The New York Jets enter Thursday night’s matchup with the New England Patriots as a long shot to win.
Most sports books have the Jets as a 12.5-point underdog against their division rival on the road.
Not for no reason, either, New England is riding a seven-game win streak, thanks to the miraculous play of second-year quarterback Drake Maye.
Mike Vrabel, in his first year on the job with the Patriots, has his team playing hard.
New York, meanwhile, winners of two straight, has a fairly clear talent deficiency compared to their AFC East rival.
This is the NFL, though, and anyone can be beaten on any given Sunday, or in this case, any given Thursday.
But one Jets analyst thinks there’s a clear path for the Green & White to give themselves a fighting chance against the Patriots, and it starts with the quarterback position.
Michael Nania Urges Jets to Start Tyrod Taylor over Justin Fields Against the Patriots
New York Jets analyst Michael Nania of JetsXFactor believes New York should bench incumbent starter Justin Fields for their veteran backup, Tyrod Taylor.
Specifically for this matchup against the New England Patriots.
“According to FTN Fantasy, New England has allowed 1.074 EPA (expected points added) per attempt against ‘go’ routes this season, which ranks fourth-worst in the NFL. That stat is all the Jets should need to hear to give Taylor the ball,” wrote Nania.
“Fields’ biggest issue this season has been his unwillingness to push the ball downfield. His ADOT (average depth of target) is just 7.0, ranked 36th out of 42 qualified quarterbacks. He is averse to throwing deep passes, hurling just 14 of them in eight starts. Only 7.9% of Fields’ passes went deep, ranking 39th.”
“Taylor, on the other hand, has played aggressively during his brief time on the field this season. The veteran’s ADOT is 9.1, placed ninth out of 42, and he’s attempted 10 deep passes in limited time. Taylor has thrown deep on 14.5% of his attempts, nearly double Fields’ rate and good enough for seventh-highest.”
As a team given virtually no shot to win tonight, the Jets are playing with house money and should try just about anything against their division rivals.
New York and Fields’ primary strength is running the ball, and the Patriots’ defense ranks 7th in the league in EPA/rush.
The Jets must turn to Taylor, who is inarguably the better passer if they want to give themselves a puncher’s chance tonight.
Maybe Justin Fields Should’ve Been Benched Awhile Ago
It’s no secret Fields has struggled as the New York Jets quarterback in 2025.
In eight starts this season, the former Ohio State star has completed 63.5% of his passes for 1143 yards, six touchdowns, and one interception.
On the surface, the stats don’t sound horrible, but that’s the fewest passing yards a starting quarterback has had in eight games since JaMarcus Russell in 2009, which is historically bad territory.
According to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, the plan was for Fields to be benched after his disastrous Week 7 start against the Carolina Panthers, before a Taylor knee injury thrust him back in the starting lineup.
“Fields’ tenure as the Jets’ starting QB might have been saved by the knees of Tyrod Taylor. The Jets benched Fields in-game against the Panthers and seemed likely to start Taylor the following week against the Bengals, only for a knee injury to keep him from playing,” wrote Barnwell.
“Fields stuck in the lineup, helped the Jets score 39 points in a dramatic comeback victory and then presided over a second consecutive win in Sunday’s 27-20 toppling of the Browns.”
The problem is, Fields played poorly in that 27-20 victory over the Cleveland Browns, having less than 60 passing yards for the fourth time this season.
If he struggles tonight, the hook may come early. But maybe it should just be Taylor from the jump.
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