New England Patriots: 4 Reasons They'll Light Up the Jets' Defense This Sunday

This Sunday, the New England Patriots and New York Jets will be squaring off for the first time in 2012. The prize on the line is a top spot in the AFC East.

While it will still be your traditional, duke-it-out rivalry game, it's also a battle of two very different football systems.

It will be the Patriots and their high-octane offense versus the Jets and their hard-knocks defense.

But with the teams facing off at Gillette Stadium, New England comes in as the heavy favorite. It's not hard to see why the Patriots will be able to torch that Jets D.

New York Injuries

The Jets' defense continues to thin out, and it's not going to make its job against the Patriots any easier.

The Jets' most recent loss, defensive tackle Kenrick Ellis, has been been out since Week 6 with an MCL injury and will not be available Sunday.

Ellis is joined on the Jets' injury train by fellow defensive tackle Sione Po'uha and safety Eric Smith, who are both doubtful. 

And, of course, there's the absence of standout cornerback Darrelle Revis, who will be out for the remainder of the season.

While New York is still a sound defensive team, it will have a tough time stopping the Pats' high-octane attack with so many injuries.

New England's Ground Attack

While the New York defense has been formidable against the pass, it has struggled against the run.

Ranking 28th in the NFL, the Jets are allowing 150.5 yards per game on the ground. Over half of the touchdowns allowed by the Jets have come on the ground.

Luckily for New England, its offense has a new-found rushing attack.

Led by the formidable Stevan Ridley (542 yards, four touchdowns), the Patriots are averaging 152.3 rushing yards per game—good for 4th best in the NFL.

With a multifaceted rushing attack like New England's, New York has to find some way to limit the damage done on the ground.

Tom Brady

So long as Tom Brady is behind center, the Jets are going to have their hands full on Sunday.

For one, Brady is coming off a tough loss to a Seattle Seahawks team that picked him off twice. The game put the Patriots at a disappointing 3-3 on the season.

Anyone who has ever watched the Pats on TV has heard about Brady's fierce competitive nature. No. 12 is never more dangerous then when coming off a loss.

If pundit-based pontification isn't your thing, then there's also his career stats against the Jets: 15-5, 4,590 passing yards and 26 touchdowns to 10 interceptions.

History

When it comes to offensive explosions against the Jets, the Patriots have history on their side.

Since Rex Ryan took over coaching New York in 2009, he's faced off with the Pats four times at Gillette Stadium.

Of those four contests, New England has won all but one, averaging 31.75 points per game.

The Pats are hard enough to beat at home, and when it comes to Rex Ryan and the Jets, things get that much tougher.