Patriots vs. Jets: 5 Halftime Adjustments for the Patriots

The New England Patriots are throwing back the clock with the 1980s retro jerseys for their matchup with the New York Jets Sunday. Patriots fans hope the team plays a hell of a lot better than it did in those days.

With a 10-7 lead over the Jets at the half, the jury is out on whether the old-school jerseys have brought back the '80s offense.

To get to 4-1 in Week 5, here are five adjustments the Patriots will have to make at halftime.

5. Continued aggressive play calling

As evidenced by getting a generous pass-interference call on a 3rd-and-27 from deep on their own side of the field in the first quarter, Bill Belichick trusting his offense to execute has paid dividends for the Patriots.

4. Ball security

The Patriots have been fortunate to not have any turnovers, as they recovered fumbles from Wes Welker and Aaron Hernandez. In a close game, turnovers will be the difference-maker, and the Pats can't give the ball away to change the game's momentum.

3. Play vertical offensively

The Jets defense has shown enough speed on the perimeter to contain Tom Brady's swing passes early. The Patriots can still show enough to keep New York honest, but the Patriots will need to throw the ball more downfield to make enough big plays to keep moving up the scoreboard.

2. Stack the box defensively

The Patriots D forced the Jets to punt on their first four possessions. However, the Jets adjusted late in the half to begin to impose their physical will up front, leading to a 13-play, 78-yard drive that took 7:54 and turned it into a 10-7 ball game.

1. Pressure Mark Sanchez

Sanchez has proven that he can make mistakes when being asked to do too much. The Patriots will need to get to him to force mistakes if they are going to win the turnover game.