Week 8 against the New England Patriots is more than just a normal regular-season game for the New York Jets. It’s a chance to exercise some demons and exact some sweet revenge.
The Jets enter this key divisional battle having won four straight to get to a 5-2 start, but they face a team in the Patriots that they have not defeated since 2015. The Jets have lost 12 straight to the Patriots and 20 out of 22 since winning in Foxborough in the AFC Divisional in the 2010 season.
But the most recent loss is the one that stings the most and the one the Jets wants to overcome. That was the 54-13 loss where the Jets felt the Patriots ran up the score and they have not forgotten that, especially defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.
Sunday is the Jets’ chance to overcome all that. They also have a chance to prove they can win without two more of their offensive starters, as the Jets play their first game this season without RB Breece Hall and OL Alijah Vera-Tucker, who are both out for the season with injuries.
So how do the Jets win without those two? Well, better performances from Zach Wilson would be a good place to start. Wilson is 4-0 as starter this season, but you can argue three of those wins have been in spite of Wilson. Perhaps now that Hall is out, the Jets will put more trust in Wilson, especially against a Patriots secondary that will be without safety Kyle Duggar, who was ruled out Saturday with an ankle injury.
Last week against the Broncos, Wilson posted an expected points added per play (EPA/play) of -0.23, an average depth of target (aDoT) of 4.4 and an expected QB rating of 24.7, per RBSDM. Of course, neither offense was particularly great in the Jets’ 16-9 win. Obviously, those numbers need to be much, much better, especially with not having Hall anymore this season.
Since Wilson came back in Week 4, he ranks 24th in EPA/play among quarterbacks with at least 100 plays (-0.081). The other quarterbacks in that group with a lower EPA/play are Carson Wentz (-0.183), Matthew Stafford (-0.177), Jared Goff (-0.145) and Russell Wilson (-0.116). If we use the entire season, Wilson ranks 32nd, ahead of Stafford, Joe Flacco, Davis Mills and Baker Mayfield. (Mayfield is in a class of his own.)
Fortunately, the quarterback on the visiting sideline hasn’t been all that great himself. Mac Jones has struggled in his second season. Among all quarterbacks this season with at least 100 plays, Jones ranks 25th out of 36 quarterbacks in EPA/play. He’s…
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