New York Jets vs New England Patriots: 10 Keys to the Game for New York

There are plenty of other terrific rivalries in the NFL, but there are no two teams that have a mutual hatred between the two that goes as deep as the New York Jets and New England Patriots. 

The Patriots swept the Jets last year, including a pivotal midseason matchup that was virtually the deciding game for the division lead. However, both teams come into this game at an even 3-3 with neither team looking like they could dominate the division. 

Here are 10 keys to the game for New York to get the upper hand on New England. 

Keep the Patriots One-Dimensional

Last year, the Patriots saw a lot of teams playing nickel packages against their base offense, which makes sense when playing against a prolific pass offense like New England's. However, at the same time, they were daring the Patriots to run against lighter personnel. 

This year, the Pats have chosen to accept the invitation. 

With the talented Stevan Ridley in the backfield, the Patriots are more of a balanced offense than they have been in years.The Patriots rank fourth in the NFL in rushing, averaging 152.3 yards per game. 

As a result, defenses are forced to play both the run and pass honestly, which is setting them up for play-action. 

The Jets, who rank near the bottom in the NFL in run defense, cannot allow the Patriots to become multidimensional. Without Revis, the Jets are going to have to rely on their front seven to get off blocks and get the Patriots back to being the one-dimensional offense they used to be. 

Get Dustin Keller Involved Early

Dustin Keller's return last week may not have been very impressive on the stat sheet, as he has only recorded two catches in two games this season. Still, his presence has opened things up for other receivers, as described by The Sports Geek blog.

After giving up a handful of big plays last week, the Patriots may be more apt to let underneath guys like Keller and Kerley to catch passes and force Mark Sanchez to make throws. 

If that is the route the Patriots choose to take, the Jets need to capitalize and get Keller involved early on. The sooner he starts making plays, the more stretched-out the Patriots' secondary will be as the game wears on. 

"Illusion of Pressure" Schemes

As I explained in my earlier article, Rex Ryan is a master as creating pressure schemes that create an illusion of pressure instead of actually blitzing on every third down. 

This worked to great success against the Colts and a rookie quarterback, but Tom Brady has seen just about everything Rex can throw at him. 

Rex and Mike Pettine are going to have to dial up some especially creative pressure concepts to throw off Brady because they simply do not have the talent on the back end of the defense to hang with the Patriots receivers and tight ends with constant blitzing. 

The key is to get offensive linemen to mistake regular rushes for blitzes, and given the Patriots struggles on the offensive line, this is entirely possible for the Jets to do.

Attack Devin McCourty with Stephen Hill

Devin's McCourty has been playing better than how he has been perceived to be in the media, but there is no question that he has a tough time locating the ball as soon as it is in the air. 

As a result, McCourty is susceptible to draw a lot of game-changing pass interference calls. 

Of all of the Jets offensive weapons, Stephen Hill is the perfect player to take advantage of McCourty's weaknesses. Hill's top two attributes are his speed and ability to make plays on the football in jump-ball situations. If he finds himself in a deep jump-ball situation with Hill, he should win every time, either by catching the ball or drawing a pass interference call. 

If Sanchez sees Hill singled up with McCourty, he should not hesitate in the slightest to pull the trigger.

Cromartie and Wilson Hold Up in Single Coverage

The Patriots love to attack the middle of the field with Wes Welker and their two tight ends, Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski. 

As a result, the Jets are going to have to use more brackets and double-teams on those players, which leaves both Kyle Wilson and Antonio Cromartie alone on the outside. 

Cromartie has been playing as well as any corner in the NFL since Revis went down virtually shutting down Andre Johnson and Reggie Wayne, but Wilson has been more up-and-down. He has gotten lucky a handful of times on bad throws to receivers who have left him in the dust. 

Cromartie should see plenty of time against Brandon Lloyd, but the real question will be what the Jets do when Wes Welker lines up outside, who is a mismatch for both Wilson and Cromartie. 

Interior Pressure

The key to stopping elite quarterbacks with elite pocket movement is to find ways to generate interior pressure. 

Quarterbacks like Tom Brady have an innate ability to make subtle pocket movements to avoid edge rushers and make throws in a crowded pocket. However, few great quarterbacks, especially those as immobile as Brady, can run away from a 280-pound defensive lineman running straight at them. 

Coples was able to get two sacks in his first start last week, applying most of his pressure from interior positions. After a performance like that, there is no way the Jets can continue to keep him off the field. 

Given the Patriots' struggles in pass protection this year, Coples can have another dominant performance this Sunday, pushing the pocket and creating enough pressure to throw off the timing of the Patriots' passing attack. 

Block Chandler Jones

Through six weeks of the season, Chandler Jones has been one of the best defensive rookies. So far, he has five sacks and three forced fumbles. 

Coming out of Syracuse, Jones' production had been hampered by injuries. However, since becoming a pro, he has flourished with the blessing of good health. His length and size is difficult for any offensive lineman to deal with. 

Austin Howard, who will see plenty of Jones on Sunday, has done an admirable job since getting called up from the bench to start at right tackle. However, Jones will probably be his toughest test yet, and the Jets are going to have to give him some help from time to time, even if it does mean taking a receiver out of the game. 

Take Underneath Throws

This is more of an extension of what I was alluding to earlier by involving Dustin Keller. The Patriots like to sit in zones and avoid giving up big plays and force inferior quarterbacks to beat them, which is exactly what they are going to do to Mark Sanchez. 

Because the Patriots will keep multiple safeties deep in coverage, Kerley should see more one-on-one looks. Kerley has shown that he can beat one-on-one coverage, but Sanchez still has to make the throws. 

The Jets cannot avoid taking deep shots completely, as it will only condense the Patriots' defense and make the Jets easier to defend, but the bulk of their offense must come from the running game and short passing game. 

If Sanchez is able to stay turnover-free, the Jets should be able to score points on this Patriots defense. 

Little Bit of TebowCat

Facing a Patriots defense that has been at least solid in stopping the run and throwing them off with a little bit of TebowCat would go a long way to getting them to think and play slower. 

There is a chance that Tony Sparano has bee saving his best, most effective Tebow packages for this game. Expect a few throws, laterals, end-arounds or anything else to get a big play or two against a defense that has been prone to do so. 

Let's not get carried away; Sanchez should still be the starter for this game and the rest of the season, but with first place on the line, the Jets should not leave anything in the playbook and throw the kitchen sink at the young Patriots defense. 

Double-Team Tight Ends

As I explained in my earlier article, the Seahawks were able to double-team the tight ends and slot receivers with much success. 

The Jets, thanks to their upgrades at the safety position, have done a much better job covering tight ends this year, but Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, who are both getting healthier by the week, pose a much tougher challenge than anything they have faced so far. 

If the Jets are going to get beat, they should force Brandon Lloyd and Deion Branch to beat them on the outside. If the Patriots are able to sustain drives by controlling the middle of the field, the Jets' defense is going to spend a lot more time on the field than they would like.