Facing a defense ranked 29th against the pass, there is a temptation to say the Jets should open things up. That goes double considering the motivational factors for this one. Plaxico Burress is facing his former team for the first time, and Santonio Holmes is coming off a miserable game and will probably be much more focused.
The Jets need to avoid this temptation. In an ideal world, they would be able to air it out. They really do not have the capability to do that, though. Their recent run of success up to last week was about giving Mark Sanchez less to do. Sanchez has not looked capable when the passing game has dominated the offense. He was unable to elevate his game back in November against an even worse New England pass defense.
The other issue is protection. The playmakers the Giants have on defense are primarily pass rushers. Jason Pierre-Paul in particular is having a breakout campaign. The 6'5" 278 pound athletic freak has 13.5 sacks this year. Like we have seen from other teams this year, the Giants might move their best pass rusher to the left side of the defense where he will face Wayne Hunter, otherwise known as the tackle who has gotten his quarterback either sacked or hit more than anybody in the NFL in 2011. The Jets need to limit pressure on Sanchez. Too many hits will likely shake his confidence and could result in a fumble as Mark has been known to do this year.
It is less than ideal, but just because the Giants have a weakness does not mean the Jets are capable of exploiting it. The Jets winning probably means keeping things relatively safe on offense, giving Sanchez easy throws, and leaning on the run game and defense. The good news is the Giants allow 4.5 yards per rush.