Pats Preview: New England Looks For Payback Against Jets

Overview: The Jets-Patriots rivalry has always been heated and this matchup will be no different. The Patriots (6-3) have something to prove after their implosion in Indy. The Jets (4-5) have been reeling, going 1-5 since starting out 3-0. New England can serve up the knockout punch to New York in the AFC East race.

Last Week: The Patriots need to have a dominating performance after blowing yet another fourth quarter lead against the Colts. They need to forget Coach Belichick’s controversial decision to go on fourth down at his own 28 yard line and move on. The 35-34 loss all but extinguished any hopes for home field advantage and made it tougher to secure a first round bye.

What’s great about football is that you have to have a short memory.  The Patriots need to concentrate on putting away the Jets and getting a stranglehold in their division.

After the Jets’ “Super Bowl” win in week two against the Patriots, the Jets have looked more like pretenders than contenders.  New York has resembled a shell of it’s former self and the game against Jacksonville was no different.

The Jets held a 22-21 lead late in the game, but let Jacksonville march down the field and kick the winning field goal for a 24-22 win.  This allowed the upstart Jaguars to pass New York in the AFC wildcard race.

All-Time Series:  The Jets handed the Patriots a 16-9 loss at home as the defense bruised and battered, quarterback Tom Brady. Brady, coming back from major knee surgery, was not himself and struggled against the Jets blitz packages.

The Jets hold a slight 50-47-1 advantage in the all-time series. Last season the Patriots won the first meeting of the season 19-10 at the Meadowlands in week two of the season. The Jets then won a shootout on November 13 by the score of 34-31 as Brett Favre passed for 258 yards and two touchdowns.

Key Questions Entering Week Eleven:

New England Patriots: Can the Patriots bounce back against the Jets after the heartbreaking loss versus the Colts? A letdown at home versus New York could put New England’s season in jeopardy giving them another division and conference loss.

New York Jets:  Can head coach Rex Ryan hold back the tears and motivate his team? If week two was the Jets’ “Super Bowl” then this week’s game is their season.

Players To Watch:

New England Patriots: The New England Patriots defense needs to prove to everyone and themselves that they are an elite defensive unit.  They need to use the “disrespect” from the fourth and two decision and take it out on the Jets. Brandon Meriweather and Jerod Mayo need to lead the way and intimidate their AFC East rivals.

New York Jets: Mark Sanchez and Thomas Jones need to take it to the Patriots defense and put some points on the board. There is no doubt that the Patriots are going to score as they did against Indianapolis (which was ranked #1 in points allowed).

Predictions: I personally think the Jets are a beaten team and are exactly what New England needs right now.  Tom Brady and the offense should be able to score at will. Brady will be able to read the blitz packages better and no longer shows any signs of rust. There is no doubt the lethal Patriots attack is alive and well.

Rookie quarterback Mark “Sanchise” Sanchez has been playing like a rookie over the last five games and the team misses sparkplug, Leon Washington. The New England defense should capitalize on Jets’ turnovers and even bring one back to the house.

Final Score: Patriots 41, Jets 3

Joe Gill is a featured blogger for Boston Sports Then and Now, Rootzoo.com and Trufan.com