Key Matchups
Christian Gonzalez vs Garrett Wilson
Last year, Christian Gonzalez’s rookie season met an early end as he tore his labrum on a dislocated shoulder in Week Four, meaning this will be the first time he faces off against what will be a familiar face and rival in New York Jets star receiver Garrett Wilson. This will also be the first time that Aaron Rodgers will face the New York Patriots in a Jets uniform, meaning that both pass catcher and quarterback will be facing unfamiliarity tonight, giving Gonzalez a big opportunity to make a statement and take the first big win in the matchup.
Wilson has been relatively quiet these past two weeks to start the season, mainly due to the Jets not leaning heavily on their passing attack and Rodgers throwing for under 200 yards in both games. Wilson has accumulated 10 catches for 117 yards, which could mean he is due for his first breakout performance of the year. Gonzalez might deal with Rodgers giving Wilson a good amount of targets, which means he’ll need to be ready to have the ball thrown his way a lot.
That being said, the Patriots’ secondary struggled mightily in key moments last week vs Seattle, with both DK Metcalf and Jaxson Smith-Njigba going for over 100 yards receiving. Gonzalez and the rest of the back end will want to right those wrongs and know they need a bounce-back performance to give the team their best shot of winning.
Patriots Defensive Line vs Breece Hall
The Pats rush defense has been the strong suit of the unit thus far having held the Seattle Seahawks and Cincinnati Bengals to 46 and 70 yards in those first two games. Jets running back Breece Hall hasn’t blown anyone away with stats only averaging 3.8 yards per carry and scoring one touchdown. Hall only averaged 1.5 yards per carry in last year’s Week 3 matchup vs New England, however, he ran for 178 yards on 37 carries in the snowy Week 18 game in Foxborough. The big difference between now and then is that the Jets now have Rodgers instead of Zach Wilson and Trevor Siemian, which makes the Jets’ offense less predictable and could open things up for the Jets’ running game this time.
Running the ball and stopping the run has made the Patriots competitive in both games this season, and they’ll want to continue that trend in enemy territory. The Jets also should want to establish a running game with Hall to keep the secondary of New England honest and make life easier for their aging Quarterback in the passing game.
Key Players
C.J. Mosley
Jets star and veteran linebacker C.J. Mosley has grown accustomed to playing the Patriots in his now 11-year career, not just with the Jets but with the Baltimore Ravens before that. He and fellow linebacker Quincy Williams have been tackling machines this year with both flying around the middle of the field in New York’s Week One loss to the San Francisco 49ers and Williams having an additional eight tackles in their win vs Tennessee. What makes Mosley an arguably bigger factor is one, the familiarity he has with playing the Patriots, and two, whether or not he will play.
Mosley has been dealing with a toe injury and has missed multiple practices this week leading up to the game. He has listed himself as “50-50” on if he’ll suit up for the matchup. If it turns out he won’t play, that should open things up for the Patriots in both the passing and running game. It would also mean that Quincy Williams and his replacement will need to step up their game and be as effective as possible in the linebacking core.
The Jets can get after the quarterback, and the Patriots’ offensive line hasn’t thrived in pass protection or run blocking which was expected. Jacoby Brissett may be in for a day of getting popped by the Jets’ front seven, and Mosley is one of the many threats that can both pressure the quarterback and make an impact in pass coverage. His status for the game is crucial for both teams and their approach to running their offense and defense.
Rhamondre Stevenson
As said before, the Patriots running game has made their offense compelling and the games compelling in Weeks one and two. The main cog in this running game is Rhamondre Stevenson who rushed for 120 yards on 25 carries in Cincinnati, and an additional 81 this past Sunday vs Seattle. Antonio Gibson had a surprising 96 yards on 11 carries against the Seahawks, making him the game’s leading rusher, but there is no doubt the running game goes through Stevenson, while Gibson is more of a complimentary piece.
With the struggles in pass protection that the team has continued to face, handing the ball off and establishing an efficient running game is key to giving the Pats the best opportunity to win. The Jets running defense also hasn’t been as shut down as advertised so far, having given up 147 yards to not Christian McCaffrey but Jordan Mason in Week One. Though they did a better job against Tony Pollard last Sunday, they allowed Titans quarterback Will Levis to gain some big chunks of yardage with his legs.
If the Jets rush defense still hasn’t gotten things completely together, this is a prime opportunity for the Pats to run effectively with their two backs and it all starts with Rhamondre. Not only can he run but he can also catch passes out of the backfield which can make him a use for quick checkdowns and screens if the Jets pass rush is getting to Brissett.
The Patriots have a big challenge ahead of them tonight on the road, as the Jets are expecting close to a sell-out crowd for their home opener, and their fans should be yet another challenge for the Patriots to handle. Still, succeeding in those key areas above should most certainly give the Pats a shot at pulling off an upset and surprising a lot of people.
Main Image: David Butler II-Imagn Images
