The New York Jets visit Foxborough this Saturday to take on the New England Patriots. These two teams are headed in opposite directions, with the Jets losers of five of their last six. Their lone victory came in overtime against the San Francisco 49ers. The Patriots, on the other hand, have won five straight, and they have extra motivation to finish this season strong.
After 14 games last season, the Patriots had a record of 12-2 with only games remaining versus the Jets and Miami Dolphins. They lost both, surrendered the number one seed to the Denver Broncos, and had to travel on the road in the playoffs. This season they are an identical 12-2 with their final two games coming against the Jets and Dolphins. Taking care of both games this time around would secure the top seed and make the Patriots favorites to win the AFC.
New England Patriots Week 16 Keys To Victory
Establish The Lead
The last meeting between these two teams in New York was a struggle to the end. The Patriots did not take the lead for good until late in the fourth quarter. That loss seemed to signal the end of the Jets season, however. Since that game, they have twice been blown out on their home turf, and once they fell behind in those games they didn’t put up much of a fight. They do have one comeback in between, but that was against a 49ers offense that could do nothing to pull away with their early lead. The Jets eventually came back to win in overtime. This is not the same kind of challenge. The Jets will again be determined to spoil their hated rivals season, but if the Patriots can establish an early lead the Jets will not have the resolve for a four quarter fight.
Bring the Heat
Jets quarterback Bryce Petty has declared himself “good to go” for this Saturday. This might be good news for the Patriots as the Jets has averaged just 13 points per game in Petty’s four starts this season. And there is more bad news for the Jets. Right guard Brian Winters was just placed on injured reserve. This means four of the original five Jets offensive line starters are out for the season. Only left guard James Carpenter remains active.
The make-shift offensive line spells trouble for Petty who has already given up 11 sacks in his four starts this season. The Patriots for their part are finding their pass rush at just the right time this season. They have 11 sacks of their own over the last four games, with defensive end Trey Flowers coming on strong lately, recording three sacks in the last two weeks. There is no better way to get a young quarterback off his game than to get in his face. Petty, who is coming back from injury will be especially cognizant of the rush this week. Look for the Patriots to bring the heat and try to force some mistakes out of the Jets young signal caller.
Ground And Pound
In the last two weeks against the excellent Baltimore Ravens and Broncos defenses, the Patriots have featured their run game in order to control the pace of the game and not expose their star quarterback to the pass rush. In the two games combined they put up 231 rush yards on 65 carries, unusual for a normally pass-happy team. This is a contrast to the last Jets game when Tom Brady, who was hobbled with a knee injury, was forced to put the ball up 50 times.
The Jets have a very strong run defense that all starts with their solid defensive line. Running on this unit will not be easy. But for the Patriots, it is another chance for the offensive line to show their improvement if they can make some big gains against the Jets on the ground. It will also keep some of the fearsome players on the Jets defensive line out of Brady’s face.
Result
Each of the last seven Jets-Patriots match-ups have been close games, none of them won by more than a single score. This one feels different. The Patriots are playing by far their best football of the season and the Jets aren’t even a lock to show up and play hard for all four quarters. If the Patriots can get an early lead this week look for more of the same out of the Jets.
