Jets vs. Patriots: TV Info, Spread, Injury Updates, Game Time and More

Tom Brady and the New England Patriots return home riding a two-game win streak to take on the reeling New York Jets in an AFC East showdown on Thursday Night Football.

The bitter rivals tend to put on good shows regardless of past results, so a mismatch on paper that favors the home team certainly has the potential to surprise. Patriots coach Bill Belichick was adamant about this after a Week 6 victory.

"It's always hard to play the Jets," Belichick said, per Phil Perry of CSNNE.com. "They're a game-plan team, they always have a lot of tough packages and a lot of good players there. We'll just have to turn it around quickly, get back to Foxboro, and start grinding it out on them."

Thursday Night Football has had its fair share of lopsided encounters this season, but if two foes with opposing strengths can put on a competitive showdown, it would be Rex Ryan's Jets against Belichick's Patriots. 

Trending in Opposite Directions

Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images

For the New York Jets, the past few weeks have been nothing short of a downward spiral with no end in sight.

After a win against Oakland and respectable, albeit disappointing, showings against Green Bay, Chicago and Detroit, Geno Smith and the league's worst passing attack went to San Diego and lost 31-0 before returning home to take a 31-17 loss at the hands of Denver.

For a pass defense that ranks in the top half of the league and a rush defense that ranks in the top 10, Ryan's defense sure surrenders a lot of points. His offense continues to garner whispers of a quarterback controversy, too, with Smith getting yanked from the game in San Diego and then going 23-of-43 for 190 yards and two touchdowns to one interception at home against the Broncos.

Despite this, Ryan has seemed positive in the days leading up to the trip to Foxborough, as captured by Kimberley A. Martin of Newsday:

Meanwhile, shouts of New England's demise after a 41-14 loss at the hands of Kansas City in Week 4 proved wildly premature—Brady and Co. recovered with a 43-17 win over the then-undefeated Cincinnati Bengals before walloping Buffalo in a 37-22 win. 

The pass defense continues to lead New England, as Darrelle Revis and the unit rank No. 4 overall by way of surrendering just 208.5 yards per game on average. Brady has been back to his usual self in the past two contests, as the numbers illustrate:

OPP	CMP	ATT	YDS	CMP%	TD	INT
vs. CIN	23	35	292	65.7	2	0
at BUF	27	37	361	73.0	4	0

On a short week, one has to think this situation favors New England, and in general, it tends to favor prolific offenses as defenses are forced to adapt.

Then again, given how well these two know each other, that may prove null and void once the game begins.

The Hobbled Turnaround

Mike Groll/Associated Press

A short turnaround for a Thursday contest is tough on any team and set of players. Veterans get little time for their bodies to recuperate, and younger players have less time to digest a plan, hence why the veteran of the two coaching staffs typically wins on Thursdays.

This week, though, it seems like the schedule could not have picked two worse teams from a health standpoint.

As if the Jets could afford any injuries along the line in front of the shaky Smith, starting left guard Brian Winters went down with a serious knee injury last week. As if the Jets defense, going into a matchup with Brady, could afford to lose any players in the secondary, Dee Milliner went down with a serious leg injury, too. Both are summed up by Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News:

Things are just as bad for the Patriots, though.

New England needs a strong semblance of balance against a Ryan-led defense, but it suffered a serious setback on the ground last week with the loss of starting tailback Stevan Ridley. On the flip side, the defense lost a key leader in the middle with a serious injury to linebacker Jerod Mayo, as both are explained by NFL Network's Albert Breer and Ian Rapoport:

In other words, the Jets have to hope Oday Aboushi can mesh well with a makeshift offensive line on a short week, while names such as Darrin Walls must step into more playing time in the secondary. Meanwhile, New England is scary thin at linebacker and must lean on Shane Vereen and Brandon Bolden behind Brady.

Whichever staff can better compensate for devastating losses on a short turnaround puts itself at a major advantage Thursday. The clock's ticking.

When: Thursday, October 16, 8:25 p.m. ET

Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

Watch: CBS, NFL Network

Betting Info: (via Odds Shark)

• Over/Under: 45.5
• Spread: New England (-7.5)

Team Injury Reports

Injury info will be updated once released, via ESPN.com.

Prediction

Mike Groll/Associated Press

New England is going to struggle to run the football against a top defense in that regard without one of its key contributors. That may funnel Brady into a bit of a one-dimensional attack, but given his recent form, that may not be such a bad thing.

The game-breaker here is the quarterback situation for the Jets. Smith simply has few quality weapons to work with on each down, a serious issue that will only be made worse against an elite pass defense led by Revis.

With a name such as Eric Decker shut out from major production and a strong run defense taking advantage of a battered line, it is difficult to see how the Jets can keep pace with a Brady-led offense that is currently firing on all cylinders.

Prediction: Patriots 28, Jets 17

Note: Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus (subscription required).