Last season, the Jets comfortably beat New England 24-3 in their home opener. However, both teams were looking to avoid a five-game losing streak when they met again a month later. The Jets knocked Drake Maye out of the game early and Jacoby Brissett led a late comeback as the Patriots walked away with a 25-22 win. This year, both teams are looking to extend a winning streak as the Jets look for their third straight win and the 8-2 Patriots look for an eighth win in a row.
Let’s break down the Patriots’
roster going position by position:
Quarterbacks
This will be Maye’s first extended action against the Jets after he only played garbage time in one game and was knocked out after having completed just three passes in the other meeting last year.
New York will be facing a man in form, as Maye – who was a 2024 pro bowler – is being talked about as a potential MVP candidate. He currently owns the fifth best quarterback rating in the league, ranks third in the league for passing yards and touchdowns and is second in completion percentage.
Maye has thrown five interceptions, fumbled six times and has been sacked more times than every other NFL quarterback this year other than Cam Ward. He also doesn’t have a 300-yard game yet. However, he’s been a measure of consistency as he’s been over 200 in every game.
Joshua Dobbs is the number two but has only thrown two passes all year. Tommy DeVito is also on the roster as the third option.
Offensive Line
New England has had terrific consistency on their offensive line, as their five starters have missed just one start between them.
On the left side are a pair of rookies. Will Campbell, the fourth overall pick, is the left tackle and third round pick Jared Wilson is the left guard. Wilson missed one start in week 4 with backup center Ben Brown filling in for him.
The rest of the line has excellent experience. Two veterans, center Garrett Bradbury and right tackle Morgan Moses, were signed during free agency and Mike Onwenu returns to play in between them at right guard.
New England had given up 12 sacks in two games heading into their matchup with the Bucs on Sunday, including five by Myles Garrett. However, they only allowed one against Tampa Bay.
Campbell has had some growing pains as he’s given up a team-high five sacks and six penalties, while Wilson is struggling with his consistency in the running game.
Aside from Brown, the main backup is Vederian Lowe, who was often a starter over the past few years but had 13 penalties in 2024. He is joined by seventh round rookie Marcus Bryant. Caedan Wallace is listed as the main reserve at guard but hasn’t played any snaps yet this year as they would probably turn to Brown before him.
Running Backs
New England still lists Rhamondre Stevenson as their starter but he’s not ready to return from a toe injury and the running game hasn’t seemed to suffer with him out as they’ve averaged over 150 yards in the past four weeks. Stevenson, who scored the winning touchdown against the Jets last October, has also fumbled 10 times in his last 23 games, so they might not be too concerned with him being out.
In Stevenson’s absence, second round rookie TreVeyon Henderson has seen his role increase and has taken over as the Patriots’ leading rusher with 430 yards on the season. On Sunday, he averaged over 10 yards per carry as he had almost 150 yards and two touchdowns, and for the season as a whole his yards per carry average is almost two yards higher than Stevenson’s.
Antonio Gibson had a role last year, but he’s currently on injured reserve so the number three back is Terrell Jennings, who is averaging just 3.3 yards per carry. He is questionable with a knee injury having been limited in practice all week.
New England also has a fullback, Jack Westover, on the roster, but he has barely played so far.
Pass catchers
New England’s shrewdest offseason addition may have been veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who the Jets will be more than familiar with from his time in Buffalo. He leads the team with 50 catches and 554 receiving yards.
However, it’s been Kayshon Boutte who is having a breakout year as New England’s top big play threat. He averages 18.7 yards per catch with five touchdowns. Unfortunately for New England, he’s been ruled out with a hamstring injury.
Demario Douglas and Mack Hollins should be able to provide useful production with Boutte out as they have combined for 46 catches and five touchdowns this year.
Third round rookie Kyle Williams only has three catches, although one went for a 72-yard touchdown.
The other receiver on the roster is undrafted rookie Efton Chism III who has yet to feature on offense but showed some promise as a possession option in preseason.
New England also gets good production from their tight ends. Hunter Henry has 30 catches, including four touchdowns, and is backed up by another veteran, Austin Hooper. Hooper is out with a concussion, though so they will need to use Westover here, or elevate someone from the practice squad.
Defensive Line
New England operates out of a 3-4 base with Christian Barmore, Milton Williams and Khyiris Tonga as their starters. Williams, who was a big offseason addition on a $104 million contract, has 3.5 sacks so far.
Cory Durden and fourth round pick Joshua Farmer see plenty of rotational reps off the bench, but undrafted rookie Eric Gregory is yet to feature. Farmer has been listed as questionable with an ankle injury.
Jacquelin Roy, who had a couple of sacks last season, is on injured reserve.
Linebackers
On the edge, New England has been getting excellent contributions from K’Lavon Chaisson, whom they signed to a one-year deal in free agency. Chaisson has a team-high 6.5 sacks and also leads the team in tackles for loss. He added a fumble return for a touchdown earlier in the year.
The other starter is veteran Harold Landry, who has 5.5 sacks and a team-high 13 quarterback hits. Behind him, Anfernee Jennings in the main reserve.
New England traded away former second round pick Keion White at the deadline, creating more of an opportunity for undrafted rookie Elijah Ponder to get more rotational reps on the edge.
On the inside, Robert Spillane has a full-time role and leads the team with 81 tackles. He’s also added four pass breakups and two interceptions.
The other starter is listed as Christian Elliss, although he doesn’t play a full time role. Jack Gibbens has played almost as much as Elliss has and started the most recent game ahead of him. Elliss has been ruled out with a hip injury so Gibbens will most likely start on Thursday night.
Marte Mapu and Jahlani Tavai are both capable of playing a bigger role even though they have seen limited action in rotational roles this season. Tavai was in a full-time role last year and led the team with 115 tackles, while Mapu started some games at safety.
Defensive Backs
New England also traded away safety Kyle Dugger at the deadline. Dugger was on a big-money deal but not considered a good fit so the starters are now fourth round pick Craig Woodson and Jaylinn Hawkins.
Dell Pettus, undrafted rookie John Saunders Jr. and pro bowl special teams demon Brenden Schooler are the backup safeties. Pettus has played 34 defensive snaps but the other two have played just two snaps between them.
At cornerback, former first round pick Christian Gonzalez and offseason signing Carlton Davis start on the outside with Marcus Jones manning the slot. Davis signed a $20 million per year deal in the offseason. However, it’s Jones who leads the team with nine pass breakups.
Gonzalez missed a few games so Alex Austin started in his place on the outside, but the other reserve cornerback, Charles Woods, has barely played.
Special Teams
Punter Bryce Baringer had a strong year in 2024 but his numbers are down in 2025 with his net average below 39 yards per punt.
Sixth round rookie Andres Borregales is the Patriots new kicker and so far has only missed one field goal and two extra points. His longest field goal is only 53 yards, but he also hit a 52-yard game-winner against the Bills.
New England has had some success in the return game, with Gibson returning a kickoff for a touchdown and Jones returning a punt for a score. With Gibson now on injured reserve, Henderson is listed as the kickoff returner, but Chism is also an option in the return game.
In coverage, New England are usually good but gave up a punt return touchdown against Miami earlier in the year.
Schooler is the primary gunner and leads the team in special teams tackles with Pettus as the other gunner. Elliss, Ponder and Gibbens are also productive tacklers on special teams.
