How the Patriots and Jets have changed since Week 8

The New England Patriots last faced off with the New York Jets three weeks ago, on Oct. 30, 2022. New England walked away with a 22-17 win to get back to .500 on the year and stay in touch with the rest of the AFC East.

Let’s see what has changed for both teams since then.

Patriots Changes

The following 51 players were on New England’s game-day roster for the October 30th meeting and are still on the active roster heading into this week:

QB Mac Jones, QB Bailey Zappe, RB Damien Harris, RB Rhamondre Stevenson, RB Pierre Strong Jr, WR DeVante Parker, WR Jakobi Meyers, WR Kendrick Bourne, WR Nelson Agholor, WR Tyquan Thornton, TE Hunter Henry, TE Jonnu Smith, OT Trent Brown, OT Isaiah Wynn, G Michael Onwenu, C David Andrews, OL James Ferentz, OT Yodny Cajuste, OG Cole Strange, DL Daniel Ekuale, DL Sam Roberts, DL DaMarcus Mitchell, DL Lawrence Guy, DE Dietrich Wise Jr., DT Davon Godchaux, DT Carl Davis, DL Christian Barmore, OLB Matthew Judon, OLB Josh Uche, LB Ja’Whaun Bentley, LB Jahlani Tavai, LB Mack Wilson Sr, LB Raekwon McMillan, CB Shaun Wade, CB Jalen Mills, CB Myles Bryant, CB Jonathan Jones, CB Jack Jones, CB Marcus Jones, S Kyle Dugger, S Adrian Phillips, S Devin McCourty, S Joshua Bledsoe, S Jabrill Peppers, K Nick Folk, P Jake Bailey, LS Joe Cardona, ST Matthew Slater, ST Raleigh Webb, ST Brenden Schooler

Offense: The quarterback room is the exact same as the matchup three weeks ago. Mac Jones will be the starter out of the bye week.

Rhamondre Stevenson will likely be the feature back with Damien Harris still continuing to see work. Pierre Strong Jr., Kevin Harris or J.J. Taylor could also see some work; Harris was a healthy scratch in Week 8 while Taylor was on the practice squad and has since been promoted.

The receiving corps still features the likes of Jakobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor, DeVante Parker and Tyquan Thornton. Parker figures to play after suffering a knee injury on the very first offensive snap against the Jets. Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith are still the two tight ends and figure to rotate in and out.

The offensive line has seen some shifting since Week 8. Trent Brown is manning the left side with rookie Cole Strange likely at left guard. Do not be surprised if Isaiah Wynn gets a start at left guard either, though, after he replaced Strange against the Jets.

The big change will be David Andrews returning to his center position in place of James Ferentz; Andrews was out for the first Jets matchup due to a concussion. Michael Onwenu will be at right guard, and it will either be Wynn or Yodny Cajuste at right tackle. In the last meeting Marcus Cannon played right tackle but he is now on injured reserve with a head injury. This unit is really the only thing that will be different from the matchup in Week 8.

Defense: The defense retains most players since the last meeting. Deatrich Wise Jr., Lawrence Guy and Davon Godchaux all continue to play prominent roles. Daniel Ekuale and Carl Davis will be mixed in to give guys breathers. Rookie Sam Roberts is also in the mix and could see limited work.

There will be some reinforcements, though: Barmore missed the last meeting with a knee injury and will likely be back this week — a big addition to an already potent front.

At linebacker, Matthew Judon and Ja’Whaun Bentley are the main players on this roster. Jahlani Tavai has turned into a player who is on the field a lot defensively, while Mack Wilson and Raekwon McMillan will likely see similar roles as they did in the Week 8 matchup. Anfernee Jennings and Josh Uche will also be pass rushers who rotate in and play roles on third down

Jonathan Jones, Jalen Mills and Jack Jones figure to see most of the work at cornerback. Myles Bryant and Marcus Jones will rotate in just like the first meeting.

Two of the same three safeties will see a ton of playing time in Devin McCourty and Adrian Phillips. Kyle Dugger was inactive for the first meeting and will most likely take most of the reps that Jabrill Peppers logged in Week 8.

Special Teams: The special teams unit is identical to the last meeting with Nick Folk and Jake Bailey handling the kicking and punting duties. Joe Cardona continues to be a reliable long snapper, while Matthew Slater is a mainstay on the coverage units.

Marcus Jones will be returning kicks and punts again. Players like Brenden Schooler, Raleigh Webb and DaMarcus Mitchell are important to the coverage teams.

Coaching: The coaching staff is also the exact same with Bill Belichick as the top man. Matt Patricia has the offensive play calling duties with Joe Judge helping out as a special offensive assistant and offensive line coach. Defensively Jerod Mayo, Steve and Brian Belichick and Demarcus Covington have big roles. Cameron Achord is the special teams coordinator with Joe Houston as an assistant.

Jets Changes

The following 52 players were on New York’s game-day roster for the October 30th meeting and are still on the active roster heading into this week:

QB Zach Wilson, QB Mike White, QB Joe Flacco, RB James Robinson, RB Michael Carter, RB Ty Johnson, RB Zonovan Knight, WR Garrett Wilson, WR Corey Davis, WR Denzel Mims, WR Braxton Berrios, WR Jeff Smith, WR Elijah Moore, TE Tyler Conklin, TE C.J. Uzomah, TE Jeremy Ruckert, OL Mike Remmers, C Connor McGovern, OL Dan Feeney, OL Cedric Ogbuehi, OL Nate Herbig, OG Laken Tomlinson, DL Solomon Thomas, DL Quinnen Williams, DE Bryce Huff, DE John Franklin-Myers, DE Carl Lawson, DE Jermaine Johnson, DT Sheldon Rankins, DT Micheal Clemons, DT Nathan Shepherd, DL Vinny Curry, OLB Quincy Williams, LB C.J. Mosley, LB Jamien Sherwood, LB Marcell Harris, LB Kwon Alexander, CB D.J. Reed, CB Sauce Gardner, CB Justin Hardee, CB Bryce Hall, CB Michael Carter, CB Brandin Echols, S Jordan Whitehead, Lamarcus Joyner, S Will Parks, S Ashtyn Davis, S Tony Adams, K Greg Zuerlein, P Braden Mann, LS Thomas Hennessy

Offense: The quarterback room is the same as in October with Zach Wilson leading the team and Mike White still around in a backup capacity. Joe Flacco is also part of the group as New York’s QB3.

Just like in Week 8, Michael Carter and James Robinson figure to see most of the touches at running back. Ty Johnson may also get some work in a receiving back role.

Rookie Garrett Wilson is a stud and is their top guy alongside Corey Davis. Davis, who was out in Week 8, has been battling an injury and this might mean more Denzel Mims and Jeff Smith if he cannot go. Elijah Moore will likely man the slot if he is on the field. The tight ends remain Tyler Conklin and C.J. Uzomah; Conklin had two scores in Week 8.

Duane Brown is at left tackle with Laken Tomlinson at left guard. Connor McGovern is at center with Nate Herbig at right guard. Herbig did pop up on the injury report on Wednesday, though, which could mean that Dan Feeney has to step in. The right tackle is Cedric Ogbuehi on what has been an improved offensive line this season.

Defense: Their four starting defensive linemen are stillJohn Franklin-Myers, Sheldon Rankins, Quinnen Williams and Carl Lawson. Rankins, who was a menace three weeks ago, is also on the injury report which may mean more action for Vinny Curry and Solomon Thomas. One change for the Jets is the likely return of edge rusher Jermaine Johnson, who missed Week 8 because of injury.

The linebacking group is the exact same with C.J. Mosley, Quincy Williams, and Kwon Alexander as the primary guys. Jamien Sherwood and Marcell Harris will also see reps in this unit.

Their top two cornerbacks are standout rookie Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner and D.J. Reed. The backups are last year’s starters Bryce Hall and Brandin Echols. Lamarcus Joyner returns at safety and alongside him is Jordan Whitehead. The group is mostly unchanged from three weeks ago, with Hall’s return the only difference.

Special Teams: The Jets special teams unit returns everyone just like the Patriots. Greg Zuerlein is the kicker with Braden Mann handling the punt duties. The long snapper is Matt Hennessy and Braxton Berrios will serve as the primary returner on kickoffs and punts.

Coaching: The coaching staff is the exact same with Robert Salah running the show for the second year in a row. Mike LaFleur is the offensive coordinator and has established the run game well thus far this season. Miles Austin is the receivers coach and is really the only big-name positions coach on the staff. Defensively Jeff Ulbrich remains as the play-caller. Salah definitely has his fingerprints all over the defense as well, but Ulbrich is his right-hand man. The special teams coordinator is Brant Boyer who has 11 years of experience.