The New York Jets take on the New England Patriots in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Sunday in a divisional matchup between two rivals. However, both rivals have had dramatically different seasons thus far. The Patriots, along with the Oakland Raiders, have the best record in the AFC at 8-2 and the Jets have the third worst record in the AFC with a 3-7 record. So while the Patriots are currently Super Bowl contenders, the Jets are contenders for a top-five pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. While Jets fans are probably rooting for more losses to solidify a good pick in the draft, Head Coach Todd Bowles and company will look to hand the Patriots a loss. The following are Jets Week 12 keys to victory.
New York Jets Week 12 Keys to Victory
The Defensive Line Must Channel Their Inner Week One
Week One was the best game the defensive line has had to date in regards to sacks. Steve McLendon, Leonard Williams, and Muhammad Wilkerson finished with a combined six sacks of Andy Dalton. Lorenzo Mauldin also added a sack for the Jets, although from the linebacker position. The three defensive lineman looked to have shown the league that they would be a force to be reckoned with for 2016, especially since Pro Bowler Sheldon Richardson hadn’t yet played due to suspension.
Unfortunately for the Jets, that level of play did not continue. Since then, Wilkerson has only added one more sack while Richardson and McLendon have added 1.5 sacks each. Williams is the only player who has kept producing since Week One.
The Jets still lost in Week One to a team that is currently 3-6-1. However, the defensive line kept them in that game. For the Jets to be competitive against the Patriots, the defensive line will have to put up numbers against Tom Brady similar to that of Week One.
Ryan Fitzpatrick Has to Pass for At Least Three Touchdowns
Todd Bowles announced on Monday that he will go with Ryan Fitzpatrick at the quarterback position instead of Bryce Petty for Week 12. It is no secret that Fitzpatrick has played poorly this season. Arguably, Fitzpatrick’s best game came in Week Two when he went 24 for 34 with 374 yards and one touchdown, along with an Offensive Player of the Week Award. That type of production probably won’t be enough against the Patriots on Sunday.
Instead, Fitzpatrick will have to play like he did in some of his wins in 2015. Although completion percentage and passing yards help build up a respectable quarterback rating, Fitzpatrick just has to outscore the other team. This means touchdowns. It doesn’t matter how many yards or completions he throws, in the end the amount of touchdowns he throws will make or break him.
When the Jets beat the Patriots in overtime in Week 16 last year, Fitzpatrick threw three touchdowns. Since joining the Jets, he is 3-0 in games he throws three or more touchdowns. That is something he hasn’t done this year and it explains why he isn’t helping the Jets win games in his starts.
The Jets Must Avoid Any Mistakes
This is something the Jets have to do in all the rest of their games if they want to pull out a victory in any of them. This same strategy was included in the Week Ten keys to victory. There have been far too many times this year where the Jets have committed grave errors that no professional football team should be doing this regularly.
These errors have happened against teams that aren’t as threatening as the Patriots and the Jets have still lost to most of them. If the Jets want any chance of beating the Patriots, they have to completely eradicate any self-destructive behavior whatsoever.
