Colin Cowherd Teases ‘Gigantic’ Implications Of Patriots-Jets Matchup

The New England Patriots face their first AFC East test of the season against the New York Jets on Thursday night.

Expectations entering the season for the two teams couldn't have been more different. The Patriots stayed with a low bar in a clear rebuild while the return of Aaron Rodgers had the Jets connected to Super Bowl aspirations.

FS1's Colin Cowherd believes that "hype" around the Jets is tremendously overblown given New York's minimal production to start the season. Cowherd appeared wildly surprised that the Jets entered as six-point favorites against the Patriots in primetime.

"Tonight's game is gigantic," Cowherd shared on "The Herd" on Thursday. "If they lose tonight ... I think this game is gigantic. There's just this sense that it's a given tonight. Did you watch New England? New England beat Cincinnati. New England took undefeated Seattle to overtime. The Jets are a six-point favorite. It's crazy."

New York's schedule gets significantly harder against capable offenses in the coming weeks against the Minnesota Vikings and the Buffalo Bills, adding extra intrigue to the matchup with the Patriots on Thursday night.

The teams kick off from MetLife Stadium at 8:15 p.m. ET.