Sunday will be the 135th meeting between the New York Jets and New England (or former Boston) Patriots. The Patriots lead the all-time series, dominating their division rival 77-56-1. The Patriots' 77 total wins over the Jets are the second most of any team over one opponent (second to themselves, with 81 wins over the Buffalo Bills).
Of course, a majority of these wins can be contributed to the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era, where from 2001 (the year Brady became the starter) to 2024 (Belichick's final year coaching the Patriots) the Patriots went 38-10 over the Jets.
Speaking of the old dynasty, the Jets introduced the league to the legacy of TB12, when on September 23, 2001, New York linebacker Mo Lewis took out quarterback Drew Bledsoe as he ran to the sideline. Brady entered a game that the Patriots would end up losing 10-3, then go on to lead the Pats to their first Super Bowl win.
Brady and the Pats met the Jets in the playoff twice. Once in 2006, a wild-card round win for New England, then again four years later, where the Patriots were stunned by quarterback Mark Sanchez in the divisional Round. The two teams also met in 1985, during the Patriots run to their first Super Bowl appearance.
Prior to the dynasty, an infamous game defined this rivalry: The 1997 Week 3 match, which saw the return of Hall of Fame head coach Bill Parcells to New England. Just 9 months after leading the Patriots to an AFC Championship, Parcells was now on the opposite side of the field. In this 27-24 overtime victory for the Patriots, Curtis Martin ran the ball 40 times and notched 199 yards. The following season, Martin would join Parcells' Jets.
Another meeting between these two teams made league history, but not for its score or anything that happened on the field. On September 9, 2007, the Patriots eased their way past the Jets 38-14 — however, the result of this match would create the term SpyGate. Belichick's Patriots, accused of stealing signals from the Jets sideline, made sports history with their record-setting fine punishments and removal of a first-round pick.
The Recent History of the Rivalry
Both the Patriots and Jets are under new regimes with head coaches Mike Vrabel and Aaron Glenn beginning their tenures in the 2025 season. The Patriots swept the Jets in the season series a year ago, winning by a total margin of 69-24.
Each team has some linemen familiarity, as well. The Patriots currently roster or reserve four offensive linemen that formerly played for the New York Jets (Greg Van Roten, Morgan Moses, Alijah Vera-Tucker, and Xavier Newman-Johnson). Former Patriots offensive tackle Chukwuma Okorafor is currently a Jet.
Geno Smith, in his second stint with the team that originally drafted him, is very familiar with the Patriots. As a starting quarterback, Smith is 2-4 against the Pats, winning the last two in 2024 with the Seahawks and 2025 with the Raiders.
The Future of the Franchises
While each team has different goals for the season, both are relying on their young stars to push them into the conversation of great NFL teams.
The Jets are relying on their young talent, which is very recently acquired. After trading cornerback Sauce Gardner and defensive linemen Quinnen Williams, the Jets stacked six first-round picks in two straight drafts (2026-27). Former first-round picks WR Garrett Wilson and EDGE Will McDonald IV are already impact players.
In this past draft, they selected EDGE David Bailey fourth overall, whose already proven to be a hit, reaching top five in the NFL in sacks (five). They also selected WR Omar Cooper Jr. and TE Kenyon Sadiq with their remaining two first-round picks. Their second-round pick in CB D'Angelo Ponds has shown promise defensively.
The Patriots have seemingly hit on most of their first-round picks over the course of the past few drafts. CB Christian Gonzalez just became the highest paid cornerback in the league, and Drake Maye was runner-up for MVP last season. Offensive linemen Will Campbell and Caleb Lomu round out the remaining quarters of a four-season rebuild built through first-round talent.
The Patriots future also depends on home grown talent such as EDGE Gabe Jacas, S Craig Woodson, and RB TreVeyon Henderson.
Will the next best chapter of this rivalry start on Sunday? With each team currently placd second and third in the division, Sunday's battle could have major effects on how the AFC East shapes up.
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