The short week before Thursday Night Football comes early this year, as the Patriots and Jets will meet in a truncated Week 3 with both squads off to a 1-1 start.

The last time the two teams met, the Jets closed out the 2023 season for both with their first win against New England after 15-straight defeats dating back to 2015. Now they'll get a crack at the Patriots with starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers under center and a talented array of weapons around him who played a big part in New York's Week 2 win over the Titans.

Divisional matchups almost always seem to be close in the AFC East and that should again be the case with the teams meeting after just three days of recovery.

Here are the players and position matchups to keep an eye on as the Patriots look to start a new win streak against the Jets and pick up an important divisional victory on the road.

Jacoby Brissett

Brissett has hung tough in the face of some early challenges this season. Though he's seen pressure on 44.3% of his dropbacks according to Next Gen Stats and taken four sacks through two games, the veteran QB has avoided any turnovers and managed to keep his team in both games with a chance to win at the end. But what is clear is that the passing game must come to life if the Patriots are to take a step forward offensively. Brissett ranks 16th in EPA per dropback while the passing offense is still in the middle of the pack at 16th in DVOA. Those aren'tdisastrous numbers and illustrate the good job Brissett has done avoiding negative plays. But against a talented Jets defense that ranks first in the NFL in pressure rate (45.6%), Brissett and the passing offense are in for perhaps their stiffest test yet.

Pats OL vs. Jets DL

The Jets allowed 180 and then 130 rushing yards in their first two games, while the Patriots ran for 170 and 185 yards respectively. That could point toward opportunity if New England's offensive line can control the line of scrimmage, however, with Vederian Lowe's uncertain status the team could be forced to juggle their lineup, while potentially losing the option of going heavy with a third tackle. Those questions become more glaring when you consider the aggressive pass rush of the Jets, with second-year edge Will MacDonald coming off a three-sack performance last weekend. The Jets have injury concerns as well with Jermaine Johnson suffering a potential season-ending injury in Tennessee. This is likely where the game is won or lost. If the Patriots can get rolling on the run again they'll have a chance to ignite their passing game. But the Jets pass rush will have a lot to say about that no matter how well New England moves the ball on the ground again.

Rhamondre Stevenson & Antonio Gibson

Make no mistake, Stevenson and Gibson are the Pats best one-two punch right now, thoughHunter Henry and Austin Hooper should make their case before too much of the season is gone. Even without wide-open running lanes, Stevenson and Gibson have been able to make a lot out of not much. The break tackles, they make guys miss and they're both starting to cement how they'll fit into Alex Van Pelt's attack this season. It will be hard to expect the team's aerial assault to kick into gear without Stevenson and Gibson setting an early tone. An increasing use of screen passes could be one of the keys to kickstarting progress and bringing everything together.

Hunter Henry

Henry has been arguably the most reliable offensive piece on the team over the previous three seasons and Sunday's performance against the Seahawks was one of the best of his career. Brissett's growing chemistry with the trusty tight end is a reason for optimism, especially in the red zone where Henry and fellow tight end Austin Hooper should get more opportunities.

Ja'Lynn Polk

Polk hasn't set the world on fire statistically over the first two games of his career with three catches for 18 yards but grabbed his first touchdown catch against the Seahawks and continues to show consistency in his approach and performance. He saw his role increased from Week 1 to Week 2 as far as playing time, an early nod from the coaching staff that they like what he's putting on tape. Along with DeMario Douglas, Polk is a piece of the offense that needs to lead the way to unlocking the passing game. He's shown an ability to get open and he catches almost everything thrown his way. Those elements should be enough to earn more targets going forward. Polk could draw cover corner Sauce Gardner, a difficult matchup for a rookie but one that Polk can still attack.

Patriots Pass Rushers

The Patriots defense ranks 31st in QB Pressure Rate as they've struggled to consistently affect the quarterbacks they've faced. Keion White is one exception, as he's already delivered four sacks, but for the rest of the Pats pass rushers need to be more consistently disruptive. This week they'll face a veteran offensive line on a short week. The Patriots should hope their young defensive front players will have the edge with younger and fresher legs. Josh Uche, Daniel Ekuale and Deatrich Wise are the three other players needed to make a splash, especially on third down.

Aaron Rodgers

Rodgers has completed 60.8% of his passes so far this season with three touchdowns and one interception. Last week against the Titans he orchestrated a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter showing he is still dangerous with the game on the line. He was a perfect 5-of-5 on the drive, including an important 19-yard completion to Mike Williams. Rodgers might not be quite the player he once was, but he should only continue to get his groove back following his year offin recovery from injury. The Patriots will have to attack him aggressively and try to force him to make plays on the move. Through two games Rodgers ranks 9th in EPA per play.

Breece Hall

Hall is one of the best young balanced backs in the game and he's capable of delivering explosive plays on the ground and through the air. Last week against the Titans, Hall had the team's two biggest plays of the game, a 30-yard run and a 26-yard touchdown catch, both coming early in the third quarter as the Jets retook the lead. He presents several problems for just about everyone on defense, and it seems like any winning defensive gameplan must start with keeping Hall contained as a runner. The Jets are 6-0 in his career when he runs for 95 yards or more, while the highest rushing output of his career came in last year's finale against the Patriots when he ran for 178 yards on 37 carries. The Patriots cannot let that happen again.

Braelon Allen

As seen against the Titans, defenses can no longer only worry about Hall as the rookie fourth-round pick from Wisconsin Braelon Allen is a big back who delivered some of the game's other big plays. Those included a 20-yard touchdown run and a 12-yard touchdown catch, as the big rookie is quickly emerging as a complementary threat in the backfield. The talented duo will be a more difficult test for the Patriots solid run defense than either the Bengals or Seahawks were.Hall and Allen have the makings of a scary "thunder-and-lightning" backfield.

Garrett Wilson

Finally comes the Jets electric third-year receiver Garrett Wilson, who has 10 catches for 117 yards through two games this season and a team-leading 17 overall targets. Wilson is a game-breaker and a threat to reach the end zone on every play. Rodgers' growing chemistry with Wilson is a major concern, but the Patriots should be able to deploy Christian Gonzalez on him in the critical moments. Wilson posted 115 yards in his first game against the Pats in 2022 but since then they've held him under 50 yards in three more contests. Perhaps the bigger question is if Gonzalez does limit Wilson, how does the rest of the secondary hold up against the recovering Mike Williams and veteran Allen Lazard.

DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer