Patriots take on Jets, seeking season’s first home win

After tough start, New England faces a must-win game

Running back Damien Harris runs for a touchdown against cornerback Bryce Hall #37 of the New York Jets. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

By Dave D'Onofrio

1 minute to read

If the Patriots are going to make anything of this season, they need to take care of business against bad teams. The Jets certainly qualify as one of those — which makes the second meeting between these division rivals an absolute must-win for New England. The first matchup was a one-sided, 25-6 Pats triumph, thanks predominantly to Zach Wilson’s four interceptions, though this time the Jets will be coming off a bye, and that extra week of preparation should give the rookie quarterback some time to build on recent performances that have been better than what he showed in Week 2. Either way, coming to Foxborough shouldn’t be as daunting a challenge as might’ve been forecast over the summer, since the Patriots have lost all four of their home games this season, and have won just five of their last 13 games at Gillette Stadium. The most recent defeat came this past Sunday, to Dallas, after which anybody looking to catch the Jets game in person could find tickets on the secondary market for about $100 each. That’s less than face value, but it’s still more than you needed to pay to get into Gillette for the Jan. 2 contest against Jacksonville. Those tickets were being offered for about $10 less — at least for now. Lose to the Jets, and there’s a near certainty that any games the Patriots play in January will matter about as much as a preseason affair.