Game of the Week: Patriots-Jets

Preview:

Week 2 of the NFL has many good matchups but the highlight is the New England Patriots traveling to the New Meadowlands Stadium to play division rival New York Jets. This matchup last year between the Jets and Pats was split 1-1. A lot of subplots to this matchup have been brewing since last year when Rex Ryan was given the head coaching job of the New York Jets and it is no secret that these teams do not like each other. Ryan has said, “I never came here to kiss Bill Belichick’s rings. I came to win, let’s put it that way. So we’ll see what happens. I’m certainly not intimidated by New England or anybody else.” Both teams have playoff aspirations, but both will have to do well in the AFC East to get there. The Jets have fought as an underdog in a division that has been mostly dominated by the Patriots over the last few years. This has developed as a great division rivalry and this week should not disappoint.

New England is coming off a big win in Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals 38-24 with Tom Brady throwing for 248 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Patriots also got a huge comeback performance from Wes Welker who caught for 64 yards and 2 touchdowns. The score was much closer than the game really was, with the Patriots going into the locker game at halftime up 24-3. The Patriots dominated a strong playoff team from last year and surprised many. This is a road game for the Patriots, something which they struggled with last year with a 2-6 road record. One of those wins came in London, which both teams were technically on the road for. This will be a big test for the Patriots who want to prove they can win in a hostile environment as well.

The New York Jets are coming in with 0-1 record after losing to the Baltimore Ravens 10-9 in a defensive battle on Monday Night. Another big loss for the Jets last week was losing DT Kris Jenkins with a torn ACL.  The Jets come in on a short work week with hopes of not falling in a 0-2 hole. The last team to win the Super Bowl after starting a season 0-2 was the New York Giants who won it in 2007. There are high hopes for the Jets who have been well storied this offseason as the featured team on HBO’s Hard Knocks. Running back Shonn Greene who was given the starting job this season had a disappointing debut with 2 fumbles. Greene will have to rebound for the Jets to get back to their “ground and pound” offense which was so successful for them last season. This is an important game for the Jets and a lot will be told how their season will go after this week.

Key Matchup:

Randy Moss will be tightly covered by Darrelle Revis. Moss certainly has had his trouble on Revis Island. Last year in their first matchup, Moss finished with 4 receptions and 24 yards. In the second matchup, Moss got 5 receptions with 34 yards with a touchdown. Revis has had great success against Moss, and he has came out and called Moss a “slouch” for his poor play and effort. Moss has also made some other headlines in the past week not happy with his contract situation in New England. Moss is in a contract season and is definitely out to prove something as well. Fantasy owners who have Moss have a tough decision of starting him or not because of his poor performances against the Jets in the past. Whoever wins this matchup will be a major key for the winning team.

Player Who Needs to Step Up:

Mark Sanchez clearly has to step up for the Jets. Last week Sanchez finished with only 74 passing yards. Although Sanchez did not turn the ball over, he did not take any risks or down field shots. Sanchez will have to do more than check down to beat the Patriots who are capable of putting up a lot of points. Sanchez will need to allow some time for the offense to develop down field before he automatically looks for the check down. He should have more time in the pocket to do so this week without facing that physical Ravens front line. Sanchez will have to throw the ball more if he wants to be the quarterback of a Super Bowl team.

Sanchez has a lot to prove, photo courtesy of http://lesterslegends.com

This will be a fantastic game, so make sure you’re watching!

This is just an opinion, so please…Pardon My Bias.