is 10-1 SU when leading at the half this season. New York is 2-2 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
New England is 10-0 SU when leading at the start of the fourth quarter this season. New York is 2-1 SU when leading after three quarters.
This season, New England is 7-1 SU in games where it wins the turnover battle, and 2-1 SU in games where it loses the turnover battle.
Since the start of last season, New England is 7-3 SU against AFC East opponents, while New York is just 3-7 SU against division foes.
When it comes to passing this year, New England is rated higher on both sides of the ball. Its sixth-ranked passing attack will face the 20th-ranked pass defense of New York, while its 22nd-ranked pass defense will look to limit the bottom-ranked passing game of the Jets.
New York is rated higher in the ground game on both sides of the ball. Its second-ranked rushing attack will face the 10th-ranked run defense of New England, while its fourth-ranked rush defense will look to contain the 18th-ranked run game of the Patriots.
New York has allowed 24.0 points per game at home this year, which is ranked only 23rd in the league. New England has scored 26.7 points per contest on the road (ranked fifth overall).
