Patriots-Jets Week 2 Predictions: Which Team Will Pick Up Its First Win Of Season?
BOSTON (CBS) -- The New England Patriots are 0-1. The New York Jets are 0-1. The two division rivals square off Sunday afternoon.
After a disappointing home loss to the Miami Dolphins to kick off the 2021 season, the Patriots have a somewhat sneaky "must win" tilt against the Jets this weekend. Teams that start a season 0-2 rarely make the postseason, which was already going to be an uphill battle for the new-look Patriots.
A lot of what went wrong for New England in the opener was their own doing, from the eight penalties to the two lost fumbles. They don't need to be perfect against the Jets, but the Patriots still need to clean things up this weekend.
Here's how the WBZ-TV and CBS Boston sports team sees Sunday's divisional clash between the Patriots and the Jets playing out:
Steve Burton, WBZ Sports
The Patriots should pick up their first win of the season when they take on the Jets. Both teams are 0-1, but the last time the Patriots started the season 0-2 was 20 years ago.
The Pats worked on ball security and playing disciplined football this week. Look for Mac Jones to pick up right where he left off and the Patriots defense to bring the fire. They will try to rattle rookie QB Zach Wilson all day long.
Patriots 28, Jets 14
Dan Roche, WBZ Sports
This has the feel of a must-win for the Patriots if they want to be the team they believe they can be in December and January. Mac Jones should be more comfortable and Belichick is 21-6 against rookie quarterbacks since 2000 heading into this matchup against Zach Wilson.
Patriots 28, Jets 7
Levan Reid, WBZ Sports
So the one item we can take from the Patriots first game is that Mac Jones is tough and will stay in the pocket. He had to do that against a tough Dolphins defense, but this week against the Jets, that won't necessarily be the case.
The Pats should be able to withstand the Jets pass rush and they should also be able to run the ball.
This will be a game full of corrections for New England. No fumbles, fewer penalties and the defense will try and do a better job of playing fast in the beginning of the halves.
Jones will win the battle of the rookie QBs against Zach Wilson, and the Pats will get their first win of the season.
Patriots 34, Jets 17
Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
Six. That's the number I'm on this week. Six. It's the number of times Zach Wilson was sacked last week. Six times. Six different Panthers registered at least a half-sack, and they racked up 10 QB hits overall. The Panthers ended up picking off one pass and breaking up six more.
That is one chaotic day for a rookie quarterback. And Sunday ought to be just as painful.
So for as much as the Patriots showed they have a lot of growing to do, they're still plenty capable of making the day miserable for Wilson. In this one, that'll make all the difference.
Patriots 24, Jets 6
Matthew Geagan, CBS Boston
The new era in New England will not start with the Patriots dropping to 0-2 with a loss to the Jets. Just won't happen.
The Pats were their own worst enemies last weekend, so expect a much cleaner outing this Sunday. They should cut down on those self-inflicted penalties that were costly against the Dolphins. And while the defense was pretty solid overall against Miami, they couldn't get that one stop in Week 1. That won't be the case this weekend. New York's offensive line is in shambles, so expect a big weekend from the New England pass rush.
As long as the offense holds onto the ball, the Patriots should leave the Meadowlands with a fairly easy victory.
Patriots 27, Jets 10
Tune in to Patriots-Jets on WBZ-TV — the flagship home of the New England Patriots. Catch Patriots All Access on Friday at 7pm on WBZ. We kick things off Sunday morning at 11:30am with Patriots GameDay, the Pats and the Jets will square off at 1pm, and after the game switch over to TV38 for full reaction and analysis on Patriots 5th Quarter!
