Despite being favored by a touchdown, the New York Jets notched their fifth straight defeat with a 25-22 loss to the New England Patriots in Week 8.
New York closed as seven-point favorites entering Sunday’s contest. Per Action Network’s Evan Abrams, that marks the highest that the Jets have closed against the Patriots since Sept. 12, 1999. Although they entered on a losing streak, the Jets had won and covered in each of their last two meetings with New England, including a Week 3 victory earlier this season.
None of those trends seemed to matter Sunday. Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye, making his third career, suffered a head injury that forced him out of the game during the first half. But Jacoby Brissett helped guide the Patriots' offense to victory, sealed with a go-ahead one-yard touchdown run by Rhamondre Stevenson with 22 seconds left.
.@Connor_J_Hughes asked interim #Jets HC Jeff Ulbrich what was his message to the team after this brutal loss?
‘This is a moment of darkness…’
You can’t make this up.
🎥 @nyjets#JetUppic.twitter.com/PpcWJGMtQS
— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) October 27, 2024
The Jets, once again, seemed to be their worst enemy. New York went three-for-five in the red zone, four-for-10 on third downs, and had a missed 44-yard field goal by veteran kicker Greg Zuerlein. The Jets tried to rally in the final minutes, but Aaron Rodgers (17-for-28, 233 yards, two touchdowns) completed a 16-yard pass to Davante Adams near midfield that exhausted the remaining clock.
Entering the week, the Jets were given +210 odds to make the postseason and -265 to miss them at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Based on historical data, at 2-6, the Jets’ chances of making the playoffs are extremely slim. Prior to 2023, only two teams — the 1970 Bengals and 2020 Commanders — had ever rallied from a 2-6 record to make the postseason. But last year, the Steelers and Lions each made the playoffs after starting 2-6.
