MNF Preview: Patriots vs. Jets odds, preview and pick

The New England Patriots will look to end their four-game losing streak when they travel to face the winless New York Jets on Monday night.

The Patriots are favored by more than a touchdown, and the total is the lowest in the NFL this week at just 41 points.

The dynasty is officially over in New England

After years of papering over the cracks on both sides of the ball, the Patriots have realized the harsh reality that is life without Tom Brady. While he turns around the fortunes of Tampa Bay, the Patriots are learning what other teams in the league have had to deal with every season: injury issues, poor quarterback play, and trying to figure out how and when to rebuild.

The Cam Newton experiment looks to have been an abject failure, as turnover issues continue to plague him. His fumble in the redzone last week against the Bills cost them a shot at tying a game they lost by three, the third time in five starts that one of his miscues directly led to a defeat. He has just two touchdown passes on the season compared to seven interceptions.

Thankfully, this week presents an opportunity to figure out some of the offensive woes. The Jets’ offense is so poor that even if the Patriots turn it over, they might not pay for it. The Jets also struggle against the pass, with the third-worst passing defense in the league. If New England have any hopes of salvaging their season, it must begin this weekend.

Is this the best chance for a Jets victory?

If the Jets were to win this game, it would be just their second win against the Patriots in their last 11 meetings. It also might be one of only two chances left on their schedule to take a victory—the other being the return game against New England to end the season. The rest of New York's schedule is quite tough, so we will find out if they truly want to get a win, or if they are in full-on "Tank for Trevor" mode.

What gives the Jets their shot at a win is the very struggles we discussed with the Patriots passing game. The strength of the New England offense is their running game, which is one area where the Jets have done decently well. They will want to force Newton to beat them with his arm rather than his legs, while they attempt to control the game by running against New England’s sixth-worst rush defense.

While it is unlikely going to be enough, the fact that Newton is a turnover machine means that anything could happen. That said, the loss of LB Avery Williamson, who was traded away this week, will make things even tougher for them.

New England vs. New York Jets injury report

New England has multiple players currently questionable on defense, but CB Stephon Gilmore returned to practice this week along with DT Carl Davis. WR N’Keal Harry is still in concussion protocol and is questionable.

For the Jets, Frank Gore and RB J.J. Taylor have both been out of practice, but Taylor’s issue is illness-related and he should be good to go. DT Quinnen Williams is fighting a hamstring issue and is questionable.

Patriots vs. Jets betting trends

New England have covered the spread just three times in their last nine games, and have won just twice this year. The total has gone over in four of their last five road games, but has gone Under in three of their last four overall. The Patriots have covered the spread in four of their last five games against the Jets, and have won eight straight over New York.

The Jets have covered the spread just once this season, which was last weekend, and are winless on the year. The total has gone Under in five of their last six games.

The Patriots are simply not a good football team. That said, they don’t need to be good to beat the Jets. They just need to be serviceable. The Patriots should be able to run the ball enough that, if they can avoid fumbling, they can limit the number of chances New York gets and limit the opportunities for an intercepted pass. As such, the low total is still not low enough to bet the Over.

The Jets’ offense will not be good enough to muster enough points, and the Patriots are not a team built to blow anybody out. Just one of their last four games has gone Over 40 points, and that was because the Chiefs were involved. Take the Under all the way.

Score prediction: Patriots 24, Jets 9

Picks: Patriots -10, Under 41

Wager on Week 9 of the 2020 NFL season at BetAmerica