NFLBALLS

A New England Patriots vs New York Jets matchup is one of the oldest fixtures in professional football, and it still has a way of getting under everyone’s skin. The two franchises were charter members of the American Football League in 1960, they have shared a division ever since, and they have met 134 times, counting three playoff games. Sunday, October 18, 2026, Week 6 of the NFL season, brings the first of this year’s two meetings to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, with kickoff set for 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS.

New England walks in at 3-2 after back-to-back wins over Buffalo and Las Vegas, while New York sits at 2-3 after grinding out a 17-12 win over Cleveland in a driving rainstorm. On paper the Patriots are the favorite, laying about seven points at home. But this is not the same Jets team that went 3-14 a year ago. Aaron Glenn’s defense ranks fifth in points allowed, Geno Smith has not thrown an interception through five games, and rookie edge rusher David Bailey just piled up three sacks in a single afternoon.

So here is everything that matters before kickoff: where each team stands right now, the full head-to-head history, a breakdown of the last time these two shared a field, the best players to watch, injury news, the betting angle, and a final score prediction. The New England Patriots vs New York Jets matches of the last decade have mostly been one-sided, so if you can’t watch live, Patriots vs Jets highlights will be easy to find right after the final whistle.

New England Patriots: Drake Maye Is Back in MVP Form

New England spent the first three weeks looking for answers, and the answer turned out to be the quarterback already on the roster. Drake Maye, the third-year passer who finished second in the 2025 MVP voting and led the Patriots to Super Bowl LX, opened 2026 with turnovers and pressure problems. He threw three interceptions in a 13-10 loss at Seattle, turned the ball over four times in a 35-6 loss at Jacksonville, and was sacked nine times in three games.

Then everything flipped. Maye threw for 269 yards and three touchdowns in a 29-26 win at Buffalo in Week 4 and was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week. A week later he torched Las Vegas for 374 passing yards, four touchdown passes, and another score on the ground in a 45-17 rout at Gillette Stadium. Across those two games he has been sacked only twice.

What Makes New England’s Offense Tick

• Drake Maye has completed 65.6 percent of his passes for 1,228 yards, eight touchdowns, and seven interceptions, plus 161 rushing yards, with seven of those touchdown passes coming in the last two games
• Rhamondre Stevenson leads a thin backfield with 227 rushing yards and a touchdown in each of his last two games
• A.J. Brown is back at practice after four games on injured reserve, and he would give Maye the true No. 1 receiver he has missed since Week 1
• Romeo Doubs, DeMario Douglas, Efton Chism III, Hunter Henry, and rookie tight end Eli Raridon give Maye plenty of options even while the receiver room is short-handed

Detail	New England Patriots
Division	AFC East
Head coach	Mike Vrabel (2nd season)
Starting QB	Drake Maye
Home field	Gillette Stadium, Foxborough
Recent form	3-2 to start 2026, winners of two straight
2026 results	Lost at Seahawks 13-10 (Wk 1), beat Steelers 20-3 (Wk 2), lost at Jaguars 35-6 (Wk 3), beat Bills 29-26 (Wk 4), beat Raiders 45-17 (Wk 5)
Key injuries	CB Carlton Davis III (out), CB Karon Prunty (out), WR A.J. Brown (questionable), LT Will Campbell (questionable), RB TreVeyon Henderson (questionable), WR Mack Hollins (IR)

Looking at the New England Patriots standings, a 3-2 record looks healthier than the start of the season suggested. A win Sunday would make them 4-2 and keep the pressure on a Buffalo team they just beat, though a Thursday night trip to Chicago follows just four days later, which is why some analysts are calling this a trap game.

New York Jets: A Meaner Defense Is Changing the Story

The 2025 Jets were a disaster. Aaron Glenn’s first team started 0-7, finished 3-14, and became the first team in NFL history to go a full season without intercepting a pass. The 2026 version looks nothing like it. With new defensive coordinator Brian Duker, veterans Demario Davis and Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Bailey, the No. 2 pick in the draft, New York ranks fifth in points allowed at 19.2 per game and second in yards allowed per play at 4.6.

The season opened with a win at Tennessee, followed by three straight losses to NFC North opponents, including an overtime defeat against Green Bay and a 31-24 loss at Detroit. Last Sunday the Jets beat Cleveland 17-12 behind eight sacks, tying the franchise single-game high. Bailey had three of them and earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.

What Makes the Jets Tick

• Geno Smith, in his 13th NFL season, has completed 69.4 percent of his passes for 1,084 yards and six touchdowns with zero interceptions, a 104.2 passer rating, though he has also taken 16 sacks
• Garrett Wilson is the offense, with 31 catches on 42 targets for 374 yards and three touchdowns, including 104 yards against the Browns
• Braelon Allen has stepped into the backfield with Breece Hall sidelined, running 24 times for 116 yards and a touchdown last week
• Bailey leads a pass rush that is tied for third in the league with 17 sacks, and Fitzpatrick snapped a record 21-game interception drought in Week 4

Detail	New York Jets
Division	AFC East
Head coach	Aaron Glenn (2nd season)
Starting QB	Geno Smith
Home field	MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford
Recent form	2-3 to start 2026, winners of their last game
2026 results	Beat Titans (Wk 1), lost to Packers in OT (Wk 2), lost at Lions 31-24 (Wk 3), lost at Bears (Wk 4), beat Browns 17-12 (Wk 5)
Key injuries	RB Breece Hall (out), WR Adonai Mitchell (out), DE Joseph Ossai (out), G Dylan Parham (out), TE Kenyon Sadiq (questionable)

The New York Jets standings show a team that is better than its record in some ways and worse in others. The defense has held three of five opponents under 200 yards of total offense, but the offense ranks 27th in scoring at 18.6 points per game. New York Jets games against AFC opponents have both ended in wins so far, and this is their first divisional game of the year. The franchise still carries the NFL’s longest playoff drought at 15 years, so every divisional win matters.

NFL Schedule This Week

Sunday’s Patriots vs Jets game is the first of two meetings this season, with the rematch set for December 27 at MetLife Stadium. For New England Patriots games, the schedule gets tougher immediately, with a Thursday night trip to Chicago. The New York Jets schedule softens a little, with Miami coming to MetLife next Sunday.

Team	Next Matchup	Date	Location
New England Patriots	at Chicago Bears	Thursday, Oct. 22 (8:15 p.m. ET)	Chicago, IL
New York Jets	vs Miami Dolphins	Sunday, Oct. 25	East Rutherford, NJ
Both teams	Patriots at Jets	Sunday, Dec. 27 (1:00 p.m. ET)	East Rutherford, NJ

Head-to-Head History: The Full Timeline

New England holds a clear edge in the all-time series, leading 77-56-1 when the three postseason games are included. The Patriots have won three straight meetings and 18 of the last 20, and the New England Patriots vs New York Jets matches since 2021 have gone their way eight times in ten tries.

Season	Winner	Location	Score	Notes
2025 (Wk 17)	Patriots	East Rutherford	42-10	Patriots clinch the AFC East title that night
2025 (Wk 11)	Patriots	Foxborough	27-14	Thirteen-point Patriots win at home
2024 (Wk 8)	Patriots	Foxborough	25-22	Three-point Patriots win
2024 (Wk 3)	Jets	East Rutherford	24-3	Jets’ most recent win in the series
2023 (Wk 18)	Jets	Foxborough	17-3	Bill Belichick’s final game as Patriots coach
2023 (Wk 8)	Patriots	East Rutherford	15-10	Patriots’ 15th straight win in the series
2022	Patriots	Foxborough	10-3	Patriots’ 12th straight home win in the series
2022	Patriots	East Rutherford	22-17	Patriots sweep the season series
2021	Patriots	Foxborough	54-13	First time the Jets allowed 50 points since 1995
2021	Patriots	East Rutherford	25-6	Patriots sweep the season series

The New England Patriots vs New York Jets stats across the series favor the Patriots 75-55-1 in the regular season, and the home team has held its own in the long run too, with New England going 41-26-1 at its home park and 36-30 on the road.

A Few Things Worth Pointing Out

• The teams have met three times in the playoffs, with the Patriots winning the 1985 and 2006 Wild Card games and the Jets winning the 2010 Divisional Round game at Foxborough
• The Patriots have won 40 of the last 50 regular-season meetings since December 2001
• The Jets have beaten New England only twice in the last decade
• New England has won 14 of the last 15 meetings at Gillette Stadium

Jets vs Patriots Mythology: Napkins, Guarantees, and Ghosts

There is a fun side note buried in this rivalry that has nothing to do with the standings. Jets vs Patriots mythology is built from moments so strange that fans on both sides retell them like folklore. Joe Namath guaranteed a Super Bowl III win and delivered it for the Jets. Bill Belichick famously wrote his resignation as head coach of the Jets on a napkin in January 2000 before landing in New England. In 2012, Mark Sanchez’s infamous butt fumble helped fuel a three-touchdown flurry in 52 seconds during a 49-19 Patriots romp on Thanksgiving. And in 2019, Sam Darnold told a national television audience he was seeing ghosts during a 33-0 Monday night loss at MetLife.

Nobody at the league office was thinking about folklore when they scheduled this game, but Jets vs Patriots mythology tends to write itself anyway. In the end, the series is usually decided by ordinary things, like a pass rush that arrives on time and a turnover at the wrong moment.

Three Eras of the Rivalry

Era 1: The Jets Hold the Early Edge (1960-1979) The Patriots won the first meeting in 1960, but the Jets took control from there, going 12-7-1 in the AFL years and 12-8 in the 1970s. The Namath-era teams won nine straight meetings from 1966 to 1970, and New York led the series 24-15-1 after 1979.

Era 2: Parity, Parcells, and Belichick (1980-2000) The Patriots went 12-8 in the 1980s and the Jets went 11-9 in the 1990s, and the games were often wild, including a 27-24 Patriots overtime win in 1997. This era also produced the Parcells and Belichick coaching saga and left the Jets ahead 45-36-1 after 2000.

Era 3: New England Takes Control (2001-Present) Tom Brady and Belichick flipped the series. The Patriots have won 40 of 50 regular-season meetings since December 2001, including a 15-game winning streak from 2016 to 2023. The Jets did stun them 28-21 in the 2010 playoffs and twice more in 2023 and 2024, but the Patriots have won three straight.

The Last Time These Two Teams Met: Patriots 42, Jets 10 (Dec. 28, 2025)

Sunday’s game is still unplayed, so the 2025 finale remains the best snapshot of how New England Patriots vs New York Jets matches have gone lately. The Patriots arrived at MetLife Stadium at 12-3 and chasing the AFC East title, and it showed immediately. New England scored a touchdown on its opening drive, capped by a two-yard catch from Hooper, and found the end zone on each of its first six possessions.

The Patriots led 35-3 at halftime, and Maye finished 19 of 21 for 256 yards and a career-high five touchdown passes in just two and a half quarters before Joshua Dobbs took over midway through the third. Rhamondre Stevenson had both a rushing touchdown and a 22-yard touchdown catch, and the Patriots finished a perfect 8-0 on the road. A few hours later the Buffalo Bills lost 13-12 to Philadelphia, handing New England its first AFC East title since 2019.

Passing Leaders

• Drake Maye (NE): 19 of 21, 256 yards, 5 TD

Rushing Leaders

• Drake Maye (NE): 3 carries, 22 yards
• Rhamondre Stevenson (NE): 1 rushing TD

Receiving Leaders

• Stefon Diggs (NE): 6 catches, 101 yards
• Rhamondre Stevenson (NE): 22-yard TD catch
• Hunter Henry (NE): 13-yard TD catch

Where Both Teams Stand Entering Sunday’s Game

Five weeks into the season, the numbers show two teams that are closer than the records suggest, with the Patriots owning the better offense and the Jets owning the better defense. Before looking at the numbers below, it’s worth framing this New England Patriots vs New York Jets match player stats snapshot simply: the team that protects the football and its quarterback probably wins the game.

Stat	New England Patriots	New York Jets
Record	3-2	2-3
Points per game	22.0	18.6 (27th)
Yards per game	372.4	284.0
Yards per play	5.7	4.7
Points allowed per game	18.8 (4th)	19.2 (5th)
Yards allowed per play	5.0	4.6 (2nd)
Defensive sacks	11	17 (T-3rd)
Interceptions	3	1
Turnover differential	-5	+3
Starting QB	Drake Maye: 1,228 yds, 8 TD, 7 INT	Geno Smith: 1,084 yds, 6 TD, 0 INT
Betting line	Patriots -7	Jets +7

The New England Patriots vs New York Jets stats tell an interesting story about pressure. The Jets blitz on 39 percent of dropbacks, the fourth-highest rate in the league, and they have blitzed on more than half of them in each of the last two games. Maye, meanwhile, posted a perfect 158.3 quarterback rating against Las Vegas when he was not pressured. That contrast could define how this game plays out.

Best Top Players to Watch

Both rosters have difference-makers, so the New England Patriots vs New York Jets matches always come down to which stars show up. The New England Patriots vs New York Jets match player stats through five weeks point to these names as the ones worth circling.

Drake Maye, QB, New England. After a miserable first three weeks, he has thrown seven touchdowns and one interception across two wins and is averaging 8.1 yards per attempt. The question is whether he can keep it going against the Jets’ pressure packages.

Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England. With TreVeyon Henderson dealing with a high ankle sprain, Stevenson could see a heavy workload. He needs 104 rushing yards to reach 4,000 as a Patriot and two touchdowns to tie Tony Collins and Curtis Martin for sixth in franchise history. The Jets allow 118 rushing yards per game, 13th in the league.

A.J. Brown, WR, New England. If the Patriots activate him by the Saturday afternoon deadline, Brown changes the offense immediately. He caught 78 passes for 1,003 yards with Philadelphia last year but played only 30 snaps for New England before getting hurt in Week 1.

Christian Gonzalez, CB, New England. He is expected back after missing two games with a shoulder injury, and his job is to shadow Garrett Wilson with Carlton Davis III and Karon Prunty both out.

Best Top Players to Watch

Geno Smith, QB, New York. He has not thrown an interception, but he has taken 16 sacks, so the Patriots’ pass rush matters more than his accuracy.

Garrett Wilson, WR, New York. With Adonai Mitchell out again, Wilson is going to see every target he can handle. Smith’s second-leading receiver, Isaiah Williams, has just 151 yards.

David Bailey, DE, New York. The No. 2 pick has five sacks, a forced fumble, and a skill set Mike Vrabel described as fast, explosive, and instinctive. If Will Campbell cannot play at left tackle, Bailey could be the most important player on the field.

Braelon Allen, RB, New York. With Hall out, Allen has to carry the offense on the ground. He has 236 yards on 57 carries this season.

Minkah Fitzpatrick, S, New York. The veteran safety owns the Jets’ only interception of the season. Maye has fumbled five times this year, and New York has five fumble recoveries.

Coaching Matchup: Vrabel vs. Glenn

Mike Vrabel owns a 2-0 edge over Aaron Glenn from last season, when New England won 27-14 at home and 42-10 on the road. Jets offensive coordinator Frank Reich also went 4-6 against Vrabel when both were head coaches in the AFC South.

Factor	New England (Vrabel)	New York (Glenn)
Experience level	2nd season, 14-3 in 2025	2nd season, 3-14 in 2025
Quarterback situation	Drake Maye, 8 TD and 7 INT	Geno Smith, 0 INT and 16 sacks
Offensive identity	Downfield passing, Stevenson, McDaniels’ play-calling	Reich’s quick, high-percentage passing built around Wilson
Defensive concern	Thin cornerback depth, -5 turnover margin	Pass protection and a 3.6 yards-per-carry run game

Neither coach has much room for error on Sunday.

Betting Angle: What the Odds Say

The line for Sunday’s game opened as high as Patriots -9.5 at some books and has settled around -7, with a few shops at -7.5. The total is hovering between 43.5 and 44.5. Moneylines run from roughly -325 to -340 for New England and from +260 to +274 for New York, which gives the Patriots an implied win probability of about 77 percent.

The New England Patriots vs New York Jets stats on trends point in a few directions. Both teams are 3-1-1 against the spread this season, and the under has hit in four of the Jets’ five games. Anyone leaning on New England Patriots vs New York Jets match player stats before making a pick should weight the pass rush heavily, because the Jets’ pressure rate can swing the game if Maye’s protection breaks down.

Prediction: Patriots 27, Jets 17

This one has a tight first half written all over it, and the Patriots’ answer is Maye. Over the last two weeks he has looked like the quarterback who finished second in MVP voting, and Gonzalez’s return should slow Wilson down. The Jets’ offense ranks 27th in scoring, and without Hall, Mitchell, and Parham it will struggle to keep up if New England scores early.

But the Jets are not easy to beat. They rank fourth in the league in passing yards allowed, they carry a plus-three turnover margin, and Bailey is good enough to wreck a game plan. The Patriots lost both of their games this season by turning the ball over, so they must avoid handing the Jets extra possessions. If Campbell is out and Brown stays on the sideline, this could be much tighter than the spread suggests.

The edge belongs to New England because of Maye, Stevenson, and a defense that is allowing 18.8 points per game. Most expert predictions land between four and 16 points in the Patriots’ favor, and a final score around 27-17 fits that range nicely.

Where to Watch New England Patriots vs New York Jets

• TV: CBS, seen locally on WBZ-TV Channel 4 in Boston and WCBS in New York
• Streaming: Paramount+ and NFL+ for local viewing
• Broadcast crew: Spero Dedes (play-by-play), Adam Archuleta (analyst), and Aditi Kinkhabwala (sideline)
• Kickoff: 1:00 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough
• Weather: Sunshine, a high near 54 degrees, and a light wind of 3 to 5 miles per hour
• Patriots radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub and the Patriots Radio Network

The short answer on where to watch New England Patriots vs New York Jets is CBS, and a full set of Patriots vs Jets highlights will be posted on NFL.com and the league’s social channels shortly after the game ends.

What’s Next for Both Teams

After Sunday, the Patriots head to Chicago for a Thursday night game on October 22, travel to Miami on November 1, and then host Green Bay on November 8. A win Sunday would send them into that stretch at 4-2, and the New England Patriots standings will look very different at 4-2 than at 3-3. The next few New England Patriots games will show whether Maye’s surge is the real thing.

The New York Jets schedule is more forgiving in the short term. They host Miami on October 25, then Las Vegas on November 1, before a trip to Kansas City on November 8. A win Sunday would put them at 3-3, and the New York Jets standings would look a lot more interesting for a team that hasn’t made the playoffs in 15 years. The New England Patriots vs New York Jets stats from Sunday will shape both stories, and the next few New York Jets games will show whether the offense can catch up to the defense.

Check Also: Denver Broncos vs Seattle Seahawks Match Player Stats | Puka Nacua | Geno Smith

Quick FAQs

Source: NFL