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The New England Patriots will return to AFC East Division play this week when they host the New York Jets. The Patriots defeated the Jets, 25-6, in the first meeting between the two teams on Sept. 19 at MetLife Stadium. The Patriots extended their streak to 11 straight wins over the Jets with the victory. That streak is tied for the second-longest winning streak in team history. The Patriots beat Buffalo 15 straight times from 2003 through 2010 and also own an 11-game winning streak against Buffalo.

The Patriots will be looking for their 22nd series sweep against the Jets and a season sweep for the sixth straight season. It would be the 13th sweep under Bill Belichick and their 15th under Robert Kraft.

SCOUTING THE MATCHUPS

By Paul Perillo

The Patriots offense has been held in check thus far this season but the Jets struggling defense provides an opportunity for that to change.

When the Patriots run - Edge: Patriots

Damien Harris ran with toughness and picked up his second 100-yard game of the season against Dallas on Sunday. He was productive despite entering the game with sore ribs, and for large portions of the game he was the team's best option. Harris also did his work operating behind a patchwork offensive line that didn't provide consistent help, yet he still ripped off a pair of 21-yard runs and remained productive throughout. Rookie Rhamondre Stevenson also chipped in against the Cowboys, picking up his first-career touchdown to give the Patriots the lead in the fourth quarter. That two-pronged attack should continue at Gillette Stadium Sunday against a Jets defense that struggles to stop the run. New York ranks 21st in run defense, allowing an average of 123.4 yards per game. New York's front actually did a pretty good job of containing Harris and the Patriots ground attack in Week 2 at the Meadowlands, holding New England to 101 yards on 24 carries for a 4.2-yard average. Both Harris and James White picked up rushing touchdowns, however, with Harris turning in a highlight-reel 26-yard jaunt through several would-be Jets tacklers. John Franklin-Myers, Sheldon Rankins, Quinnen Williams and Bryce Huff will need to be stout once again against a Patriots offense that wants to get Harris & Co. going.

When the Patriots pass - Edge: Patriots

Mac Jones continues to be extremely efficient and that was the case in Week 2 against the Jets as well. He completed 22 of 30 passes but for just 186 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. On Sunday against the Cowboys Jones showed signs of having the ability to get the ball downfield with more regularity. He hit Hunter Henry for a 20-yard touchdown after finding Stevenson for 22 earlier in the game. But the capper came late when he rebounded from a pick-6 to find Kendrick Bourne for a 75-yard touchdown to regain the lead. Jones is getting more comfortable pushing it downfield, but the protection needs to be better for that to continue. Jones was sacked twice and took a huge hit from Randy Gregory, which caused a fumble and changed the game. Injuries and COVID protocols have left the offensive line struggling to find the proper combinations, and Bill Belichick continues to tinker to find the right mix. If the protection settles down Jones should be able to use Henry and his stable of wideouts, most notably Bourne and Jakobi Meyers, enough to take advantage of a Jets secondary that includes corners Quincy Williams, Bryce Hall and Brandin Echols and safeties Marcus Maye, Ashtyn Davis and Sharrod Neasman. That group ranks 17th in allowing 249.4 yards per game and has yet to intercept a single pass. The Patriots should be able move it through the air on Sunday.

When the Jets run - Edge: Patriots

In the first meeting the Jets were able to run wild, racking up 152 yards on the ground on 31 attempts. The Patriots front struggled early on and had a tough time containing opposing running backs, but things have improved recently. New England kept Tampa, Houston and Dallas under wraps for the most part. In addition, New York's only real success running the ball this season came in that Week 2 loss. On the season the Jets rank 31st in rushing, managing only 74 yards per game, and 30th with an average of 3.6 yards per attempt. Rookie Michael Carter has shown flashes of ability but with the Jets offensive line banged up and struggling, running lanes have been tough to come by. Carter leads the Jets with only 165 rushing yards for the season, averaging a paltry 3.5 yards per carry. The Patriots front of Lawrence Guy, Davin Godchaux, Deatrich Wise and linebackers Matthew Judon, Ja'Whaun Bentley and Dont'a Hightower should be able to prevent a repeat of what went on in Week 2 when the Jets consistently gashed the front and picked up chunks of yardage on the ground.

When the Jets pass - Edge: Patriots

Rookie Zach Wilson has struggled in most of his games this season but none more so than against the Patriots when he tossed four interceptions and single-handedly cost his team a chance to compete. Wilson was erratic with both his throws and decisions, forcing one down the middle early to set the stage for a long afternoon. At times Wilson has shown the playmaking ability that intrigued NFL scouts and led to the Jets to select him No. 2 overall, but not nearly consistently enough. He has just four touchdowns against nine interceptions on the season. Meanwhile, the Patriots secondary is coming off one of the worst outings of the Belichick era, coughing up 445 yards to Dak Prescott and the Cowboys. Injuries and inconsistency have plagued the group and J.C. Jackson, Jalen Mills, Jonathan Jones, Devin McCourty and Adrian Phillips need to be better. Jackson was excellent against Corey Davis in the first meeting and Wilson wasn't accurate or prepared enough to look elsewhere for answers. Braxton Berrios, Elijah Moore and Jamison Crowder provide some solid options, so the secondary will need to improve. It also would help if the Patriots can get some pressure, as they did in Week 2 when they sacked Wilson four times. Ranking 30th in the league, this is not a passing attack that presents a lot of problems.

Special Teams - Edge: Patriots

This hasn't been the Patriots strongest season on special teams. For the second time in six weeks they had a punt blocked, and Jake Bailey hasn't been as effective as he was in his first two seasons with his kicking. But Nick Folk has been nails, connecting on 14 of 15 field goals with the lone miss clanking off the upright from 56 yards out. New York's Matt Ammendola hasn't gotten much work but made 6 of 7 field goals while Thomas Morstead replaced the injured Braden Mann at punter and has done the job effectively. Gunner Olszewski handles both kicks and punts for the Patriots while Berrios handles those duties for the Jets. Neither has managed to turn in any game-changing plays thus far, and both sides have been solid in coverage. Assuming the Patriots can avoid the missteps that plagued them at times this season, New England's veteran kicker provides a leg up in this matchup.

TALE OF THE TAPE

QUARTERBACK COMPARISON

SERIES HISTORY

The New England Patriots and New York Jets will meet for the second time in 2021. The Patriots beat the Jets, 25-6, at MetLife Stadium in Week 2 to extend their streak to 11 straight wins over the Jets. The Patriots will be looking for their 22nd series sweep and a season sweep for the sixth straight season. It would be the 13th sweep under Bill Belichick and their 15th under Robert Kraft.

New England leads the series, 70-54-1 overall. The Patriots are 37-25-1 all-time in home games against the Jets, including 17-4 at Gillette Stadium.

The teams have played in the postseason three times – a 1985 Wild Card game, a 2006 Wild Card game and an AFC Divisional game in 2010. New England beat the Jets, 26-14, in 1985 at the Meadowlands en route to Super Bowl XX. In 2006, the Patriots defeated the Jets, 37-16, at Gillette Stadium and the Jets beat the Patriots, 28-21, in the 2010 Divisional playoff game in Foxborough.

New England is 41-16 against the Jets since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994.

New England's 70 overall victories over the Jets (including two playoff wins) are the second most over any single opponent, trailing only the 76 all-time wins over Buffalo.

SERIES BREAKDOWN

NEW ENGLAND 70, NEW YORK 54, 1 TIE
(INCLUDING NEW ENGLAND 2, NEW YORK 1 IN PLAYOFFS)

Home Record: 37-25-1 (incl. 1-1 in playoffs)

• Record in Foxborough: 33-19
• Gillette Stadium: 17-4 (incl. 1-1 playoffs)
• Foxboro Stadium: 16-15
• Record in Boston: 4-5-1
• Record in Birmingham, Ala.: 0-1

Road Record: 33-29 (incl. 1-0 in playoffs)

• MetLife Stadium: 9-3
• Giants Stadium: 17-10 (incl. 1-0 playoffs)
• Shea Stadium: 5-14
• Polo Grounds: 2-2

Seasonal Sweeps: Patriots 21 (most recent '21), Jets 14 ('00),

Bill Belichick vs. N.Y. Jets: 35-12 (34-11 with New England)

BELICHICK AGAINST THE AFC EAST

Bill Belichick has a 97-35 (.735) all-time regular season record against the AFC East as head coach of the Patriots in the regular season, including a 33-10 record against the Jets.

CONNECTIONS

FORMER PATRIOTS

• WR Braxton Berrios (2018) Taken 210 overall in the 6th round of the 2018 draft by the Patriots. He was placed on IR prior to the start of his rookie year and was released before the 2019 season when the Jets claimed him.
• ST Asst. Leon Washington – Player (2013)
• DB Adrian Colbert went to training camp with the Patriots in 2021 

FORMER JETS

• DL Henry Anderson (2018-20)
• HC Bill Belichick – Asst. HC/DC (1997-99) Named HC in 1999 (Resigned shortly after)
• K Nick Folk (2010-16)
• QC/QBs Bo Hardegree – Offensive Asst. (2019-20)
• LB Harvey Langi (2019-20)
• WRC Mick Lombardi – Asst. QBC (2017-18)
• Chief of Staff Berj Najarian – Public Relations (1995-99)

WHAT TO LOOK FOR...

• Nick Folk enters this week's game with 299 career field goals and needs one more to become the 35th NFL player to reach 300 career field goals. He would become the fifth active kicker to reach 300 career field goals, joining Robbie Gould (403), Mason Crosby (356), Matt Prater (332) and Justin Tucker (304).
• Nick Folk made two 52-yard field goals at Houston on Oct. 10. Stephen Gostkowski (5 in 2013), (4 in 2017) and 4 in 2015) is the only New England player with more than two 50-yard field goals in a single season. 
• Hunter Henry has caught a touchdown pass in three straight games. The last time he recorded this feat was in 2016 as a rookie with the San Diego Chargers. The last New England tight end to record a stretch of four straight games with a touchdown reception was Rob Gronkowski in 2013. The Patriots record for most consecutive touchdowns by a tight end is Gronkowski with six games in 2011. The NFL record for most consecutive touchdown receptions by a tight end is nine by Antonio Gates (2009-10).
• J.C. Jackson will be looking for a fourth straight game with an interception against the Jets. He can become the first player to have at least one interception in four straight games against a single opponent since Baltimore S Eric Weddle recorded the feat against the Cleveland Browns (2016-17).
• Jackson is tied with Miami's Xavien Howard for the most interceptions since he entered the NFL as a rookie free agent in2018 with a total of 19 picks.
• Matthew Judon leads the Patriots with 6 1/2 sacks. His career high is 9 1/2 sacks in 2019 when he played for Baltimore. The Patriots have had a player reach at least 10 sacks in 15 seasons.
• Judon has registered two games with at least two sacks in 2021. The Patriots record for the most two-sack games in a season is six by Andre Tippett in 1984. 
• WR Jakobi Meyers completed two passes for 45 yards in Week 4 against Tampa Bay. He is now 4-of-4 for 88 yards with two touchdowns and a perfect 158.3 passer rating in his career. The Patriots have never had a wide receiver complete more than two passes in a single season. Julian Edelman completed two passes in 2018, 2019 and 2020, and Harold Jackson completed two passes in 1980. In addition to the Tampa Bay game, Meyers completed two passes, both for touchdowns, in 2020.
• The most passes thrown by a non-quarterback in a single season for the Patriots were by RB Andy Johnson, who was 7-of-9 for 194 yards with four touchdowns in 1981 and RB Dick Christy, who was 6-of-11 for 94 yards with two touchdowns in 1960.
• Mac Jones has completed over 70 percent of his passes in five of his first six NFL games, the only rookie quarterback to ever do so.
• Mac Jones has passed for 1,472 yards during the first six games and is on pace for 4,170 passing yards . He leads all rookie quarterbacks in passing yards (1,472) and completions (150). Only three rookie quarterbacks have ever passed for at least 4,000 yards.
• After six games, Jones 'completion percentage is 71.1. The best completion percentage for a season by a rookie quarterback is Dak Prescott at 67.76 percent in 2016.
• Devin McCourty now has 29 career regular season interceptions, tied for third all-time in team history, behind Ty Law and Raymond Clayborn, with 36 interceptions. He needs one more interception to become the third Patriots player with 30 career interceptions.
• McCourty has 35 career takeaways in the regular season and is tied with Mike Haynes for fifth all-time. He needs one more takeaway to tie Roland James at 36 for fourth in team history. 
• Ja'Whaun Bentley had his third career game with 10-plus tackles after recording 13 total tackles last week against Dallas. He will look to become the first Patriots player with back-to-back 10-plus tackles since Adrian Phillips had back-to-back games with 12 at the LA Chargers (12/6) followed by 10 at the LA Rams (12/10).

BROADCAST INFORMATION

TELEVISION: This week's game will be broadcast by CBS and can be seen locally on WBZ-TV Channel 4. Andrew Catalon will handle play-by-play duties with James Lofton as the color analyst. Amanda Balionis will work from the sidelines. The game will be produced by Steve McKee and directed by Andy Goldberg.

LOCAL RADIO: 98.5 The Sports Hub is the flagship station for the Patriots Radio Network. A complete listing of the network's 35 stations can be found here. Play-by-play broadcaster Bob Socci will call the action along with former Patriots quarterback Scott Zolak, who will provide color analysis. The games are produced by Marc Cappello.

For information on how to stream the game please visit our Ways to Watch guide.

RICHARD SEYMOUR TO BE HONORED AT HALFTIME

Richard Seymour was voted by the fans as the 30th inductee to the Patriots Hall of Fame in the spring of 2020, and after a year delay due to the pandemic, will celebrate his induction on Saturday, Oct. 23 along with the Patriots longtime cheerleading director Tracy Sormanti. Seymour will also be honored at halftime of the New York Jets game on Sunday.

Seymour joined Troy Brown (2012), Tedy Bruschi (2013), Kevin Faulk (2016), Ty Law (2014), Matt Light (2018) and Willie McGinest (2015), as the seventh player to enter the Patriots Hall of Fame as a three-time Super Bowl champion with the team.

Seymour spent the first eight seasons of his 12-year NFL career with the Patriots and played an important role in delivering six division titles, four conference crowns and three Super Bowl championships to New England. He was named to five straight Pro Bowls with the Patriots (2002-06) and earned three straight first-team All-Pro honors (2003-05). His five Pro Bowl berths are the most by any Patriots defensive lineman since the 1970 NFL merger. He was also a four-time team co-captain. In 2009, he was voted to the Patriots 50th Anniversary Team and the 2000s All-Decade Team. Seymour has been a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the last three years.

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