This Jets-Patriots duel finds the rivals in unaccustomed roles

This Jets-Patriots duel finds the rivals in unaccustomed roles

Thursday night will put a different lens on the traditional Jets-Patriots rivalry.

For the first time in eight years, the Jets are walking into the matchup having won the teams’ last encounter, after snapping a 15-game losing streak in the 2023 season finale in Foxborough.

The Jets, who are 6.5-point favorites, can make it two in a row over their AFC East rival under the lights at MetLife Stadium (8:15 p.m., Amazon Prime Video, Ch. 5) as well as win their first Thursday Night Football game under Robert Saleh. They’ve been outscored 101-53 across three midweek losses.

No, it’s not the same old Jets-Patriots dynamic, as fixtures Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are no longer around and the Jets are coming in with the better quarterback.