The Patriots host the Jets this week on Thursday Night Football with both teams looking to get a win for very different reasons. The Jets are in the midst of a five-game losing streak where nothing seems to be going right. The Patriots are looking to continue their early-season turnaround with another win before a tough stretch of games begins.
One matchup that will definitely be a focus of this game is how well the Jets' defense can handle the Patriots' tight ends. Rob Gronkowski has traditionally found success against New York, with 26 receptions for 336 yards and four touchdowns in his last four games against them. This season he leads tight ends with a +6.1 receiving grade. Tim Wright is also proving himself to be a receiving threat, with six catches on six targets and a pair of touchdowns on his way to a +1.9 receiving grade in his last two games.
The Jets have struggled at covering tight ends this season. Through six games, the defense has allowed tight ends to catch 24 of 32 balls thrown to them for 273 yards and seven touchdowns. Linebackers Demario Davis and David Harris have been below average in coverage this season, with grades of -1.2 and -2.9, respectively. Look for the Jets to blitz early and often to try to limit the time that the rest of the defense is asked to cover the dangerous Patriots' tight ends.
New York Jets
Nick Mangold – Mangold has the highest overall grade among centers at +9.7. He's allowed only one sack and one additional hurry, leading to his second-best Pass Blocking Efficiency of 99.3.
Muhammad Wilkerson – Wilkerson's +14.0 overall grade is second to only J.J. Watt among 3-4 defensive ends. His Run Stop Percentage of 14.3% is the highest at his position.
Chris Ivory – Ivory averages 3.19 yards after contact per attempt, which is the highest among running backs with over 50 carries. His Elusive Rating of 102.2 is also the highest in the league.
New England Patriots
Tom Brady – Hoping to continue his Thursday Night success, Brady carries an interesting split into the game — when using play action (28.9% of his drop-backs, sixth-highest percentage in the league) his passer rating of 119.0 ranks fourth, but when not, his passer rating falls to 23rd at 85.7.
Devin McCourty – McCourty is averaging 47 Coverage Snaps per Reception, and is giving up 0.12 yards per coverage snap, sixth-lowest among safeties.
Rob Ninkovich and Chandler Jones – The 3-4 outside linebacker duo have combined for eight sacks and 32 total pressures. Jones' +9.1 pass rush grade is the fourth-highest at his position.
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