Getty New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson vs New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones.
One of the most shocking NFL news bombs that dropped hit everyone Tuesday morning when the New England Patriots surprisingly cut veteran starting quarterback Cam Newton.
There was a world you could envision where maybe Newton wasn’t the starter in Week 1, but straight up getting released on cut-down day caught everyone by surprise.
This blockbuster announcement now sets up an absolutely historic matchup in Week 2 when the Patriots are set to travel to play the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium.
ALL the latest Jets news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Jets newsletter here!
History in the Making
The Jets and Patriots have been heated rivals for over 60 years. They have played twice every year since 1960.
During that span, they have played over 124 times and that includes three playoff games. New England has dominated things most recently winning 69 of those games to the Jets’ 54 victories.
Despite all that history, there is still something that has never happened in all of their matchups.
With Cam Newton gone, it now assures that we’ll have a Zach Wilson (@ZachWilson) vs Mac Jones (@MacJones_10) matchup in Week 2 between the #Jets, #Patriots.
That marks the first time in the history of this rivalry that 2 rookie quarterbacks will face off against one another.
Many folks expected veteran Cam Newton to at a minimum start the season for the Patriots. With the Jets set to play New England twice in the first seven weeks of the season in 2021, it seemed like perhaps this bit of history wouldn’t come to fruition.
With Newton now out of the mix, it’s officially official we’ll have a matchup of rookie quarterbacks facing off for the first time ever.
Zach Wilson is the unquestioned starter for the Jets in Week 1 and has been since he was taken with the No. 2 overall pick back in the 2021 NFL draft. While things have been less clear for fellow rookie Mac Jones, but everything is transparent now.
Is This Better or Worse for the Jets?
This raises a very interesting question, with Newton off the Patriots roster and Jones now starting, is that good news or bad news for the Jets?
The veteran certainly wasn’t the same player he was when he led the Carolina Panthers to the Super Bowl back in 2015. Last season he had more interceptions than touchdowns.
Although on the other side of the fence, Newton is arguably the best dual-threat quarterback of all time. His 70 career rushing touchdowns are the most all-time which is 27 more than the next closest guy Steve Young with 43.
While Jones is an unproven commodity that ended up being the fifth quarterback taken in the first round of April’s draft.
He did put up video game numbers in his final year at Alabama throwing for 4,500 passing yards and boasted a 41-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Although his rushing ability left a lot to be desired.
During his three-year career, he had more attempts (54) than yards (42) which gave him a rushing average of .8 yards per clip. In other words, he possesses the mobility of a parked car.
A one-dimensional rookie quarterback playing in his second career game and first-ever NFL road game? Sign me up for this increasing the Jets’ chances of winning this contest on Sunday, September 19.
What do you think? Make sure you vote in our official poll on this very subject via The Jets Zone podcast (new episodes talking all things Gang Green every Wednesday via Sports War Radio).
Follow @BoyGreen25 & @obermuller_nyj on Twitter for all the latest New York Jets breaking news, rumors, fresh takes and more!
READ NEXT: Jets Trade Away Promising Pass Catcher in Surprise Deadline Move