Crystal Ball - Thursday: A Rivalry Renewed
Crystal Ball - Thursday: A Rivalry Renewed
Pats-Jets Kick off at 8:15 pm ET
My friends, THE GURU is ready for some Thursday Night Football with the Patriots (1-1) visiting the Jets (1-1) at MetLife Stadium. Kickoff is at 8:15 pm ET on the Bezos Network.
This rivalry dates to 1960 when the Boston Patriots traveled to New York and beat the franchise then known as the Titans, 28-24. The hosts actually held a 24-7 lead before the Pats rallied in the fourth quarter for the first victory in franchise history.
Foreshadowing decades of New York football to come, the Titans led 24-21 with 12 seconds to play when disaster struck.
Titans center Mike Hudock's snap was low and, as a result, punter Rick Sapienza fumbled the ball. During the ensuing scrum both a Patriot and a Titan appeared to kick the ball forward until it was finally scooped up by Patriots defensive back Chuck Shonta, who returned the loose ball 25 yards for the touchdown.1
Remember that, Titans?
New England holds a 74-55-1 (.569) advantage in the series but, before Tom Brady made his first start in the series in 2001, New York actually held a 46-36-1 (.630) edge. That’s correct, the Patriots are a sizzling 38-9 (.809) since then and, if you’re keeping track, the Jets have beaten their rivals just once in the 2020s.
This recent history is made worse for Jets fans when one considers how much these two cities dislike one another. And why shouldn’t they? They’re polar opposites.
In Boston, they pahk the car in Hahvahd Yahd. In New York, they steal the car and sell the parts. One is Beantown. The other is the Big Apple. A carefully manicured Brady on one side and a mink-wearing Joe Namath on the other.
Namath, it should be said, owned his rivals in this series to the tune of a 15-4-1 record. He just won, baby.
And that brings us to tonight as these 1-1 teams face off in an early season test for both. One team (New England) has a rookie coach while the other (New York) has a fourth-year leader whose job likely hinges on the outcome of the 2024 outcome.
I think the Pats have a huge advantage as they’ve got two of my favorite culinary accoutrements, (Jerod) Mayo and (Jabril) Peppers. But the Jets are at home, and I think that means something. I’ve got a gut feeling here and, when your gut is as big as mine, it commands respect. NEW YORK, 19-17
That’s it for tonight, folks. Enjoy the games!2
Thank you, Pats Pulpit.
My record stands at 17-15 (.531) after two weeks.