Patriots-Jets Game Day Notebook: Roster Elevations, Game Prediction and More
The New England Patriots are hosting the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts at 1:00pm ET on Sunday, October 24 in Week Seven of the 2021 NFL Season.
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. New England leads the series, 70-54-1 overall. The Patriots are 37-25-1 all-time in home games against the Jets, including a 17-4 record at Gillette Stadium.
Viewing/Listening:
TELEVISION:
This week's game will be broadcast by CBS and can be seen via the network’s local affiliates. Andrew Catalon will handle play-by-play duties with James Lofton as the color analyst. Amanda Balionis will work from the sidelines.
RADIO:
98.5 The Sports Hub is the flagship station for the Patriots Radio Network. 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.
Patriots Roster Moves and Elevations:
In advance of their Week Seven matchup with the Jets, the Patriots have placed veteran cornerback Jonathan Jones on injured reserve and elevated offensive lineman James Ferentz and defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale from the practice squad.
Jones had already been ruled out for Sunday, as indicated on Friday’s final injury report. The 28-year-old had missed three consecutive practices with a shoulder issue. He will now miss a minimum of three games, while on injured reserve. Jones has compiled 20 tackles and one interception in 2021 thus far in the 2021 season.
Ferentz has served as both a standard roster elevation and a COVID19 replacement thus far in 2021. He has made two consecutive starts for the Pats at left guard, taking a total of 118 snaps. Though Ferentz is most comfortable at the center position, he has shown the ability to be effective in all three interior spots along the offensive line. If starting right guard Shaq Mason (abdomen) is unable to suit up, the 32-year old may get a starting nod for the third straight week.
Ekuale was signed to the Patriots’ practice squad in September. The 27-year-old previously spent time with the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars. Originally joining the NFL as an undrafted free agent from Washington State in 2018, he has appeared in 16 career games and started five last season. He has compiled 17 tackles and one sack throughout his career. With Davon Godchaux (finger), Christian Barmore (shoulder) and Deatrich Wise, Jr (knee) all listed as ‘questionable’ for Sunday, Ekuale will provide New England with much needed depth at defensive tackle.
Both standard elevations are scheduled to revert to the practice squad on Monday.
Jets Roster Moves and Elevations:
The Jets have elevated inside linebacker Noah Dawkins from the practice squad. Dawkins will provide depth with C.J. Mosley (hamstring) likely to be inactive, having missed the week’s practice slate. Dawkins has been a member of the Jets organization since September 2020, spending most of his time on New York’s practice squad. He was elevated to the Jets’ active roster for 2020’s season finale against New England.
Patriot Maven Game Prediction
Essential on Offense:
If the Patriots offense is to find success on Sunday, they need to get off to a fast start. The Jets have been notoriously slow starters this season, having been outscored 30-0 in the first quarter. In that span, New York has only mustered 74 yards of total offense; scoring 13 total first-half points through five games. In order to continue that trend, the Pats offense must keep the Jets defense on its heels. With linebacker C.J. Mosley likely to be sidelined, the Patriots must be productive at the point of attack. New York employs an aggressive defensive front, and the Pats may look to counter that by using the run to establish play action. Should New England find early success in doing so, look for Mac Jones to utilize tight ends Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith in both the open field and the red zone. The Patriots used multiple tight end sets on 85 percent of their offensive snaps and scored 14 points through the ten-minute-mark of the second quarter. New England would be wise to deploy a similar approach on Sunday.
Essential on Defense:
With several questions surrounding their depth in the secondary, the Patriots must bring pressure on Jets’ quarterback Zach Wilson. In Week Two, New England’s defensive front compiled four sacks on Wilson, allowing the secondary to intercept him four times. Should the Patriots once again be successful in applying pressure to Wilson, it will force New York to become one-dimensional on offense. As such, it will allow the Patriots’ pass rush to gain penetration against an offensive line that has routinely struggled to protect their quarterback. New York’s passing attack ranks 30th in the NFL, meaning that New England should find ways to limit their effectiveness, in spite of their woes in the defensive backfield.
Final Analysis:
While the Jets should show notable improvement from Week Two on both sides of the ball in this matchup, the loss of Mosley is a significant hit to their defensive effectiveness. As a result, New England should be able to find success in both their rushing and passing offense. Defensively, New England can still make things uncomfortable for Wilson, and are expected to do so. While Sunday’s game promises to be a closer contest than its September counterpart, the Pats are still the more effective team. As a result, New England should return to the win column.
Final Score Prediction: Patriots 24, Jets 20
