NFL Playoff Predictions: 10 Reasons the Jets Can't Beat the Patriots

The NFL's Divisional playoff round gets underway on Saturday afternoon with Baltimore and Pittsburgh. The weekend's playoff action ends with the third game of the season between the New York Jets and New England Patriots.

There has been a lot of talking going on this week, primarily from the Jets (although Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker had a very "feet-laden" press conference).

Antonio Cromartie doesn't like Tom Brady. He hates everything about the Patriots quarterback and he made those feelings known this week.

But with all of this talking, there is one thing that few people have talked about: the game itself.

New England is the hottest team on the planet, having won eight straight games and scoring at least 31 points in those games.

New York was able to knock off Indianapolis last week in a very well-coached game by Rex Ryan.

With that said, the Jets have basically no chance to win this weekend. They are overmatched and will be exposed against Brady and company.

Here are 10 reasons that the Jets have no chance to beat the Patriots in Foxborough on Sunday evening.

Tom Brady

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FOXBORO, MA - JANUARY 02: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots looks on in the first half against the Miami Dolphins on January 2, 2011 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

There are few words that can describe how good Tom Brady has been for New England this season. He is going to win his second MVP award in a landslide. He has a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 9-1. He hasn’t thrown an interception since October 17, a span of 335 pass attempts.

He has lost one home playoff game in his career, and is 9-1 overall at home.

The Jets don’t do enough defensively to disrupt Brady’s timing and rhythm. He will carve the defense up.

Bill Belichick

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FOXBORO, MA - DECEMBER 19: Bill Belichick, head coach of the New England Patriots, looks on during the second quarter of the game against the Green Bay Packers at Gillette Stadium on December 19, 2010 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Imag

Say what you will about Bill Belichick’s personality, or lack thereof, but the guy is the best coach in the NFL right now and it’s not particularly close. He gets the most out of every single player on the roster.

He is the best game planner in football. Belichick's defense isn’t particularly good, but he has gotten the D to play as a unit and play better than it actually is. He will confuse Mark Sanchez and the Jets offense.

Danny Woodhead

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FOXBORO, MA - JANUARY 02: Danny Woodhead #39 of the New England Patriots tries to avoid Koa Misi #55 of the Miami Dolphins on January 2, 2011 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Former New York Jets running back Danny Woodhead has been one of the most valuable additions to the New England Patriots this season. He hasn’t carried the ball a lot this season, but he has made the most of his opportunities when he has.

Woodhead averages almost six yards per carry. In addition to that, what he brings as an a receiver out of the backfield can’t be overstated. He has caught 34 passes and averaged over 11 yards per catch.

He will have a big day against his former team.

New England’s Run Defense

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FOXBORO, MA - SEPTEMBER 26: Vince Wilfork #75 of the New England Patriots looks on during drills before a against the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium on September 26, 2010 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

The reason that the Jets were able to beat the Colts last weekend is because they were able to run the ball on the small Colts defense in the second half. They ran for 92 yards in the second half and were able to keep the ball away from Peyton Manning.

New England’s defensive front is much bigger and better then the Colts. Led by Vince Wilfork, the defense ranked 11th in the NFL against the run. The Jets will not control the line of scrimmage this weekend.

New England Creates Turnovers

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FOXBORO, MA - JANUARY 02: Devin McCourty #32 of the New England Patriots is congratulated by teammate Jerod Mayo #51 after McCourty intercepted a pass by the Miami Dolphins on January 2, 2011 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/

New England’s secondary has been vulnerable to the pass this year. The Pats give up a lot of yards through the air, but at the same time they also create a lot of turnovers. The Patriots led the NFL in interceptions this year with 25.

The Patriots had by far the best turnover ratio in the league this season. They finished plus-27 in turnover differential this season. They create turnovers and don’t give the ball away.

Mark Sanchez Isn’t Very Good

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN - JANUARY 08: Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer of the New York Jets gestures as he talks to quarterback Mark Sanchez #6 late in the fourth quarter against the Indianapolis Colts during their 2011 AFC wild card playoff game at L

Last week Mark Sanchez had one big completion in the entire game, when Braylon Edwards made a tremendous leaping catch to put the Jets in field goal range with time winding down in regulation. That big play was more of Edwards' doing than Sanchez making the perfect throw.

Everything that Sanchez threw last week was high. It didn’t lead to turnovers against the Colts, but if he is doing that this week, it most definitely will.

For the season, Sanchez only completed 55 percent of his passes. He hasn’t thrown for more than one touchdown in a game since Week 11 against Houston. He needs to play the game of his life this weekend.

Rex Ryan

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN - JANUARY 08: Head coach Rex Ryan of the New York Jets looks on during warm ups against the Indianapolis Colts during their 2011 AFC wild card playoff game at Lucas Oil Stadium on January 8, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy

For all the talking that Rex Ryan does, you would think that he had three Super Bowl rings as a head coach. Instead, he is still trying to catch up to Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots.

He was able to put aside his ego last week to change his philosophy against Peyton Manning, and it worked to his team’s benefit.

This week he will try to make a statement against the best coach of this era, and it will lead to mistakes from his team.

Forget the Week 2 Game

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - SEPTEMBER 19: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots looks on against the New York Jetsduring their game on September 19, 2010 at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

People are quick to point out that the Jets have beaten the Patriots this season, 28-14 in Week 2. You can’t take that game into account here.

This Patriots team is completely different now. They were still trying to mesh as a team and Randy Moss was still in tow. Now the Patriots are a much more crisp and precise offensive unit.

Plus, their defense has gotten a lot better since that game way back in September.

Jim Leonhard’s Absence Will Be Felt

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - NOVEMBER 25: Jim Leonhard #36 of the New York Jets runs with the ball against the Cincinnati Bengals at New Meadowlands Stadium on November 25, 2010 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Jets defeated the Bengal 26-10. (Photo by Chri

One of the more underappreciated injuries, at least in the mainstream, was the Jets losing Jim Leonhard in December. He was a vital part of that secondary and made everyone else better. He didn’t have the name value like Darrelle Revis, but he was the heart of the secondary.

In the six games since Leonhard went down, the Jets have given up nearly 21 points per game. They have been missing that spark ever since Leonhard was placed on injured reserve. His absence will be felt this weekend.

Don’t Wake a Sleeping Giant

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FOXBORO, MA - DECEMBER 06: Deion Branch #84 of the New England Patriots scores on a 25-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter against Antonio Cromartie #31 of the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium on December 6, 2010 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (P

As if the Patriots needed to find any more motivation going into this game, Antonio Cromartie may have sealed the Jets' fate. Whenever anyone has talked smack about Tom Brady or Bill Belichick, the team has responded in a big way.

When the whole Spygate situation was going down and Belichick was the scourge of the NFL, the team rallied around him and dominated the Chargers in the next game.

If you think that Brady and the Patriots are going to let Cromartie and the Jets knock them out of the playoffs, you haven’t been watching this team for the past decade.