This article is part of our NFL Game Previews series.
THURSDAY NIGHT
New England (+6) at N.Y. Jets, o/u 38.5 – Thursday, 8:15 p.m. EDT
Did I mention last week how much I hate Week 2? I hate Week 2. You either have to draw rash conclusions on the current season from too-small samples or lean on out-of-date data from last season. Maybe next year in Week 2 I'll just ditch my little score-generating algorithm and wing it. My gut can't possibly be any worse. Anyway, enough of my carping. The Patriots are a surprising 1-1, and both games have been low-scoring slugfests that were decided by a single score, which will probably be their template all year. Jacoby Brissett hasn't done much, but he's avoided committing a turnover, which is all New England is asking him to do. Instead Rhamondre Stevenson has been a horse, topping 20 carries in both games and scoring a touchdown in each. Hunter Henry also took advantage of a good matchup last week, but his 2-13-0 line on three targets against the Bengals in the opener suggests he's probably not topping the century mark in yards again any time soon. On the defensive side of the ball, 2023 second-round pick Keion White has erupted for four sacks already after managing only one as a rookie, while veterans Jonathan Jones and Kyle Dugger anchor the secondary. The jury remains out on 2023 first-round pick Christian Gonzalez to some extent, though — the cornerback certainly looks the part and has made some big plays, but it's
THURSDAY NIGHT
New England (+6) at N.Y. Jets, o/u 38.5 – Thursday, 8:15 p.m. EDT
Did I mention last week how much I hate Week 2? I hate Week 2. You either have to draw rash conclusions on the current season from too-small samples or lean on out-of-date data from last season. Maybe next year in Week 2 I'll just ditch my little score-generating algorithm and wing it. My gut can't possibly be any worse. Anyway, enough of my carping. The Patriots are a surprising 1-1, and both games have been low-scoring slugfests that were decided by a single score, which will probably be their template all year. Jacoby Brissett hasn't done much, but he's avoided committing a turnover, which is all New England is asking him to do. Instead Rhamondre Stevenson has been a horse, topping 20 carries in both games and scoring a touchdown in each. Hunter Henry also took advantage of a good matchup last week, but his 2-13-0 line on three targets against the Bengals in the opener suggests he's probably not topping the century mark in yards again any time soon. On the defensive side of the ball, 2023 second-round pick Keion White has erupted for four sacks already after managing only one as a rookie, while veterans Jonathan Jones and Kyle Dugger anchor the secondary. The jury remains out on 2023 first-round pick Christian Gonzalez to some extent, though — the cornerback certainly looks the part and has made some big plays, but it's hard to ignore that blown coverage on DK Metcalf's long TD last week. (Dugger took the blame for that one, but judge for yourself.) Pats fans seem to have convinced themselves Gonzalez is already an elite shutdown guy, but I'm not quite sold yet.
The Jets bounced back from a mugging in San Francisco to take care of the Titans on the road, letting the defense and backfield do the heavy lifting while Aaron Rodgers settles back in. Fantasy GMs with Breece Hall shares likely were horrified to see those two TDs by rookie Braelon Allen, but Hall himself has a fine day (114 scrimmage yards and a touchdown) and he had 21 touches to Allen's nine, so it's not like this is suddenly a timeshare. Rodgers has three TD passes through two games, and none have gone to Garrett Wilson yet, but that should change soon enough — he leads the team in targets and receiving yards. This week will be a good test. Gonzalez had Wilson's number in 2023 (7-82-0 on 14 targets across both meetings) but that was with Zach Wilson and Trevor Siemian under center, not Rodgers. The defense may also have found its elite pass rusher last week, as 2023 first-round pick Will McDonald doubled his career sack total in one afternoon by bringing down Will Levis three times. He could feast again Thursday against a patchwork New England offensive line that might only have one healthy starter. Depending on what you think about the early returns for the Pats and Vikings, the Jets would seem to have three winnable home games (they also play host to the Broncos) before their Week 6 showdown at MetLife with the Bills. If Gang Green is going to prove it is a legit contender, now's the time to do it.
Key Info
NE injuries: WR Kendrick Bourne (PUP, knee)
NYJ injuries: EDGE Haason Reddick (DNR, contract), LB C.J. Mosley (questionable, toe)
DFS Lineup Optimizer
NE DFS targets: none
NYJ DFS targets: Garrett Wilson
NE DFS fades: none
NYJ DFS fades: Tyler Conklin
Weather notes: 10-15 percent chance of rain
The Scoop
Stevenson bangs out 70 yards and a touchdown, while Antonio Gibson hauls in a receiving TD. Brissett throws for less than 200 yards and gets sacked four times, coughing up a fumble on one that Javon Kinlaw falls on for a score. Hall racks up 110 combined yards and a touchdown. Rodgers throws for 220 yards and a game-winning TD to Wilson in the fourth quarter. Jets 21-20
