Current Odds

The Patriots briefly opened as a -3 -120 favorite last week, but the majority of sportsbooks around the world opened the line at -3½ where it currently stands. A few of the more “public” sportsbooks have risen to -4 as 62% of the public is favoring the Patriots according to the consensus sites.

The Over/Under line opened at 47 total points, but has since dropped down to 45 and 44½ in most locations. Despite 58% of the public favoring the Over on the consensus sites, the total has dropped mainly due to weather concerns.

There is only a 20% chance of precipitation during the game on Monday night, but there might be some windy conditions around 16 mph. The kickoff temperature will be a cold 30-degrees and it will feel like 20-degrees with the wind chill factor.

Injury Report

The Jets could be a bit thin in the secondary tonight as strong safety Jim Leonhard has been lost for the rest of the season due to a shin injury, while cornerbacks Dwight Lowery and Marquice Cole are both listed as questionable.

New England running back Fred Taylor is probable to return tonight after missing the past eight games due to a toe injury. Defensive tackles Myron Pryor and Mike Wright are both questionable, along with defensive back Jarrad Page.

Big Rivalry Game

New England has formed some heated rivalries over the last 10 years or so. The Patriots and Steelers come to mind as the Patriots beat them on their way to Super Bowl wins back in 2001 and 2004. The Patriots and Colts is the biggest recognizable rivalry game as the two teams have met for the past 8 years with some terrific and memorable games.

But the biggest game for the Patriots has always been against the Jets. New England has always viewed their games with the Jets are their biggest of the regular season; that has been true through the generations of Patriots’ coaches and it has been maintained since Bill Belichick took over back in 2000. And former Patriots player Teddy Bruschi sheds some light as to just how important this game is to New England.

”Throughout my career, with all the rivalries -- Steelers, Colts, Jets -- I always felt it more coming from the coaches during Jets week. That’s all the way back to Bill Parcells’ years, when Al Groh was here, the whole drama of Belichick being the 'HC of the NYJ' for one day and when Eric Mangini was here. You could feel the tension and motivation that coaches had to win this game when it was against the Jets. This may go back to when the coaches had ties. They coached you harder. When they were in front of you in defensive meetings, there was urgency in their voices. You knew it was Jets week and the coaches would lead the way. Against the Jets, it was more of an organization versus another organization, and we really felt that.”

Trend Reversal

Bruschi’s comments appear to be spot on. The Patriots dominated the Jets prior to the last two seasons. And in fact, New England had won 11 of 12 games against the Jets during one stretch. But that trend has revered itself as the Jets have won 3 of the last 4 meetings between these two teams, including a 28-14 victory back in Week 2 this season.

There’s no coincidence that the Jets started to beat the Patriots once Rex Ryan took over. If you remember his introductory press conference when he got the Jets’ job, Ryan made bold statements and comments about New England. Ryan said he wasn’t there to “kiss Bill Belichick’s rings.”

And Ryan was talking again this week. “The Patriots can say whatever they want, come Monday night they are going to have to deal with us,” Ryan said. “They can be sarcastic, they can be nonchalant, but we believe in each other, and we're prepared for what’s going to take place. We are the men for the job.”

No Leonhard, No Problem

That’s according to Rex Ryan. The Jets lost their key cog in the secondary to a freak injury during practice on Friday. While cornerback Darrelle Revis gets all of the attention, Leonhard is the defensive quarterback in charge of calling the plays and making sure everybody is aligned properly. He’s also the Jets leading punt returner. His loss is big, and Ryan is doing his best to say his team will be fine without him on the field.

”We’re about the team. It’s not always about an individual,” Ryan said. “Guys will step up. We feel sorry for Jim, but we don't feel sorry for ourselves. We are ready to play. There’s no doubt. I know they say we are a great team and I see the sarcasm. Well, they are going to find out if we are a great team or not, I can tell you that much. Do I think we’ll win the game? Absolutely.”

That is a lot of confidence from Ryan considering the Patriots have one of the best passing attacks in the league as they throw for 237 yards per game on 7.3 yards per pass attempt. Tom Brady has an incredible 23/4 TD/INT ratio this season, so we’ll see if the Jets will miss Leonhard or not on Monday night.

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