Patriots-Jets Week 7 Predictions
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots and Jets will battle for first place in the AFC East on Sunday.
Yes, you read that correctly. The Jets are off to a surprising 4-1 start under first-year head coach Todd Bowles, bringing one of the best defenses in the NFL to Foxboro this weekend. But Tom Brady and the New England offense are off to one of their best starts in franchise history, which should make Sunday's matchup another closely contested battle in this longtime rivalry.
Read: Patriots-Jets Preview
Here are the predictions for Sunday's game from the WBZ-TV, WBZ NewsRadio and 98.5 The Sports Hub sports team:
Steve Burton, WBZ-TV Sports
Let's start with some numbers. Tom Brady is 10-2 at home against the Jets. He'll improve that on Sunday when the Patriots go 6-0 for the first time since 2007.
Yes, the Pats are banged up a bit, but coach Bill Belichick always finds a way to get "the next man up" to step up and play their part. As for Darrelle Revis, Brady will know where he is at all times. He has the utmost respect for Revis (who doesn't?), but it will take a lot more than Revis for the Jets to beat the Patriots at Gillette.
Read: Week 7 Local Picks
The Patriots will remain in first place with a win this weekend.
Patriots 31, Jets 17
Dan Roche, WBZ-TV Sports
The 4-1 Jets are the best team that the Patriots have seen so far. They are strong on defense, plus Darrelle Revis has a good idea of what Tom Brady and the New England offense likes to do.
With that said, I think the Pats are the better team. Ryan Fitzpatrick will turn the ball over, and that will make the difference.
Patriots 31, Jets 21
Levan Reid, WBZ-TV Sports
This will be the Patriots' toughest test on the year. The Jets defensively are as good as advertised; every level of their defense has stars and even though they don't have many sacks, they get off the field on third down at a league-high level. Their defense also has shut down teams in the third quarter of every game this season. With that said, New York hasn't really played anybody. This will be a big test for them also.
Here are the questions for Sunday's tilt:
Can the Pats defense stop Chris Ivory and the New York running game? The Pats are going to stuff the line and make Ryan Fitzpatrick beat them. They will also probably be able to take away Brandon Marshall, so Eric Decker will be the main focus of the Jets offense and he will have to play well. Fitzpatrick is also prone to late-game interceptions, which will factor in the Patriots favor.
Can the Pats get Gronk going against this defense? Rob Gronkowski has had only seven catches for 117 yards and one touchdown over his last two games. Gronk has said he would like more touches but he's a team guy through and through. He understands that if he's drawing coverages then other guys can and will get open. This could be a game where Scott Chandler is used to open up the passing game.
Can the Pats offensive line keep Tom Brady clean? Week to week, we have zero idea who's going to play on that Patriots offensive line. They've had injuries and they've had to shuffle players in and out. The Pats right now are on their third left tackle. If this group struggles, then New England can cancel Christmas. Brady will get hurt and he will not be able to finish the game. The goods news, the adjustments have not fazed this you group. Brady has been relatively untouched, except for that game in Dallas, where he was beaten up.
The bottom line is the Pats should win this game. I'm not sure about that nine-plus point spread, but they should move on with a victory.
Patriots 27, Jets 20
Adam Kaufman, 98.5 The Sports Hub/WBZ NewsRadio 1030 AM
Like Darrelle Revis said, this one will be a chess-match with the NFL's top-scoring offense against the league's stingiest defense, not to mention an All-Pro cornerback who's very familiar with the other team's tendencies. The 'three-week bye' is over; the Patriots have their first real challenge since Week 2 against the Bills and, now, Rex Ryan's old team will be much tougher and arguably more aggressive under Todd Bowles. The D is obviously stout and the offense is adept with a premier Chris Ivory-led run-game and a number of capable weapons for Ryan Fitzpatrick.
No doubt the Pats' injuries will hurt them, and they're known to be surprised at least once by a division-rival during the regular season, but the gap is still fairly wide between these two teams. Not nine-point spread wide (seems high, Vegas!), but wide enough to feel comfortable New England will emerge 6-0 at home.
Patriots 24, Jets 17
Mike "Sarge" Riley, 98.5 The Sports Hub/WBZ NewsRadio 1030 AM
Kudos to Todd Bowles' 4-1 Jets. Gang Green's defensive line is scary led by David Harris and the Pats O-Line will need to be on their A-game. There was some encouraging news this week with Bryan Stork at practice, though he can't play until after Week 8.
The more encouraging news is that Brandon LaFell is eligible to play. Will he be a game changer? Probably not, but he will get some reps.
Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola will be responsible for six each and Brady will sneak in a goal line touchdown too after throwing for just under 300 yards. Ryan Fitzpatrick (seven interceptions in five games) will throw a game changing pick, and Chandler Jones will lead the Pats pass rush with a pair of sacks.
It won't be easy, but the Pats take this one going up against the Jets without Rex Ryan and now with Darrelle Revis.
Patriots 31, Jets 23
Rob "Hardy" Poole, 98.5 The Sports Hub
The Jets are to the Patriots what Post Toasties are to Kellogg's Corn Flakes. What Hank Williams Jr. is to Hank Williams Sr.
Or Hank Williams III, for that matter.
Patriots 31, Jets 11
Tune in to Sunday's Patriots-Jets game on 98.5 The Sports Hub and WBZ-TV — the flagship stations of the New England Patriots. Pregame coverage begins on 98.5FM at 10am with Patriots Preview, with three hours of reaction and analysis following the game. WBZ-TV kicks off their coverage at 11:30am with Patriots GameDay, and you can catch Bill Belichick and Tom Brady's press conferences live on Patriots 5th Quarter after the game!
