Player Prop For Thursday Night Football

Patriots vs. Jets, 8:15 ET

Patriots vs. Jets, 8:15 ET

Week 2 came to an end with a wild one between the Falcons and the Eagles. It worked out for me as the game ended as an under. That gave me a nice split from the four total plays that I put out for Outkick for Week 2. Now we shift ahead and once Week 3 is done, we are a sixth of the way complete with the regular season already. It is crazy how quickly the NFL campaign can go. Tonight we focus on another Thursday Night Football game as the Patriots take on the Jetsd in a battle of two teams that are 1-1. 

The Patriots are potentially the most surprising team in all of football. New England came into the season with expectations that they might be one of the worst teams in the league. Even after two games it is hard to believe that will be the case, but, of course, you can’t rush to many judgments based on just a couple of games. In their first game of the season, they went into Cincinnati and made the Bengals look like a bunch of fools. Perhaps Cincy was looking ahead to the game with the Chiefs, but either way, they lost to this Patriots team. Rhamondre Stevenson rushed in that game 25 times for 120 yards and a touchdown, clearly with the intention of slowing the game down and keeping the Bengals offense off of the field. In the second game of the year, they faced the Seahawks, losing at home in overtime. The game started with a Patriots touchdown, but that lead evaporated quickly as DK Metcalf got behind the defense and took one to the house. The Pats ran the ball 36 times in that game as well, reinforcing the belief that this team is going to rely on the ground game to try and keep them in contests. Against the Jets, I don’t have much confidence that Jacoby Brissett will be able to get a lot of passes done against their secondary. The running game can at least wear down the Jets defensive line. I think they are going to feed Stevenson early and often. 

Sep 15, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA;  New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) stands in the pocket against the Tennessee Titans during the second half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

The Jets also enter the game 1-1 despite having significantly higher expectations than that of the Patriots. The Jets started the season with a tough matchup, having to travel across country and play the 49ers in San Francisco with Aaron Rodgers returning after essentially an entire year off of football. Maybe we should’ve expected the big loss to San Francisco. The offense never looked very sharp in that game, and the defense didn’t really stop much that night either. They then went to Tennessee in their last game and picked up a win, but it wasn’t the most convincing victory either. The Titans were within one score for most of the game, and even entered the 4th quarter tied. Braelon Allen picked up two touchdowns and Breece Hall scored again. Rodgers still doesn’t look quite comfortable out there with his receivers – he targeted Hall more than anyone. The Patriots defense has shown they are susceptible to some decent pass plays, but Rodgers has to be comfortable taking that risk. 

The under seems like a good choice in this one again as I expect both teams to feature a healthy dose of short-yardage plays. The Jets defense does a good job of keeping things in front of them, and the Patriots offense will embrace the run game again. I do think Garrett Wilson will find the endzone for the first time this season against the Patriots. He is worth a shot at an anytime touchdown and even a sprinkle on the first touchdown. I’ll back him at +145 for a touchdown. I won’t touch the total though. At just 37.5 there is no room for error and I am not certain that either team gets to 20 points in this one. 

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