Another Monday night and another critical divisional matchup between teams with identical records, but unlike last week when fellow 3-7 squads San Francisco and Arizona dueled it out, this Monday’s showdown between the 9-2 New York Jets and the 9-2 New England Patriots will have the entire league watching.

The winner will take command of the AFC East, become the first 10-win team in the AFC and become the instant Super Bowl favorite. That is what is up for grabs Monday night in Foxborough, Massachusetts, when the Jets and Patriots face off at 8:30 p.m. EST.

The NFL schedule makers must have known this was the marquee game of the year. Each team has had three extra days of rest after both teams competed on Thanksgiving.

The Jets have struggled on the road, as much as a 5-0 road team can possibly struggle. They have won all their games away from New Jersey, but in less-than-spectacular fashion. They barely avoided a tie at Cleveland in their last road contest, an eventual 26-20 overtime win. They also needed desperate rallies to earn wins at Detroit and Denver. Their only losses have come after horrendous offensive performances at home in a 10-9 loss to Baltimore and a 9-0 loss to Green Bay.

The Jets did hand New England its first loss of the season, way back in Week 2 on Sept. 19. That was a 28-14 win in New Meadowlands Stadium. The Patriots only other loss was a head-scratching 34-14 blowout loss at Cleveland.

In the first meeting between the two teams New England jumped to early leads of 7-0 and 14-7, but the Jets owned the second half on their way to a 28-14 win. Tom Brady was picked off twice and the Patriots ground game was nonexistent as the trio of Kevin Faulk, BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Fred Taylor were limited to 42 total yards. Mark Sanchez was far more efficient for the Jets, completing 21 of 30 passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns. It was easily his best performance of the year despite being sacked three times.

The Patriots have won 25 in a row at home with Brady under center. The last time the Jets won in Foxborough Matt Cassel was the quarterback.

Looking at the numbers, the Patriots 9-2 record may look questionable. They rank second to last in the NFL in yards allowed (399 per game) and last in the league in passing yards allowed (288.5). They are being gouged for 24 points per game, although having the league’s best offense (30 points per game) certainly makes up for that. The Jets rank in the top four in most defensive categories. 

Injury Report
Friday night news broke that safety Jim Leonhard is out for the season with a broken tibia. That loss is even more significant considering cornerbacks Marquice Cole (hamstring) and Dwight Lowery (concussion) are both questionable for this week. The Patriots usually crowded injury report has a number of players listed as questionable, but nothing earth shattering.

Jets at Patriots Betting Odds and Line Moves
The New England Patriots opened as three-point favorites at some books, but as 3.5-point favorites at most books. Starting on Friday New England -4 was starting to show up at more and more books and New York injury news and public action on New England may keep it there. While the action seems to be pointing towards New England, the total has curiously dropped after opening at 47 it has fallen two entire points to 45. NFL odds are courtesy of Sportsbook.com.

New York Jets at New England Patriots Trends
Jets are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 road games
Jets are 14-6 ATS in their last 20 games overall
‘Over’ is 8-2 in Jets last 10 games overall
‘Over’ is 5-0 in Patriots last five games overall
Jets are 9-4-1 ATS in their last 14 meetings in New England
Road team is 18-7-1 ATS in their last 26 meetings

Monday Night Football NFL Picks and Predictions: New York Jets at New England Patriots
Tom Brady continues to be a game-changer this season in the NFL and this marquee league matchup is certain to be predicated on what he is able to do. In the first meeting against New England, the New York Jets secondary did an excellent job shutting down Randy Moss. That was two teams ago for Moss, and the Patriots offensive aerial attack is now diversified amongst possession receivers, running backs and multiple tight ends with big-play ability. Injuries to the secondary could not have come at a worse time for the Jets. Brady smells blood in the water and even with the line reaching four points, the play is still New England giving the points.