Skip to main content

Jets vs. Patriots Preview


It may not be the Super Bowl, but it looms almost as large. It is hard to put so much significance on a game that occurs in the middle of the season, but when it is Jets versus Patriots and first place is on the line, it is hard not to get the sense that this is like a championship game.

The winner of this game will be 7-3 and will be well on its way to winning the log jammed AFC East and will have an inside track to the AFC's number two seed; a seed that will give that team a week off during the playoffs.

In one corner stands Bill Belichick, a man who commands respect and a lot of hatred from his opponents. Yes, he is a genuis as a coach, just look at the job he has done this year without the services of his three-time-Super Bowl winning quarterback, Tom Brady, but Belichick's hatred of losing makes him look a sore loser.

Observe at how he has treated Jets coach Eric Mangini, who worked for Belichick for years. The two haven't spoken in even more years; they never acknowledge each other during pregame and brusquely shake hands without looking at each other at the end of a game. All of this because Belichick didn't want Mangini to go to the Jets three years ago. Now, they square off for the right to be the best in their division.

The other story line is the revamped Jets. They spent $140 million in the off-season to get this orgainization on a winning track. The additions of Kris Jenkins and Calvin Pace have given the Jets a new dimension on defense. For the first time in years, the corps harrass opposing quarterbacks and has yet to yield a 100 yard game on the ground. It is this group that will determine who wins Thursday's game. If the Jets defense can stop running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis and pressure quarterback Matt Cassell, there is no reason to believe the Jets will not win.

Then there is Brett Favre. The Jets brought Favre in for this game. He is known for magical moments, like the one he spun in Super Bowl XXXI against the Patriots, or, more recently, last year's overtime win in Denver on a Monday night. Favre lives for these moments that earned him the nickname as a gunslinger. If Favre doesn't turn the ball over and proceeds to rip apart a Patriots defense that has shown signs of age this year, the Jets should prevail.

But, one never knows with the Jets. The Patriots have won 13 of their last 15 against Jets teams since the 2001 season. The only times the Jets were victorious against the Patriots in this stretch were two victories in Foxboro in 2002 and 2006. The Jets made the playoffs in both of those seasons. It will not be easy for the Jets ... it never is, even if they have a better team on paper than the Patriots.

If the Jets need extra motivation, they should look across the sideline to see Tom Brady in street clothes and to remember that this is their chance, their time, their opportunity to accomplish the ulimate goal.
PREDICTION:
JETS 24, PATRIOTS 21.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Jets, Dolphins and Patriots Playoff Breakdown

Here are the formuli that could get the Jets into and out of the playoff party this season: 1) If the Jets win against Seattle and Miami, they win the AFC East based on a better conference record (8-4) than the New England Patriots, even if New England wins out as well. 2) If the Patriots win out and the Dolphins win out and finish at 11-5, the Jets would be 10-6, or 9-7, and probably out of the playoffs. Both New England and Miami would make the playoffs, with the Dolphins as a divison winner and the Patriots as a wild card. The Patriots make the postseason if Baltimore loses one of its final two games. 3) If the Patriots win out and the Dolphins and Jets split, then the Patriots win the AFC East. The Jets will have to hope that they beat Miami to win that tie-breaker and, further, hope that they have a better conference record than the Baltimore Ravens in order to clinch the sixth seed. 4) If the Patriots and Ravens win out and the Dolphins and Jets split their final two games, then ...
8 comments
Read more

Is Aaron Glenn in Danger of Getting Fired?

 According to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio there is a "chance"   that Jets head coach Aaron Glenn could be fired at seasons end.  While Florio doesn't site any sources, the rumor has caught fire the last two days. The question is would it make sense? Let's examine this for a second?  Why it Makes Sense:  Glenn has not been great in his first year as Head Coach of this team. The talent has taken a major step backwards, granted two of those talented players were traded away in Sauce Gardner to Indianapolis and Quinnen Williams to Dallas.  The decision he and GM Darren Mougey made to give Justin Fields a two year deal proved to be a horrible mistake, and Glenn stuck with Fields for far too long before pulling the plug following the Jets loss to the Patriots on a Thursday night in mid November.  Glenn gave now former Defensive Coordinator Steve Wilks too much power to run the defense, and the players couldn't stand Wilks. Reports indicated this week af...
Post a Comment
Read more

Same Ol' Jets! Gang Green Dropped by Ravens

 RAVENS 24 - JETS 9  In short the opener to the 2022 season for the New York Jets was a complete and utter disaster.  A team that came into the season with the promise of better days ahead, a team that had taken on so many kudos in the off-season for what so many in the media had claimed was an impeccable off-season and draft, came out flat as a pancake when it mattered the most.  If this was a debut of what is to come for the Jets in 2022, you better start preparing your 2023 draft boards.  Sunday's 24-9 loss wasn't just a defeat at the hands of a better team, it was a total indictment of the Jets current predicament.  The Jets offensive line, which has been battered and beaten this summer with the losses of Meckhi Becton and Duane Brown looked like a sieve on Sunday. Joe Flacco, who is not exactly fleet of foot, was under siege all afternoon. The fact he came out of Sunday's game having been sacked only three times was a miracle in itself.  George Fa...
Post a Comment
Read more