A lot has happened in both New England and New York over the last five weeks.
Back in Week 3, the New England Patriots visited the New York Jets for a Thursday night showdown. Five weeks later, the team of first-year head coach Jerod Mayo will get an opportunity for revenge against its division rivals: after losing the first meeting 24-3 in underwhelming fashion, the Patriots will look to set the record straight.
In order to do so, they will rely on some players who did not play much of a role back in September — either by choice or due to other reason. Change has not just been a constant in New England this season, though.
So, with that said, let’s take a look at how the two squads look different now compared to their first game this season.
Patriots changes
New quarterback emerges: The first game between the Patriots and Jets was Drake Maye’s NFL debut; the first-round rookie took the field late in the fourth quarter for the first 16 snaps of his career. Fast forward to today, and he is now the team’s starting quarterback and so far a clear upgrade over former QB1 Jacoby Brissett. Maye’s presence alone should make the New England more competitive against the Jets after it scored just one field goal back in Week 3 and saw Brissett go 12-for-18 for just 98 yards.
Offensive line questions continue: The Patriots’ O-line will look significantly different this week compared to the first Jets game. Back then, the lineup consisted of Caedan Wallace, Michael Jordan, David Andrews, Layden Robinson and Michael Onwenu. There is a chance that Jordan will be the only one returning in his previous spot this week: Wallace and Andrews are on injured reserve, Robinson was benched and missed the first two practices of the week with an ankle injury, and Onwenu’s future appears to be at guard rather than tackle. At the moment, New England seems to be looking at a Vederian Lowe, Jordan, Ben Brown, Onwenu, Demontrey Jacobs starting O-line.
Movement at wide receiver: The Patriots employed five wide receivers in Week 3. Led by DeMario Douglas’ (83% snaps), they also used K.J. Osborn (75%), Ja’Lynn Polk (50%), Kayshon Boutte (35%) and Tyquan Thornton (33%). This week, Polk seems like a no-go due to a concussion, while Thornton has been a healthy scratch in back-to-back games. Based on recent developments, Douglas will be the top slot again with Osborn and Kendrick Bourne — who was activated off the PUP list in Week 5 — sharing Z-receiver duties; Boutte has emerged as the new primary outside target.
Defensive shuffle: As opposed to the offense, the Patriots defense has been relatively stable in terms of personnel since Week 3. There are still a few changes worth talking about, though. The most prominent is Jabrill Peppers being out indefinitely in light of his legal issues. Furthermore, Raekwon McMillan has been replaced as No. 2 linebacker by Christian Elliss, while Marco Wilson is now the No. 4 cornerback over the injured Alex Austin.
Jets changes
Interim head coach: The biggest change the Jets have experienced since Week 3 is the firing of head coach Robert Saleh. After starting the season 2-3 and posting a 20-36 record overall in his four seasons, Jets owner Woody Johnson made the surprising decision — at least at this particular point in the season — to part ways with Saleh. In his place, defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has been named interim head coach. New York has lost both of its games since the move and at 2-5 is facing an uphill battle to get back into playoff contention.
Big-name trade: Despite their record, the Jets have a solid overall roster that could very well allow them to end the longest postseason drought in the NFL. And yet, their season has started slipping from their grasp — a development that forced them to take some drastic measures beyond firing the head coach. Earlier this month, the team also acquired star wide receiver Davante Adams from the Las Vegas Raiders to reunite him with former Green Bay teammate Aaron Rodgers. He caught three passes for 30 yards in his debut last week.
Holdout over: When the Jets traded for Haason Reddick during the offseason, they were hoping to bolster what was already a stout defensive unit. Instead, they got a player unwilling to join the team under the terms of his contract. Reddick’s holdout extended well into the regular season, and was only ended this week. This means that he could make his Jets debut this week against New England.
Secondary changes: Three players were on the field for all 52 of the Jets’ defensive snaps in Week 3, but one of them will not be able to suit up in Week 8: starting safety Chuck Clark suffered an ankle injury in Week 6 and was since moved to injured reserve. Clark had a sack, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery the last time he played the Patriots. In his place, New York recently turned to ex-Patriots defensive back Jalen Mills.