New England Patriots vs. New York Jets Could Come Down To the Trench War

A dominant team will always be the subject of much scrutiny; it's been no different for the New England Patriots headed into the 2011 NFL divisional round against the New York Jets.

One of the Patriots' greatest strengths has been their offensive line, and the ability to get great protection for Tom Brady, who has subsequently enjoyed one of his best seasons to date (even compared to 2007).

One perceived weakness, though, must be their defensive line. Both Mike Wright and Ron Brace have been placed on season-ending injured reserve since the end of the regular season. This leaves Vince Wilfork, Gerard Warren, Kyle Love, Myron Pryor, Brandon Deaderick, Eric Moore and Landon Cohen as the team's remaining defensive linemen.

Not exactly a who's-who of all-stars, but the Patriots have been the patchwork bandits all season long.

On the other side of the coin, the Jets have some of the best in the business on both sides of the trenches.

They feature one of the highest-paid offensive lines in the league, with former Pro Bowlers Damien Woody, Nick Mangold and D'Brickashaw Ferguson.

Their defensive line is also star-studded, with names like Shaun Ellis, Sione Pouha, Mike DeVito and Trevor Pryce. Not to mention outside linebackers Calvin Pace and Bryan Thomas coming off the edges as the team's two leaders in sacks.

For the Patriots offense, it will once again come down to protecting Tom Brady in the passing game and making sure they open up the holes in the running game to at least force the Jets to respect the run.

The running game doesn't have to dominate, but it has to remain a threat. If the Jets are able to plug the holes in the ground game on defense, this will allow Rex Ryan to do what he does best: Dial up the blitz.

But the more important battle of the two could be between the Patriots' defensive line and the Jets' offensive line.

This year, the Patriots gave up an average of over five yards per carry to the Jets. Granted, in the second game, the yards were meaningless in doing anything but running time off the clock, but the fact remains that the Jets have shown the ability to dominate the Patriots in the running game.

The Jets inexplicably came out throwing the ball in Week 13. That likely won't happen again. It will come down to the Patriots' defensive line's ability to hold the point of attack and clog up holes in the running game, to force the ball into Sanchez's hands.

With Brace out of the mix, little-known but improving prospect Kyle Love may be called upon to deliver in his absence.

ESPNBoston.com's Mike Reiss heaps the praise on Love, saying, "Love is one of the biggest (defensive linemen) they have...(his) playing time has spiked the last three weeks—he's played 97 of his 151 snaps on the season in the last three games—which reflects his growing role in the defense as others have been sidelined with injury."

Still, the line as a whole will have to buckle down against the run as they did many times this year. They finished the regular season ranked 11th against the run; not stellar, but not a liability, either.

This is especially important because Brandon Spikes is making his way back onto the field after serving a four-game suspension. Mike Reiss points out that Spikes recorded seven tackles in 23 defensive snaps against the Jets in their previous meeting. That’s good for one tackle for every three plays.

This snap graph from PatsPropaganda.com’s Mike Dussault shows us that Spikes was deemed a run defender by Belichick and was used much more heavily in that capacity. His presence could mean great things for the Patriots run defense on Sunday against the Jets.

Ultimately, it will come down to the defensive line's ability to clog the holes up front.

The battle in the trenches may have the biggest impact on the outcome of the game. It's fitting, then, that it's also a big point of pride for the New York Jets. It could either be their triumph or their demise.

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