Patriots vs. Jets: Predicting Stats for Tom Brady, Mark Sanchez on Sunday Night

Tonight's AFC East tilt hinges a lot on how the Jets approach this game offensively. Will they use the game plan of everyone who has beat the Patriots and throw all over their over-matched secondary? Or will they stick to their "ground and pound" and play offense they way they do every week?

In their last meeting, the Jets ran the ball more than they have all season up until that point. They had some success on the ground, but their instance on running the football may have cost them the game. So far this season, the Jets are the only team to not have thrown for over 300 yards on the Patriots.

Mark Sanchez's stats will be better than they are in most games, purely because of the fact that he is throwing on the horrid Patriots defense. However, if the Jets are stubborn enough to keep their passing attempts down, Sanchez's stats will be limited.

I expect him to throw for about 250 yards, and use his tight ends and Plaxico Burress to find the end zone at least twice in the air. The Jets love to throw the ball and utilize their huge targets in the red zone. 

On the other side of the ball, the Jets defense is probably the last unit Brady wants to face as he tries to recover from two losses in a row. When you look at his body of work, Rex Ryan seems to have an answer for Brady more times than not. Ryan like to mix his coverages and use seven or eight defensive backs to match up with the Patriots spread offense.

Brady is in an unusual "slump," at least for his standards. In his last game against the Giants, he missed open receivers and appeared anxious and frustrated for most of the game.

I expect that to continue, as the Jets pass defense has been excellent this year. Look for Brady to throw for about 200-250 yards, a touchdown, and a pick to Revis.