Wes Welker vs. Darrelle Revis Is the Key Matchup of Patriots vs. Jets

The New England Patriots have been eating opposing defenses alive all year, and Tom Brady has been an insatiable digestive track. His favorite dish has been Wes Welker, who accounts for 34.9 percent of Brady's targets.

On the other side of the football lies a defense that has been an extra kick of pepper on the plate, causing offenses to cough it up time and time again. The Jets defense has sent opponents into a tailspin, with a crash landing right on Revis Island. Quarterbacks have targeted him just 9.4 percent of the time in passing situations (11 attempts on Revis / 119 total pass attempts).

With one of the league's very best pass attacks against one of the league's very best pass defenses, and one of the best receivers against one of the best defensive backs in the league, this is the classic unstoppable force meets immovable object matchup.

Confused? Allow me to clarify.

Tale of the Tape

By now, you probably know that Welker is on pace to break Jerry Rice's single-season yards record and Marvin Harrison's single-season receptions record in one fell swoop. What you may not know is that Brady and Welker is one of the league's most efficient hook-ups, at a completion rate of 70.2 percent and a passer rating of 134.8.

They don't call it Revis Island for nothing, though. He has held opposing quarterbacks to just 27.3 percent completions and a 3.6 passer rating. I'm not sure what the record is for a cornerback's passer rating for a single season, but whatever it is, I'm sure Revis is close.

How Revis can win

Revis has an advantage of three inches and 15 pounds on Welker, making him much more likely to win the matchup at the line of scrimmage.

Welker is shifty, though, so Revis has to be careful not to get caught being overly aggressive and being left susceptible to the double move. That's never been the case, though, as Revis is one of the best cornerbacks in the league in man coverage. Well, he's one of the best in zone, too, but his man skills will be necessary this time around.

How Welker can win

One has to wonder how often Revis will be lined up on Welker, as most of Welker's playing time comes in the slot. And though Welker is prepared for it, recent history suggests that Revis won't be lined up there all day.

"Actually, he's played in the slot a little bit," Welker told the Boston Herald. "We've cut up about 600 snaps between last year and this year where he's actually been in the slot. I don't think it's anything different from what they do. And so we'll just see how it plays out and see how it goes."

It remains to be seen, but Welker may have his opportunities when covered by other defenders. Brady won't be testing Revis too frequently otherwise.

Team effort

The magnitude of this matchup can't be overstated, but there are 21 other guys that need to win their matchups on Sunday for it to matter. That is to say, the outcome of this battle will not determine the winner of the war.

Brady has plenty of other targets, though none have been as reliable or as heavily favored through the first four games as Welker. One thing to watch for is the status of Aaron Hernandez and Taylor Price.

If Hernandez is active, Revis could be lined up on the second-year TE from time to time. If WR Price is active, that will give the Patriots another solid option outside the numbers to force New York to respect the perimeter of the field.

Prediction

Another big game is in the books for Welker, just not when he's being covered by Revis. With that in mind, the Jets may be best suited to just put Revis on Welker and take away Brady's best and favorite threat on offense.

Welker will have his opportunities, but Revis has gone one-on-one with many of the league's best receivers and has won those contests time and time again. Even despite Welker's hot start, there isn't enough evidence to suggest this week will be any different. 

Erik Frenz is the co-host of the PatsPropaganda and Frenz podcast. Follow Erik on Twitter @erikfrenz.