FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) The New England Patriots are coming off their best performance of the season, doing almost everything they wanted during a 28-point victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. But there are plenty of reasons for New England to be on guard against the Jets this week. And it starts with Geno Smith. It’s not just that New York’s veteran quarterback hasn’t thrown an interception this season in five starts, the longest opening stretch of a season in his career without one. He’s also had the Patriots’ number lately, having won in his last two trips to Foxborough (with Seattle in 2024 and Las Vegas in 2025). Last season’s victory with the Raiders included Smith completing 70% of his passes for 362 yards and ruining Mike Vrabel’s coaching debut with the Patriots. Smith is carrying that familiarity into his latest matchup. “They’ve got some great players, they’re led by Mike Vrabel, who’s a defensive guy, so we know he wants to have that defense up front and they want to establish the run on offense as well, so it’s another great opportunity for us,” Smith said. Smith’s ball care has allowed the Jets to enter with a plus-3 turnover differential, compared to a Patriots team that has forced a total of six turnovers, ranking 19th in the NFL entering Week 6. That’s a concern for Vrabel. “(Smith) has done a fantastic job. And so if you want to try to create turnovers, you’re going to have to go out and force them,” Vrabel said. The Patriots also come in with a long list of injured players, including left tackle Will Campbell (right knee) and running back TreVeyon Henderson (ankle). That’s on top of cornerback Christian Gonzalez missing his second straight game with a shoulder injury and Carlton Davis III sitting out with a neck injury. The good news is that wide receiver AJ Brown returned to practice for the first time since going on injured reserve after suffering a sprained ankle in New England’s season-opening loss at Seattle. He said he’s impressed with how his fellow receivers have performed in his absence. “Whenever I decide to come back, I’m just going to add,” Brown said. New York Jets (2-3) at New England (3-2) When and where to watch: Sunday, 1 pm EDT, CBS. Latest odds: Patriots by 7. Against the spread: Jets 3-1-1; Patriots 3-1-1. Last week: Jets beat Browns 17-12; The Patriots beat the Raiders 45-17. Last meeting: The Patriots beat the Jets 42-10 on December 28, 2025, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Series record: Patriots lead 77-56-1. Patriots offensive line vs. Jets defensive line. The Jets have shown an ability to strike the ball, recovering five fumbles so far. Drake Maye will play behind an O-line that may not have Campbell at full strength, creating opportunities to get to Maye, who has lost two of his five fumbles this season. Rookie running back David Bailey, the second overall pick in April, was selected the AFC defensive player of the week after having three sacks. He is the third player since 2003 to have a three-sack performance in his first five NFL games, joining Detroit’s Aidan Hutchinson (2022) and Denver’s Elvis Dumervil (2006). – The Jets are tied with the Los Angeles Chargers for second in the NFL with 47 penalties, two behind Cleveland for most. 24 carries last Sunday while replacing the injured Breece Hall for the second straight game. New York has limited three of its first five opponents to less than 200 yards of total offense after failing to do so in any game last season. The Jets are also the first NFL team to hold three teams under 200 yards in the first five games since the 1999 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. – The Jets had eight sacks against the Browns, led by Bailey’s three, tying the franchise in only one team game since sacks became an official NFL statistic in 1982. – Smith (147 attempts), Detroit’s Jared Goff (191) and Houston’s CJ Stroud (185) are the only players without interceptions in five starts this season. Smith’s completion rate of 69.4% is second-highest behind Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow among QBs with at least 100 pass attempts this season. – New England has won three straight and 18 of the last 20 against the Jets. – The Patriots are coming off a season-high 536 yards in last week’s win over Las Vegas. The most recent time they had two games with at least 500 yards in the same season was 2014. The Patriots, 2-0 at Gillette Stadium, have not started a 3-0 season at home since 2019, when they won their first five games at home. – TE Hunter Henry (3,150 receiving yards) needs 8 moves to pass Russ Francis for third on the team’s all-time receiving yards list among tight ends.—AP Pro Football Writer Dennis Waszak, Jr. in Florham Park, New Jersey, contributed.—See AP’s complete NFL coverage here Copyright 2026 STATS LLC and the Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and the Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
