Patriots-Jets Week 3 news, notes, and fun facts

FOXBORO — Jerod Mayo’s Patriots felt the sting of defeat on Sunday, and don’t have much time to shake it off before their next game. But a great way to shake that feeling would be to go out and beat Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets on Thursday Night Football.

While this will be the first time that the Patriots face Rodgers as the Jets quarterback, Thursday night matchups against their AFC East foe have been very kind to New England. This will be the sixth time that the Patriots and the Jets square off on a Thursday night, and New England owns a 4-1 record in those previous matchups. 

New England’s biggest win over the Jets on a Thursday came back in 2012 on Thanksgiving night, a game best remembered for the famous “Butt Fumble” by Mark Sanchez. We’ll see if the New England defense can force something as impactful and hilarious on this particular Thursday night. Weird things tend to happen when you make teams play a football game on three days rest.

Overall, the Patriots are 16-9 on Thursday Night Football. But that is the past, and the current Patriots are heading into Thursday night’s matchup at 1-1 after a Week 2 home loss to the Seahawks in overtime. The Jets now get to open the home portion of their schedule after picking up their first win of the season on Sunday — and the first win for Rodgers as their starting QB — with a victory over the Titans in Tennessee.

Here’s what you need to know about Thursday night’s matchup.

Patriots vs. Jets

• The Patriots lead the overall series against the Jets by a tally of 74-55-1. That includes New England’s 2-1 record over the Jets in the playoffs. 
• New England’s 74 wins over the Jets are the second-most in franchise history, trailing the team’s 78 victories over the Buffalo Bills.
• The Patriots had won 15 straight over the Jets heading into last season’s regular-season finale, but lost 17-3 at Gillette Stadium in Bill Belichick’s final game as head coach.
• The Patriots have won eight straight games over the Jets in New Jersey. 
• Overall, the Patriots have swept their season series with the Jets 23 times. They most recently pulled it off in 2022.
• New England is 34-29 all-time in road games against the Jets, and 13-3 against them at MetLife Stadium.
• The Patriots are 45-17 against the Jets since Robert Kraft bought the team in 1994. 

Patriots-Jets Connections

• Current Patriots running backs coach Taylor Embree held that same position with the Jets from 2021-23.
• Shawn Jefferson, who caught 14 touchdowns with the Patriots from 1996-99, is New York’s wide receiver coach.

Other Patriots-Jets Week 3 fun facts

• The Patriots haven’t committed a turnover yet this season. If they continue that streak on Thursday, this year’s team will join the 1998 Patriots as the only teams in franchise history to go turnover-free over their first three games. It would be New England’s first three-game stretch without a turnover since the 2022 season. 
• The Patriots’ defense held both the Bengals (70 yards) and the Seahawks (46 yards) to under 100 rushing yards. The last time the Patriots held their first three opponents under 100 yards on the ground came back in 2019. 
• On the other side of the ball, the Patriots offense has run for over 170 yards in both games so far this season. If they reach at least 170 rushing yards against the Jets, it will be the first time in team history that the Patriots have started the season with at least 170 yards on the ground in their first three games. 
• Rhamondre Stevenson has rushed for a touchdown in both games so far this season. The last Patriots running back to score a touchdown in the team’s first three games was LeGarrette Blount in 2016. 
• The Patriots offense actually has more yards than the Jets this season, with 600 yards to New York’s 531 yards. But the Jets have scored six touchdowns to New England’s three.

We’ll get you ready for Thursday night’s Patriots-Jets clash starting at 7 p.m. with Patriots GameDay on TV38! After the game, tune in to Patriots 5th Quarter on WBZ-TV/TV38 for full reaction and analysis.