The New England Patriots (3-4) take on the New York Jets (5-2) in an extremely important Week 8 matchup on Sunday.
Yes, you heard that right. The Patriots have a worse record than the Jets.
New England should expect a healthy Mac Jones in the divisional matchup that features a meeting of former 2021 first-round draft picks. Jones, who was taken at No. 15 overall, will be facing Jets No. 2 overall draft selection Zach Wilson.
Let’s take a look at some key positional matchups that could determine the outcome of this week’s game.
Mac Jones vs Zach Wilson... but not for why you think.
Coach Bill Belichick handled the situation between Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe as worse as anybody could have. Confidence is key. Jones needs to have a bounce back game, and if he can outperform Wilson, then no harm, no foul.
But if Jones is outplayed, there could be detrimental outcomes for the remainder of the season. The locker room and league will lose faith in Belichick with his division rival, Robert Saleh, building a team around a first-round quarterback that caters to his skill set, much better than Belichick did.
If Jones doesn’t have the same faith in his organization as Wilson, there is a chance that Jones could be in his own head for this game, making it difficult for the team as a whole to stay focused.
Sauce Gardner vs Tyquan Thornton
Originally, I thought the Jets may have Gardner play along Jakobi Meyers, but he is typically left on the outside on an island. And Tyquan Thornton has very quietly worked his way into the starting role.
Gardner vs Thornton will be a fun matchup that I think could determine how successful Mac Jones and the Patriots offense is in all other areas. If their burner cannot get down the field, it allows the safeties to play up more, affecting the room the rest of the team has to operate.
Patriots OL vs Quinnen Williams
Williams is a beast and causes problems for everyone. But with David Andrews out with a concussion, the Patriots may have some issues containing Williams without their offensive line anchor.
Andrews is an important, steady voice along the line, and it will be up to James Ferentz to handle center duties and attempt to mimic what Andrews brings to the table.
If Williams has his way with Ferentz, which is likely where the Jets will use him, it will be a long night for the Patriots and Mac Jones.
