Why The New York Jets Will Defeat New England Patriots

The New York Jets will host the New England Patriots on Sunday afternoon. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET. New England comes into the game as a 9.5 point favorite.

A Tale of Two Teams

Before the season, everyone projected the Jets to finish the season with an 0-16 record. They had no starpower, or any power, for that matter, on their team coming in. They even released Erik Decker, their top receiver, and traded Sheldon Richardson to Seattle for a receiver in Jermaine Kearse who only had one touchdown catch last season. That was when passes were thrown his way from Russell Wilson. Now, he had Josh McCown throwing to him.

On the other side of the ball, it was the complete opposite. The Patriots were stacked on offense and were projected to go 16-0. However, they have played the worst football in the Tom Brady era. Brady continues to miss his receivers, the Patriots defense can’t stop anyone, including Chiefs rookie running back Kareem Hunt and Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. They are 3-2, which is the same record as the Jets. They could and should probably be sitting at 1-4.

In their win over Houston, Brady nearly threw a game-ending interception. However, the defender dropped the ball at the last second, making the pass incomplete. Against the Buccaneers, kicker Nick Folk missed three field goals. Had he made those kicks, Tampa would’ve won by a final score of 20-19.

The Jets have won three in a row after losing their first two games. The defense has played strong and the offense has found ways to win games. Kearse has also made a name for himself in New York. He currently has 220 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

Another impressive thing was when they defeated the best defense in the NFL in the Jacksonville Jaguars. Running back Bilal Powell rushed for 168 yards against that defense.

Fans also can’t forget that the Jets defeated the Patriots in overtime when they met at MetLife in 2015. Last season, the Patriots defense helped them pull out a victory. Now that defense has fallen apart due to players going elsewhere and injury. Going up against a struggling Patriots team, the Jets could easily pull off a major upset.