NY Jets: Scouting the New England Patriots ahead of Week 9 matchup

The NY Jets are set to battle the New England Patriots at MetLife Stadium on Monday night.

The NY Jets are looking to secure their first win against a depleted New England Patriots team who will be flying down to East Rutherford. The Patriots, desperate for a victory, never mind a divisional victory, are attempting to get back on track in the competitive AFC East.

It won’t be easy for the Jets. Although they will likely be getting healthy on offense for this contest, the Patriots’ defense is still a tough one to deal with.

Quarterback Sam Darnold, who suffered a re-aggravation of his right shoulder injury on Sunday, doesn’t look like he’ll be held out of this one. Darnold isn’t the type to sit out because of a bit of pain and he’s slated to be ready for this Week 9 matchup against a bitter division rival.

Wide receiver Breshad Perriman (concussion) is going through the motions to return to the practice field sooner, rather than later.

Head coach Adam Gase says wide receiver Jamison Crowder (groin) will practice in a limited capacity, he’ll be trending towards playing on Monday night.

A player highlighted for his brilliant play this past week? Easy to guess: left tackle Mekhi Becton. Becton, who battled against the likes of defensive end Frank Clark and defensive tackle Chris Jones this past Sunday, will be challenged by Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick.

Belichick commonly targets other team’s weaknesses, and although Becton has been playing better-than-expected earlier on, he’s still a rookie. Belichick will likely look to send multiple blitz packages Becton’s way to see if he can handle the heat.

Both the NY Jets and New England Patriots are dealing with injuries on defense.

On the defensive side of the football, defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, who had another impressive outing this past Sunday against Kansas City, was held out of practice on Thursday and Friday with a listed hamstring injury.

These are tricky, some players take only days to relieve a hamstring strain, some take weeks.

Regarding Quinnen, it would be best to rest the second-year playmaker to sustain his health for the remainder of the season. Hamstring injuries are tough to deal with, this doesn’t have to be more complicated than it already is.

New England Patriots’ star cornerback Stephon Gilmore was listed as a DNP with a knee injury — this is surely one to watch as Monday creeps closer.

If Gilmore can’t play, this could open the door for a player like Denzel Mims to showcase his already impressive playmaking ability against a New England team that does their best to shut down an opponent’s best weapon.

Overall, this is a must-win match-up for the New England Patriots, who are currently hanging by a thread in the AFC East. For the Jets, this season couldn’t end quickly enough.

Looking competitive is an uncommon treat up to this point, and it doesn’t look as though they’ll accomplish much of that as the season begins to dwindle down to a halting stop.

Score Prediction: Patriots 16, NY Jets 3