Everything you need to know about the Patriots’ Week 17 opponent.
The New England Patriots’ first division rematch of the season did not go according to plan. Two weeks after their loss to the Buffalo Bills, they will get another crack at going 2-0 against one of their AFC East rivals: the team of head coach Mike Vrabel will travel to New York to take on a Jets team that once again finds itself far removed from the top of the standings.
Unsurprisingly, the Patriots are heavy favorites entering Week 17 and in prime position to sweep the Jets. What can be expected from Gang Green, though? Let’s find out.
Jets key stats
The Jets have only won three games so far this season, and their stats look the part. They have been a bad team for virtually the entire year, and unsurprisingly in the bottom third of the NFL in most important categories.
Record: 3-12 (4th AFC East/13th AFC)
Scoring differential: -144 (30th)
Turnover differential: -18 (32nd)
Offense: 18.8 points/game (28th), 270.1 yards/game (29th), 22 giveaways (t-26th), -0.118 EPA/play (29th), -0.119 EPA/dropback (30th), -0.116 EPA/run (27th)
Defense: 28.4 points/game (30th), 342.3 yards/game (21st), 4 takeaways (32nd), 0.110 EPA/play (28th), 0.219 EPA/dropback (29th), -0.036 EPA/run (24th)
What stands out right away is that the Jets have been putrid in the turnover department this year. They are dead-last in turnover differential, in large part because of them having taken the ball away only four times all year and are the only team in football without an interception so far.
The rest of their stats is not a lot better. Not mentioned above, for example, are other last-place rankings in passing yards (2,189) and net yards per pass attempt (4.4).
That said, not all is quite as bad as it seems. The Jets are also ranked in the top 10 in rushing yards (1,863; 9th) and rushing yards per attempt (4.6; 8th). That said, those numbers come with the caveat of opposing defenses focusing on the pass quite a bit because of game scripts: a team that is losing — and the Jets know a thing or two about that — is less likely to see stacked boxes meant to stop the time-consuming run game.
Jets 2025 season
The Jets’ season has been a rough one, even though the team showed some flashes of life after starting 0-7. However, those have been few and far between as the 16-week rundown shows:
Week 1: 34-32 loss vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (0-1)
Week 2: 30-10 loss vs. Buffalo Bills (0-2)
Week 3: 29-27 loss at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-3)
Week 4: 27-21 loss at Miami Dolphins (0-4)
Week 5: 37-22 loss vs. Dallas Cowboys (0-5)
Week 6: 13-11 loss vs. Denver Broncos (0-6)
Week 7: 13-6 loss vs. Carolina Panthers (0-7)
Week 8: 39-38 win at Cincinnati Bengals (1-7)
Week 9: Bye
Week 10: 27-20 win vs. Cleveland Browns (2-7)
Week 11: 27-14 loss at New England Patriots (2-8)
Week 12: 23-10 loss at Baltimore Ravens (2-9)
Week 13: 27-24 win vs. Atlanta Falcons (3-9)
Week 14: 34-10 loss vs. Miami Dolphins (3-10)
Week 15: 48-20 loss at Jacksonville Jaguars (3-11)
Week 16: 29-6 loss at New Orleans Saints (3-12)
The Jets had won back-to-back games before their first matchup with the Patriots. However, they quickly fell back to Earth that day and have only celebrated one other victory — versus the then-4-7 Falcons — since. In total, they are 1-4 since losing at Gillette Stadium, with all of those losses by multiple scores.
Jets active roster
Roster up-to-date as of Dec. 26, 5 a.m. ET | *denotes nominal starter
Quarterback (2): Brady Cook* (4), Tyrod Taylor (2)
Running back (4): Breece Hall* (20), Isaiah Davis (32), Kene Nwangwu (34 | KR), Andrew Beck (47 | FB), Khalil Herbert (36)
Wide receiver (5): Adonai Mitchell* (15), John Metchie III* (3), Isaiah Williams (18 | PR), Tyler Johnson (16), Arian Smith (82)
Tight end (4): Mason Taylor* (85), Jeremy Ruckert* (89), Stone Smartt (84), Jelani Woods (86)
Offensive tackle (4): Olu Fashanu* (74 | LT), Armand Membou* (70 | RT), Max Mitchell (61), Chukwuma Okorafor (79)
Interior offensive line (4): John Simpson* (76 | LG), Josh Myers* (71 | C), Joe Tippmann* (66 | RG), Xavier Newman-Johnson (65)
Interior defensive line (6): Harrison Phillips* (97), Jowon Briggs* (91), Jay Tufele (78), Khalen Saunders (99), Mazi Smith (98), Payton Page (69)
Defensive edge (5): Will McDonald IV* (9), Jermaine Johnson* (11), Micheal Clemons (72), Braiden McGregor (55), Eric Watts (95)
Linebacker (6): Jamien Sherwood* (44), Quincy Williams* (56), Kiko Mauigoa (51), Mykal Walker (53), Cam Jones (43), Kobe King (45)
Cornerback (4): Brandon Stephens* (21), Qwan’tez Stiggers* (37), Jordan Clark* (33), Ja’Sir Taylor (36)
Safety (4): Malachi Moore* (27), Dean Clark* (35), Jarius Monroe (25), Keidron Smith (46), Chris Smith II (—)
Specialists (3): Nick Folk (6 | K), Austin McNamara (14 | P/H), Thomas Hennessy (42 | LS)
There have been quite a few change since the Patriots unveiled their Rivalry look against the Jets in November, the most prominent at quarterback. Starter Justin Fields was benched immediately after that game, but backup Tyrod Taylor was also not up to the task. And so, undrafted rookie free agent Brady Cook, who was on the practice squad for that first meeting, is the team’s new QB1.
Cook has had an unpleasant start to his NFL career. While he did manage to complete 64.7% of his passes in his two starts (44 of 68), he gained only 364 combined yards and threw one touchdown to four interceptions; he also was sacked 11 times and lost a fumble. The Jets are 0-2 with the 24-year-old — yes, he is older than Drake Maye —as their starter.
Cook will still be supported by standout running back Breece Hall, whose 1,286 scrimmage yards rank first on the team and are over 800 more than any of his teammates’, but the rest of the cupboard is pretty bare. Nominal WR1 Garrett Wilson is on injured reserve, which means that in-season trade pickups Adonai Mitchell (21-279-2) and John Metchie (23-195-2) as well as rookie tight end Mason Taylor (44-369-1) are tasked with stepping up.
The defensive turnover has also continued, even after the team traded away All-Pros Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner. While the front has remained mostly stable, the secondary has not: Jarvis Brownlee Jr. and Tony Adams, who both started in Week 11, are now on injured reserve, as is fellow starter Azareye’h Thomas, who was injured for the first Patriots game.
Jets reserves
Practice squad (16): QB Hendon Hooker (1), WR Trenton Irwin (38), WR Jamaal Pritchett (81), WR Quentin Skinner (88), TE Nick Muse (87), OL Liam Fornadel (50), OL Marquis Hayes (77), OL Kohl Levao (60), DT Fatorma Mulbah (96), ED Kingsley Jonathan (57), ED Ochaun Mathis (92), ED Jackson Sirmon (49), CB Tre Brown (30), CB Nik Needham (40), CB Samuel Womack (39), S Jaylen Mahoney (48)
Practice squad exempt (1): ED Paschal Ekeji
Practice squad IR (1): RB Keilan Robinson, OL Leander Wiegand
IR (14): QB Justin Fields, RB Braelon Allen, WR Irvin Charles, WR Josh Reynolds, WR Garrett Wilson, OL Gus Hartwig, RG Alijah Vera-Tucker, ED Tyler Baron, ED Marcelino McCrary-Ball, CB Kris Boyd, CB Jarvis Brownlee Jr, CB Azareye’h Thomas, S Tony Adams, S Andre Cisco, S Isaiah Oliver
PUP (1): WR Irvin Charles
The Jets have some of the most important players on their roster on injured reserve. Among them are their original starting quarterback (Justin Fields), two starting wide receivers (Garrett Wilson, Josh Reynolds), their starting right guard (Alijah Vera-Tucker), two starters each at cornerback (Jarvis Brownlee Jr, Azareye’h Thomas) and safety (Andre Cisco, Tony Adams). Needless to say, it’s been a rough year for the team in many respects.
Jets coaching staff
Head coach: Aaron Glenn
Coordinators: Tanner Engstrand (OC), Chris Harris (DC), Chris Banjo (SC)
The Jets’ coaching staff underwent a change since the last time they played the Patriots in mid-November. Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, under whose leadership the team surrendered 28.4 points per game, was fired after a Week 15 loss in Jacksonville.
Defensive backs coach and pass game coordinator Chris Harris took over as interim DC in Wilks’ place. In his first game at the job, the Jets surrendered 29 points.
Category: General Sports
