FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) The New England Patriots are coming off their best performance of the season, doing almost everything they wanted in a 28-point victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.
But there are plenty of reasons for New England to be wary of the Jets this week. And it starts with Geno Smith.
It’s not just that New York’s veteran quarterback hasn’t thrown an interception this season in five starts, the longest season-opening streak of his career without one. He’s also had the Patriots’ number lately, having won in his last two trips to Foxborough (with Seattle in 2024 and Las Vegas in 2025).
In last season’s win with the Raiders, Smith completed 70 percent of his passes for 362 yards while spoiling Mike Vrabel’s coaching debut with the Patriots. Smith brings that familiarity into his final game.
“They have great players, they’re coached by Mike Vrabel, who’s a defensive guy, so we know he wants his defense to be at the forefront and they want to establish the run on offense as well, so another great opportunity for us,” Smith said.
Smith’s care for the football allowed the Jets to enter with a plus-3 turnover differential, compared to a Patriots team that forced a total of six turnovers, ranking 19th in the NFL entering Week 6.
This is a concern for Vrabel.
“(Smith has) done a fantastic job. And so if you’re going to try to create turnovers, you’re going to have to actually go out and force them,” Vrabel said.
The Patriots also enter with a long list of injured players, including left tackle Will Campbell (right knee) and running back TreVeyon Henderson (ankle). That was in addition to cornerback Christian Gonzalez missing his second straight game with a shoulder injury and Carlton Davis III sitting out with a neck injury.
The good news is that wide receiver AJ Brown returned to practice for the first time since going on injured reserve after suffering a sprained ankle in New England’s season-opening loss at Seattle. He said he was impressed by the performance of his fellow receivers in his absence.
“Whenever I decide to come back, I’m just going to add,” Brown said.
New York Jets (2-3) at New England (3-2)
When/where to watch: Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, CBS.
Latest odds: Patriots by 7.
Against the spread: Jets 3-1-1; Patriots 3-1-1.
Last week: Jets beat Browns 17-12; The Patriots beat the Raiders 45-17.
Last meeting: The Patriots defeated the Jets 42-10 on December 28, 2025, in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Series record: Patriots lead 77-56-1.
Patriots offensive line versus Jets defensive line. The Jets have shown their ability to pound the ball, recovering five fumbles so far. Drake Maye will play behind an O-line that may not have Campbell at full strength, creating opportunities to join Maye, who has lost two of his five fumbles this season.
– Rookie David Bailey, the second overall pick in April, was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week after recording three sacks. He is the third player since 2003 to have three sacks in his first five NFL games, joining Detroit’s Aidan Hutchinson (2022) and Denver’s Elvis Dumervil (2006).
– The Jets are tied with the Los Angeles Chargers for second in the NFL with 47 penalties, two behind Cleveland for the most.
– RB Braelon Allen had a career-high 116 rushing yards and a game-winning 22-yard touchdown run on 24 carries last Sunday while filling in for the second straight game for the injured Breece Hall.
– New York has held three of its first five opponents to fewer than 200 total offensive yards after not doing so in a single game last season. The Jets are also the first NFL team to hold three teams to fewer than 200 yards through the first five games since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1999.
– The Jets had eight sacks against the Browns, led by Bailey’s three, tying the team’s single-game franchise record since sacks became an official NFL statistic in 1982.
– Smith (147 attempts), Detroit’s Jared Goff (191) and Houston’s CJ Stroud (185) are the only players without an INT in five starts this season. Smith’s completion rate of 69.4 percent is second-highest behind Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow among QBs with at least 100 pass attempts this season.
– New England has won three straight and 18 of the last 20 against the Jets.
-The Patriots are coming off a season-high 536 yards in last week’s win over Las Vegas. The last time they had two games with at least 500 yards in the same season was in 2014.
– The Patriots, 2-0 at Gillette Stadium, haven’t started a season 3-0 at home since 2019, when they won their first five home games.
– TE Hunter Henry (3,150 receiving yards) needs 8 passes ahead of Russ Francis to move into third place on the team’s all-time receiving yards list among tight ends.
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AP Pro Football Writer Dennis Waszak, Jr. in Florham Park, NJ, contributed.
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