Road underdogs had plenty of bite in Week 2.
It’s a trend the Patriots (1-1) hope to continue as they enter “Thursday Night Football” a 6.5-point underdog to the division-rival Jets (1-1).
Road underdogs went 8-2 against the spread (ATS) last Sunday with six outright wins and are now 14-9 ATS this season.
New England has already covered twice as an underdog, defeating the Bengals in Week 1’s largest upset and covering as a 3.5-point Week 2 spread in a 23-20 home overtime loss to the Seahawks.
The Jets are a six-point favorite at home on Thursday night, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. This season, teams favored by at least six points are 0-8 ATS and have lost outright four times, including three in Week 2.
The Patriots have been one of the league’s biggest surprises and have the pieces to keep the league-wide underdog trend going.
Through two weeks, New England is fourth in the league in rushing (172.5 yards per game). Running backs Rhamondre Stevenson (201 yards) and Antonio Gibson (114 yards) have gotten off to incredible starts and face a Jets defense allowing 155 rushing yards per game.
In Week 2, Gibson led the Patriots with 96 rushing yards on 11 carries (8.7 yards per attempt). Afterward, Stevenson, who had 81 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries (3.9 yards per attempt) praised the duo’s potential.
“I feel like we work very well together… Just pounding the rock, using our O-line and just staying on those tracks, I think we could get a lot of things done together,” Stevenson told reporters, per Zack Cox of the Boston Herald.
Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers has looked like someone coming off a year-long absence, averaging 171.5 yards per game and posting a mediocre 47.8 QBR.
Per NFL Next Gen Stats data, his completion percentage (60.8 percent) is nine percentage points worse than expected, tied with Panthers quarterback Bryce Young for the sixth-worst mark in the league.
Is this the week he begins rounding into form? Based on what we’ve seen this season, that’s no safe bet.
