It wasn’t terribly long ago the Week 7 showdown between the Patriots and Jets looked like a sure-fire cakewalk for New England. But quite a bit has changed in the lead-up to this divisional clash at MetLife Stadium.
After dealing with a bout of mononucleosis, Sam Darnold returned under center this past Sunday and sparked life into the Jets, who earned their first win of the season with an encouraging performance against the Dallas Cowboys. The Patriots still have yet to drop a game on the campaign, but their offense has come back down to Earth after a red-hot start.
New York will be motivated as ever to pull off an upset over New England, but Phil Simms still expects Bill Belichick and Co. to come out on top when the AFC East rivals collide on “Monday Night Football.” Not only does Simms believe the Patriots will win outright, he thinks they’ll cover a 9 1/2 point spread as well.
“Sam Darnold definitely changed the Jets football team,” Simms said on the latest episode of Showtime’s “Inside the NFL.” “You can see it in many ways, for real. The Jets defense has been playing well. I’m giving the nine and a half points, I’m going to take the Patriots because they never let up. They play 60 minutes like no other team in football.”
Little stock should be put in the teams’ Week 3 meeting at Gillette Stadium, as Luke Falk, who since has been waived by New York, was absolutely no match for the vaunted Patriots defense. Save for maybe Ben Roethlisberger, Darnold arguably will be the best quarterback New England has squared off with to date. Despite its current 1-4 record, the recharged Jets will serve as a good test for a New England team that’s faced little resistance thus far this season.
Darnold certainly is looking forward to the matchup, as the second-year QB believes a tilt with the reigning champs is “perfect” for the Jets following their win over the Cowboys.
