New York Jets at New England Patriots, Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA
Monday, December 6, 2010, 8:30 pm EST, TV: ESPN
Opening Line: Patriots -3
Current Line: Patriots -3.5
Opening Total: 47
Current Total: 44.5
Money Line: Patriots -200 / Jets +170
The New England Patriots (9-2) and New York Jets (9-2) renew their AFC East rivalry on Monday Night Football with the division lead and top seed in the conference on the line. The Patriots (-3.5) lost the first meeting with the Jets 28-14 back in Week 2 and will try to hand them their first road loss of the season while keeping their perfect home record intact.
New England is 5-0 at home so far this season, and quarterback Tom Brady will be attempting to break Brett Favre’s NFL record for consecutive home wins during the regular season at 25. Brady’s only home loss took place in last year’s playoffs against Baltimore, and New York’s last win in Foxborough took place in 2008 when Matt Cassel was under center for the Pats.
Brady has thrown only four interceptions this year to go along with his 23 touchdown passes, but two of those were by the Jets in the last meeting. The other two came in a 23-20 home win over the Ravens a month later when New England avenged the playoff loss. He has thrown 13 touchdown passes with no picks since that victory against Baltimore, including a season-high four in a 45-24 rout of Detroit on Thanksgiving.
New York will be without safety Jim Leonhard due to a broken leg he suffered in practice on Friday, taking away one of the leaders of the defense who calls plays in the defensive secondary. Eric Smith and Brodney Pool will start at safety against New England while cornerback Darrelle Revis could have difficulty figuring out who to cover now that Randy Moss is no longer a Patriot. Revis held Cincinnati wide receiver Terrell Owens to just three catches for 17 yards in a 26-10 win over the Bengals on Thanksgiving and seems to be returning to Pro Bowl form.
Second-year quarterback Mark Sanchez played brilliantly for the Jets in the first meeting, completing 21 of 30 passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns. However, Sanchez had one of the worst games of his young pro career in his last trip to Gillette Stadium, connecting on just 8 of 21 passes for 136 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions in a 31-14 loss. He will have an additional weapon though in the second meeting, as wide receiver Santonio Holmes did not play in the first game due to a suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
New York is 5-0 straight-up on the road this season and 4-1 against the spread in those games with the OVER going 5-0. The OVER is also 4-1 in New England’s home games. The Jets have won three of the last four meetings in the series both SU and ATS.
Now that you have read this Monday Night Football betting preview featuring the Patriots & Jets, check out the NFL odds on this game to compare the best lines at multiple sportsbooks.
