Rodgers and Jets set for home opener in a Thursday night showdown with AFC East-rival Patriots

Updated Sep. 18, 2024 2:31 p.m. ET

Associated Press

New England (1-1) at New York Jets (1-1)

Thursday, 8:15 p.m. EDT, Amazon Prime Video.

BetMGM NFL odds: Jets by 6.

Series record: Patriots lead 74-55-1.

Against the spread: Patriots 1-0-1, Jets 1-1.

Last meeting: Jets beat Patriots 17-3 on Jan. 7. 2024, in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

Last week: Patriots lost to Seattle 23-20 in OT; Jets beat Tennessee 24-17.

Patriots offense: overall (20), rush (4t), pass (29), scoring (20t).

Patriots defense: overall (11), rush (2), pass (27), scoring (5).

Jets offense: overall (27), rush (26), pass (22), scoring (14t).

Jets defense: overall (24), rush (24), pass (17), scoring (25t).

Turnover differential: Patriots plus-2; Jets even.

Patriots player to watch

TE Hunter Henry. He matched a career high with eight catches and set a personal best with 108 yards receiving against Seattle. With the Patriots' wide receivers contributing little, the tight ends and running backs need to give the offense some sort of passing attack to keep them in the game.

Jets player to watch

QB Aaron Rodgers. The 40-year-old Rodgers will make his first home start since tearing his left Achilles tendon four snaps into the opener last year. He hasn't lit up the scoreboard or the stats sheets in his first two games back and has attempted just five passes beyond 10 yards. But he has been mostly efficient, highlighted by going 5 for 5 passing while marching the Jets down the field for the winning score at Tennessee. With the Patriots struggling against the pass, Rodgers might get some downfield chances.

Key matchup

Patriots' run game vs. Jets' run defense. Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson have helped New England run for an average of 177.5 yards per game, tied for fourth most in the NFL. The Jets are off to a shaky start on defense, having allowed San Francisco to run for 180 yards and Tennessee to go for 130.

Key injuries

Patriots LB Ja’Whaun Bentley suffered what was listed as a shoulder injury and it's expected to be a season-ender. ... OT Vederian Lowe (knee), G Sidy Sow (ankle) and LB Oshane Ximines (knee) were all ruled out for the game after not practicing all week. ... C David Andrews (hip), S Jabril Peppers (shoulder), DE Deatrich Wise (shoulder) and OL Mike Onwenu (wrist) were questionable after being limited all week. ... Jets edge rusher Jermaine Johnson is out for the season with a torn Achilles tendon. ... CB Michael Carter II has a sprained ankle that will likely affect him all season, but he should play. ... CB D.J. Reed should return after missing last week with a sore knee. ... LB C.J. Mosley (big toe) was questionable after not practicing.

Series notes

The Jets ended a 15-game skid against the AFC East-rival Patriots in last season's finale, which was also Bill Belichick's final game as New England's coach. ... The Patriots have won eight straight against the Jets at MetLife Stadium. The most recent time the Jets won at home came Dec. 27, 2015, when Ryan Fitzpatrick connected with Eric Decker for a 6-yard TD in overtime that won it 26-20. ... It's the sixth time the Patriots and Jets have played on Thursday, with New England having won four of the first five. It's the first Thursday meeting between the teams since the Patriots topped the Jets 27-25 on Oct. 16, 2014, when Chris Jones blocked Nick Folk’s 58-yard field-goal attempt on the final play.

Stats and stuff

Against Seattle, the Patriots became the first team since at least 1960 with no turnovers, 185-plus yards rushing and fewer than 50 yards rushing allowed to lose. Teams are now 120-1 in those situations. ... QB Jacoby Brissett has thrown just one pass longer than 20 yards all season, according to Sportradar — the fewest attempts of 20 or more yards in the league. Only Washington (0-2), Carolina (0-6) and Chicago (0-10) also have failed to complete a deep pass. ... If the Patriots surpass 170 yards rushing against the Jets, it would be the first time in team history they did it in each of their first three games. ... They also have a chance to start a season turnover-free through three games since 1998. … The Patriots have allowed 46 and 70 yards rushing in the first two games. ... Henry had his second career 100-yard receiving day against Seattle. ... Stevenson has rushed for a TD in each of the Patriots' first two games. ... Gibson averaged 8.7 yards per carry vs. Seattle with 11 carries for 96 yards. ... P Bryce Baringer has gone 19 straight games with at least one 50-yard punt. ... DE Keion White has four sacks following his season-high 2½ against the Bengals with 1½ against Seattle. ... The Jets are playing their third game in 11 days to open the season. ... They have scored six offensive touchdowns, with three in each game. It's the first time they've had three or more in their first two games since 2004. ... New York has two or more TD passes in each of their first two games for the first time since 2015. ... Rodgers will match Tom Brady for the most Thursday game starts among quarterbacks with 17. Rodgers is 11-5 in those games, while Brady was 14-3. ... Rodgers has gone 25 games, including the postseason, without throwing for 300 or more yards in a game. The previous came in Week 14 in 2021 when he threw for 341 while with Green Bay in a 45-30 win over Chicago. ... The Jets' 20-year-old rookie RB Braelon Allen ran for 33 yards and a TD and also caught a scoring pass while becoming the youngest to score a TD from scrimmage in the NFL since 1930. He's also the first rookie in franchise history to have a TD catch and a TD run in the same game. ... Allen and Breece Hall became the Jets’ first running back duo with TD catches in a game since Johnny Johnson and Richie Anderson in Week 3 at Miami in 1994. ... The Jets scored 17 points off turnovers by the Titans last week. ... DE Will McDonald had a career-high three sacks at Tennessee.

Fantasy tip

Jets WR Mike Williams has been eased in after missing most of last season with the Chargers with a knee injury, but he had his first catch last week and could see an expanded role. Against a shaky secondary, Williams might make for a solid WR3 option.

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