After a disastrous start to the season, Drake Maye and the Patriots offense have found their groove.
Over the last two weeks, New England has scored 74 points, including a 45-point explosion against the Raiders in Week 5. Maye showed flashes of his dual-threat ability from last season, throwing for five touchdowns (four passing, one rushing) in the 28-point win.
With A.J. Brown and Christian Gonzalez also designated for return, Aaron Glenn and the Jets will face a Patriots team near full strength.
The Jets enter Foxborough as touchdown dogs, aiming for their second road win of the season.
Jets vs. Patriots prediction, best bet
Geno Smith carries a pristine six-touchdown, no-interception ratio into this matchup, and the veteran has won his last two starts in New England. Braelon Allen continues to fill in well for the injured Breece Hall, posting a career-best 116 yards and a touchdown last week.
They will need all the production to counter a stifling Pats defense that limits the opposition to just 18.8 points per game, which ranks fourth-best in the league.
All eyes will be on Jets wideout Garrett Wilson against Pats shutdown corner Gonzalez. The good news for New York is that explosive pass-catchers Kenyon Sadiq and Omar Cooper Jr. are both ready to play.
This is huge considering New England will be down DB Carlton Davis III.
On offense, Mike Vrabel gets Brown back to complement Romeo Doubs and Demario Douglas, but starting tackle Will Campbell’s availability is in question, and even if he suits up, he won’t be at full strength.
The Jets defensive front is coming off tying a franchise record with eight sacks against Cleveland last week. Rookie David Bailey wreaked havoc, pulling off a hat trick in the Jets’ narrow five-point win.
A repeat performance would go a long way for an underrated Gang Green defense, which has already held three opponents under 200 total yards this season. How well the Patriots line holds up against a red-hot Jets front remains to be seen.
It will also depend on which version of Maye shows up on Sunday.
In the Pats’ first three games, he accounted for seven turnovers, one touchdown, and a 58.6 passer rating. Granted, he’s turned things around in New England’s last two games, but those performances came against two defenses in Buffalo and Las Vegas that rank near the bottom six in the league.
Betting on the NFL?
If Gang Green consistently flushes Maye out of the pocket with blitzes and forces off-script plays, they have a legitimate shot at keeping this one close.
With Smith taking care of the football under center, Glenn and the Jets’ defense should have opportunities to force takeaways, which gives me confidence they’re worth backing on a 7-point spread.
The Play: Jets +7 (-102, BetMGM)
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Mike Turay is a sports journalist and editor who closely follows the NBA, NFL, college sports and UFC. He has demonstrated expertise in both NBA and NFL player prop bets for nearly three years. Mike is also highly knowledgeable about the sportsbook offer landscape, frequently trying and reviewing the latest apps and sites.
