The Monday Night Football matchup of Week 9 will be between the New England Patriots and New York Jets. The game will be played at MetLife Stadium with a kickoff set for 8:15 pm ET, televised on ESPN.
This isn’t a glamorous Monday Night Football matchup. Neither of these teams is having a great season, but it could be “so bad, it’s good” television.
The Patriots are 2-5 on the season, truly struggling without Tom Brady under center. Cam Newton has yet to prove that he can get things done in New England. But this is one game that they will have the advantage.
The Jets have yet to win a game this season, having a record of 0-8. The worst team in football can only hope to get the first pick next year and grab Trevor Lawrence. But if they are going to get a win this season, this could be the game to do it.
Newton Struggles in New England
Newton had some great years in Carolina but has yet to get back to that MVP form. His numbers are way down this season, doing more on the ground than he is passing.
So far, Newton only has two touchdown passes to go along with seven interceptions. He does have six touchdowns on the ground, proving more effective in the ground game than putting the ball in the air.
There was plenty of speculation as to who would have a better season – Bill Belichick or Brady. It’s clear Belichick is missing Brady’s presence and has the much more difficult road to the playoffs this season.
Some believed that New England would still make the postseason, but it doesn’t look like they will match the Buffalo Bills, or even the Miami Dolphins, at this point.
Do the Jets Stay Winless?
The Jets are the worst team in the NFL. Not only have they not won a game this season, but they haven’t gotten very close. Two weeks ago, they lost by eight to the Bills, which was the closest margin of the year.
Sam Darnold is having a season to forget. He has thrown for 1,045 yards with three touchdowns to go along with six interceptions.
If the Jets are going to pick up a win this season, it might have to be against this Patriots team.
Prediction
The Patriots are the 9.5-point favorites with an over/under of 41.5. The Jets are the only opponent against whom that the Patriots are going to be heavy favorites.
This game is between two quarterbacks that have at least double the interceptions than they do touchdowns. I expect this trend to continue and for Monday night to be sloppy on the offensive side of the ball.
The best bet for this game is going to be the under.
For the spread, I think New England will get a morale-boosting win against New York. The Jets are that bad, and Newton needs to shine to give the Patriots some success.
Take the Patriots -9.5 and the under.