New England Patriots vs. New York Jets: Full New York Game Preview
As the New York Jets prepared to travel to Foxborough roughly two months ago, the feeling in the locker room during the days leading up to the game resembled nothing of the past "Patriots Weeks."
There was no talk of how this was New York's Super Bowl—nothing of kissing rings, no mention of anything out of the ordinary. The game was, as Jets coach Todd Bowles put it then, "just another game" and had no added meaning because New York was preparing to face the Evil Empire.
But this week, the Jets aren't singing that same tune; they're not pretending this is "just another game." Because, well, it's not. If New York wants to qualify for the postseason for the first time since 2010, it needs to beat the Patriots this Sunday at MetLife.
"I don’t know if I really want to place the significance of where it is in my career," Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick said, "but this is a huge one for me and I’m excited. This is why everybody in here plays the game. Playing football games like this in December and (to) have a shot at playing longer.
"We’re pretty excited about this one."
So, what's going to happen when the Jets and Patriots square off? Here's what you should be looking for.
Date: Sunday
Location: MetLife Stadium; East Rutherford, N.J.
Time: 1 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
Week 15 Recap: New York Jets 19, Dallas Cowboys 16
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The Jets survived the trap game two weeks ago. Against the four-win Cowboys last Sunday, they almost fell victim to it.
Down and out through three quarters, the Jets rallied in the fourth to score 10 points, including a game-winning, 40-yard field goal by Randy Bullock with 36 seconds to play, and notice a 19-16 victory.
"We knew we were shooting ourselves in the foot," Bowles said. "We just had to settle down, get our poise about us. We learned from our mistakes from the past, and this time, we grew as a team.
"We didn't blow the game like we did in Buffalo; we didn't blow the game like we did in New England. We continued what we learned from the Giants game and played a good second half."
Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick finished 26-of-39 for 299 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Bilal Powell, for the third straight week, found the end zone. The back finished with 25 rushing yards on six carries and seven receptions for 54 yards. Brandon Marshall caught four passes for 74 yards, which tied the franchise's single-season record for receptions in a season (93). Eric Decker added six grabs for 55 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, the Jets intercepted four passes. Marcus Williams, Marcus Gilchrist, Calvin Pryor and Darrelle Revis all picked off balls. Leonard Williams and Sheldon Richardson split a sack, while Calvin Pace had a complete one of his own.
AFC East standings
- New England Patriots (12-2)
- New York Jets (9-5)
- Buffalo Bills (6-8)
- Miami Dolphins (5-9)
News and Notes
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Are the New York Jets for real?
Few, if any, saw this coming for the Jets.
With nine wins, the team has already exceeded most of the expectations placed on it entering this season. For most, eight or even seven wins would have been enough this year. It would have shown that the new regime led by general manager Mike Maccagnan knew what it was doing and that the future was bright for New York.
But now, the Jets are on the verge of the playoffs and hotter than most teams in the NFL. Victors in three straight, if the Jets were to win out and get a little help, they could be headed for the postseason.
The game is the true test, though, as it'll show if the Jets are legitimately for real. Not to take anything away from their nine wins, but they haven't exactly come against the cream of the crop.
Through 14 games, not one of the Jets victories have come against a team that presently sits above .500. In fact, just the Washington Redskins, whom the Jets defeated 34-20 back in Week 6, don't have a losing record at 7-7.
The combined record of the teams the Jets have beaten? 39-73.
Now, the Jets don't control who they play each weekend, nor have they chosen to beat up on teams that are already down-and-out when it comes to postseason chances. The schedule as a whole has been weak. In fact, the Jets have only faced one team that presently has a winning record...the Patriots.
That's what makes this game even bigger than what it already is. Yes, it's the Patriots, and yes, it's to keep the Jets' playoff hopes alive. But it's also to show the rest of the NFL that if New York can get into the playoffs...look out.
Will the Patriots rest some starters against the Jets?
The way things sit right now for the Patriots, there's a real shot they are going to be the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoff picture and possess home-field advantage. All that needs to happen is for New England (12-2) to win one of its remaining two games, or the Bengals (11-3) have to drop one of their final two games.
The Bengals will finish the regular season without starting quarterback Andy Dalton. The fact the team is playing this Sunday against the Broncos in Denver...well, it doesn't bode well for a victory.
With that said, the Patriots are in an interesting situation, especially considering just how banged up they are. Not including the players on injured reserve, nicked up entering this week are the following: receiver Danny Amendola, tight end Scott Chandler, safety Patrick Chung, safety Nate Ebner, receiver Julian Edelman, linebacker Dont'a Hightower, guard Josh Kline, receiver Brandon LaFell and safety Devin McCourty.
For a game that doesn't mean that much to New England, does it make sense to sit, or keep on a pitch count, the walking wounded? The Jets certainly aren't preparing for that situation, nor have the Patriots publicly talked about it, but on Sunday, it may play out that way.
Can the Jets get to Patriots quarterback Tom Brady?
When the Jets and Patriots first met back on Oct. 26, New England elected to not run the ball...literally. Running back James White carried the ball twice, while LeGarrette Blount toted it three times. Brady, believe it or not, was the team's "leading" rusher with four carries for 15 yards.
As expected, Brady was also the team's leading passer. He dropped back 54 times, completing 34 of them, and threw for 355 yards with a pair of touchdowns and no interceptions. It's been documented that the best way to rattle Brady is to get in his face and knock him down. While the Jets were able to do that early, recording three quarterback sacks and 16 pressures on the day, they were unable to get to him when it counted.
In the fourth quarter, Brady orchestrated two 10-plus-play scoring drives to lead the Patriots to a victory.
The question this weekend is simple: Can the Jets get to Brady for a complete game? If they can, there's a good chance they get the victory. If they can't, well, things won't be so easy.
Jets Injury Report
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Cornerback Dee Milliner (hamstring): If there's a player on the Jets roster who's most unlikely to play Sunday, it's Milliner. The corner tweaked his hamstring in the victory over the Cowboys and didn't practice Tuesday or Wednesday. If Milliner isn't able to go, it will likely mean fellow cornerback Dexter McDougle, who was inactive last week, is active Sunday. Milliner, despite being a former first-round pick, has been relegated to just special teams duty.
Quarterback Geno Smith (illness): Smith was the only other player to not practice Wednesday, as he missed the day due to an illness. Jets coach Todd Bowles didn't seem worried.
Tight end Kellen Davis (back): After sitting out practice Tuesday, Davis returned in limited capacity Wednesday. It's a bit hard to judge just how much Davis did, but Bowles didn't seem concerned when he spoke at his Wednesday press conference in regard to the status of his injured tight end. Expect him to play.
Receiver Quincy Enunwa (neck): Enunwa was a bit of a surprise addition to the injury report, as Bowles says he got a bit nicked up last Sunday. Still, this seemed like just a bit of a precautionary limited day, and he should be back in full by week's end.
Linebacker David Harris (neck): Harris has taken part in practice both Tuesday and Wednesday. What was originally feared as a serious injury doesn't appear to be. He'll play Sunday.
Linebacker Calvin Pace (abdomen): This was a normal rest day for Pace. The veteran will play Sunday.
This is based off Wednesday's practice.
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Key Matchups
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Rob Gronkowski vs. Jets defense
Arguably the biggest matchup of Sunday's game is a matchup that no one knows exactly what it will be. The only certainty is that it will involve Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski.
Who will be covering Gronk and looking to stop him?
"That’s a great question and there’s about 30 other teams I need to ask," Jets defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers jokingly said Wednesday. "In all fairness, he’s a tremendous player. We’ve got a lot of different things we’ve got to try. I don’t think that one thing works to stop him."
This season, Gronkowski has continued to assert himself as one of the best tight ends the NFL has ever seen. He's already caught 66 passes for 1,072 yards and 11 touchdowns this year and is a player Rodgers described as one of the toughest in the NFL to game-plan against.
The Jets tried a few ways to slow Gronkowski in their first meeting, but that didn't go too well. He finished with 11 catches for 108 yards and a touchdown. This Sunday, the Jets are going in with a few ideas and hoping to find one that sticks.
"As you look at it," Rodgers said, "this guy lines up in line at tight end, then you look at it and (he) lines up as a No. 1 receiver. He’s all over the place, and that creates matchup problems; it creates a lot of problems. A headache.
"There is really no way to prepare; you just try to coach your guys up on the best technique to use against him based on what you’ve seen off the film, and that’s the way we’ll go."
Cornerback Darrelle Revis may be an option when Gronkowski splits wide as a receiver. In his traditional tight end spot, it could be a linebacker, coupled with either safety Calvin Pryor or Marcus Gilchrist, who looks to contain him.
Whatever "it" is, it'll be worth watching. With Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola both banged up, shutting down Gronk could go a long way in containing the Patriots' high-powered offense.
Brandon Marshall vs. Malcolm Butler
For the large portion of this season, Jets wideout Brandon Marshall has been unguardable.
The 10-year vet has caught 93 passes for 1,261 yards and 11 touchdowns in his first year with the Jets. With one more grab, he'll break the franchise record for receptions in a season. Another 100-yard game and he'll break that record for most 100-yard games in a year as well. He's within striking distance of the franchise mark for yards and touchdown receptions.
But while the season has been filled with so many "ups," the one down came when Marshall faced the Patriots. The wideout caught just four passes for 67 yards and dropped what could have been the game-deciding touchdown in the fourth quarter.
It became obvious that the Patriots were not going to let Marshall beat them. They shaded coverage his way, followed him with two guys all over the field and, for the large portion of the game, kept him in check. Jets offensive coordinator Chan Gailey said he expects Marshall to be covered the same way this Sunday. That means the Jets are going to have to find ways to get him open.
"I mean if you want to take someone away, you can do a pretty good job, for the most part," Gailey said. "You have to keep trying to manufacture ways to get him the ball. But then again, you have to have other people step up and make plays."
Yes, the Jets have other weapons on offense, but Marshall is their most dominant. If he's taken out of the game, there's a real chance the team begins to sputter. While others are going to have to step up, Marshall is going to need to work himself open no matter what the Patriots do.
Can he? That's the million-dollar question.
Matchup X-Factor: Eric Decker
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Brandon Marshall is going to be followed wherever he goes on the field. A cornerback, a safety—whatever it takes to keep Marshall in check, Patriots coach Bill Belichick is going to do it.
What that means is that fellow receiver Eric Decker is going to see single coverage.
He'll have to take advantage of it.
This season, Decker has enjoyed playing second fiddle to Marshall. Sure, he doesn't get the headlines or accolades that come with being "the guy," but he's OK with that. He doesn't need the limelight or the glory. He knows his value to the team, as do his teammates, Marshall in particular.
"Something I learned early on in high school is if you want to be a successful wide receiver," Marshall said, "you have to have a guy on the other side who is also successful. Deck’s done a great job this year."
Decker has caught 72 passes for 930 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. Combined with Marshall's 11 touchdowns, the two have more scores than any receiving duo in Jets history. If Decker manages 70 more combined receiving yards in these final two games, he and Marshall will become the Jets first dual 1,000-yard tandem since 1998.
This Sunday, in the situation that the Patriots are able to contain Marshall, it's going to fall on Decker's shoulders to keep things going. He hasn't had to be the No. 1 wideout all year, but against New England, he may have to be.
After all, if the Patriots can shut down Marshall and Decker? The Jets don't stand a chance.
Prediction: Jets 24, Patriots 21
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The Jets were close, so close, to defeating the Patriots nine weeks ago. Deep inside Patriots territory, Fitzpatrick threw a back-shoulder pass to receiver Brandon Marshall. The ball bounced in and out of his hands, the Patriots went on to score two touchdowns, and the Jets lost the game.
Had Marshall caught that pass, the Jets would have been up three possessions with time on their side.
Since that matchup, the Jets have gotten better and grown together. The Patriots have been dealt blow after blow and have been bitten bad by the injury bug.
This game is going to be a close one. It's going to come down to the wire and likely be a situation where Fitzpatrick and the Jets need to score to win, or the defense needs to keep Tom Brady and Co. from doing the same.
The difference, though? The Jets have everything at stake in this one. A loss, and it's all but certain the team is out of the playoffs for a fifth straight year. A loss for New England? Well, the Pats would likely still be the AFC's top seed.
Without Julian Edelman and likely Danny Amendola, the offense won't be the same for the Patriots. Rob Gronkowski will still make his plays but not enough to bury the Jets.
As mentioned above, it'll come down to the wire. But when the dust settles, New York will be on top.
Prediction: Jets 24, Patriots 21
Connor Hughes is the New York Jets beat writer for the Journal Inquirer and Scout.com. All quotes, practice observations and advanced stats referenced are gathered firsthand or via transcript unless otherwise noted.
Connor can be reached on Twitter (@Connor_J_Hughes) or via email (Connor_j_hughes@yahoo.com).
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