Jets at Patriots Game Preview

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The New York Jets head into a short week with a record of 1-5, and 0-5 against quality opponents. Gang Green is in dire need of a momentum-changing victory that will take the NFL by storm and end the teams slump. A Thursday night primetime matchup between the Jets and AFC East rival New England Patriots could be just what the doctor ordered, or conversely it could continue the Jets losing streak and put the squad in a position where it is all but eliminated from contention. This is the sort of game that inevitably ends with you or your loved ones drinking heavily, either in celebration or miserable defeat.

Where Each Team Is

The Patriots have finally taken the lead in the AFC East with a 4-2 record after a crucial victory over the Buffalo Bills. I feel like if I were from Western New York I would receive an unsolicited lecture from some avuncular figure in my life about horseshoes and hand grenades every single year. If a children's book author hailed from Rochester, they would have written "The Little Train That Almost Could...4 Consecutive Times." But enough using historically depressing teams to feel better about the very modern problems facing the Jets. The Patriots and Bills are winning some games. The Jets are not.

After multiple disastrous outings against the likes of some of the finest and best managed cities in America such as Detroit, Gang Green experienced a bit of a resurgence against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. Geno Smith displayed poise and even though he was ultimately outpaced by Manning's forehead and his merry band of lethargic stoners pro-bowl caliber teammates, the Jets offense showed signs of improvement. On a semi-related note, can you believe there's actually a team called the Denver Nuggets? I didn't either at first, but the friendly guy that answers the phones for the NBA assures me that there is in fact a team going by that name and to please stop calling. Crazy, bro.

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Sister Site: Pats Pulpit

Location: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA.

Field: Open air, FieldTurf.

Coverage: CBS & NFL Network will share joint custody of this baby and fight jealously for its affection.

Weather: To quote my obnoxious, banal roommate from the mid-2000's; "IT'S GON RAIN." Also, he was quite insistent that I "Git 'R Done" which to this day I still don't understand how to accomplish. Highs are in the mid-70's.

Read a much better and more comprehensive breakdown of the game time weather forecast from a more esteemed writer here.

Record: Patriots lead the all-time series, 56-53-1.

What happened last time? Jets beat the Patriots by a score of 30-27 in overtime on October 20th, 2013.

Who is favored? Patriots by 10.

Injuries

Jets

NAME	POSITION	INJURY	MON.	TUE.	WED.	GAME STATUS
Amaro, Jace	TE	Knee	LP	FP	FP	Probable
Bush, Josh	S	Quadriceps	LP	DNP	DNP	Doubtful (CUT)
Colon, Willie	G	Knee	LP	FP	FP	Probable
Decker, Eric	WR	Hamstring	LP	LP	FP	Probable
Giacomini, Breno	T	Low Back	FP	FP	FP	Probable
Harris, David	LB	Shoulder	LP	LP	LP	Probable
Harrison, Damon	DL	Ankle	FP	FP	FP	Probable
Johnson, Chris	RB	Ankle	FP	FP	FP	Probable
Mangold, Nick	C	Shoulder	LP	FP	FP	Probable
Nelson, David	WR	Ankle	LP	FP	FP	Probable
Reilly, Trevor	OLB	Knee	DNP	DNP	DNP	Out
Salas, Greg	WR	Wrist/Ankle	DNP	DNP	DNP	Out
Walls, Darrin	CB	Knee	LP	FP	FP	Probable

Patriots

NAME	POSITION	INJURY	MON.	TUE.	WED.	GAME STATUS
Mayo, Jerod	LB	Knee	OUT	OUT	OUT	OUT
Ridley, Stevan	RB	Knee	OUT	OUT	OUT	OUT
Connolly, Dan	G	Concussion	DNP	DNP	DNP	Questionable
Ebner, Nate	DB	Finger	DNP	DNP	DNP	OUT
Fleming, Cameron	OL	Finger	DNP	DNP	DNP	OUT
Stork, Bryan	OL	Concussion	DNP	DNP	DNP	Questionable
Brady, Tom	QB	Ankle	LP	LP	LP	Probable
Browner, Brandon	CB	Ankle	LP	LP	LP	Questionable
Collins, Jamie	LB	Thigh	LP	LP	LP	Questionable
Easley, Dominique	DL	Shoulder/Knee	LP	LP	LP	Questionable
Hightower, Dont'a	LB	Knee	LP	LP	LP	Questionable
Jones, Chandler	DE	Shoulder	LP	LP	LP	Probable
McCourty, Devin	S	Rib	LP	LP	LP	Probable
Slater, Matthew	WR	Shoulder	LP	LP	LP	Questionable

Rankings

Jets: On offense the Jets are 30th in points scored, 30th in overall yards, 32nd in passing yards and 12th in rushing. Not only are the Jets easily one of the worst offenses overall and through the air in the NFL, Denver selling out against the run versus the Jets dropped them out of the top ten rushing attacks. The Jets can't pass and they can't score. Until they reverse this trend, Gang Green will lose.

On defense the Jets are 25th in points allowed, 6th in overall yards allowed, 15th in passing defense, and 8th in rushing defense. The Jets have lost their prestigious position as one of the leagues best run defenses. While the Jets don't do any one single thing at an outstanding level on defense and the unit surrenders far too many points on average, the Jets quietly remain one of the best defensive units in terms of average yards surrendered per game.

Patriots: On offense the Patriots are 11th in points scored, 17th in overall yards, 15th in passing yards; and 18th in rushing yards. The run offense might take a step back with Stevan Ridley headed to injured reserve, but Shane Vereen and a committee of hungry backs should eagerly fill his shoes. The Patriots score a lot of points, but besides that on average they aren't especially threatening on paper.

On defense the Patriots rank 11th in points allowed, 5th in yards allowed, 3rd against the pass, and 14th against the run. With a secondary led by Darrelle Revis consistently ranking among the top 5 pass defenses every week, Geno Smith and the Jets offense will more than have their hands full. Smith typically does not produce well against the better secondaries.

AP Pro Ranking has the Jets falling to 29th overall, and the Patriots ranked 10th.

Attacking the Patriots

Playing the averages, the Patriots are worst against the run. Pounding the rock and refusing to abandon the ground game could potentially open up the pass, especially if the Pats are forced to stack players in the box against what has largely been a formidable rushing offense, last week notwithstanding. It's unlikely the Jets can create many mismatches against the New England secondary, especially with Greg Salas out, so Smith will need to be very accurate when he drops back to pass or this game could quickly get out of control.

Tom Brady isn't what he used to be. He's still a great player, but his regression is easily measurable and visible to even the more casual football viewers. Whether an effect of his lack of weapons or not (you're preaching to the choir, New England fans), Brady's production is slipping as he approaches the football-ancient age of 40. The Jets have a defensive line suited to get to Brady in the backfield several times. You don't need to sack Brady to disrupt the New England offense; simply hitting him as he throws is enough to turn the Patriots offense on its head and neutralize the pass.

Jets X-Factor

I feel like I've already reached my quota/limit for Eric Decker mentions as X-Factor in a single season. Salas is out, Kerley is seemingly overwhelmed, and David Nelson is unworthy of such a designation. So my offensive X-Factor goes to Jace Amaro by default. After a breakout game against Denver, the Jets rookie tight end's performance appears directly related to that of the offense. As Amaro goes so does the passing game. If you're a Jets fan, hope for Amaro to play very well.

Brady has been reliant on tight ends to complement his limited receiving options, consistently falling to Rob Gronkowski and Timothy Wright, his second and fourth leading receivers, respectively. It will be interesting to see how Calvin Pryor and Dawan Landry respond to such an athletic and productive set of tight ends. It's unlikely David Harris or Demario Davis can effectively cover Gronkowski, and safety or nickel help will be critical at some point. Landry, Harris, and Davis are the teams leading tacklers. Sound tackling will be crucial to the potential success of the team. The Patriots dink-and-dunk passing attack could be rendered ineffective if their receivers are neutralized promptly after the catch.

Patriots to Watch

Julian Edelman is the favorite target of Tom Brady, hands down. Edelman has 14 more receptions than the next-most targeted receiver on the team, and over 60 more receiving yards. Gronkowski is the favorite scoring threat with 4 touchdowns, followed by Brandon LaFell and Timothy Wright. Shane Vereen was a popular target out of the backfield long before Stevan Ridley went down with a knee injury. Brady relies on Edelman, LaFell, and Gronkowski in the open field and turns to his reserves and tight ends in the red zone.

The Patriots have 7 different players with interceptions on the season, compared to only 2 interceptions against them by opponents. Rob Ninkovich, Chandler Jones, and Dont'a Hightower all have multiple sacks on the year. Jerod Mayo was the teams undisputed lead tackler, with double the combined tackles of anyone else on the Patriots defense. It remains to be seen if anyone can fill those big shoes on the field, but while the Pats lack a standout player besides Mayo on defense there are no lack of players contributing. At least 15 different players on the Patriots defense have a sack or turnover to their credit.

Bro's Bottom Line

Another tough game in rapid succession for the Jets. Although against another challenging opponent, this game doesn't have the same feeling of being already resigned to a Jets loss like the match-ups of recent weeks. The Patriots are a good team that can't quite capture the greatness of years past, and the Jets are as hungry and desperate right now as they ever will be. Defeating the Patriots tonight would throw the AFC East back into contention for all 4 rival teams. A defeat would mean the Jets have (in the very best scenario) room for one more loss for the entire rest of the season to remain in contention, and their bye is still weeks away. It's hard to believe it, but this is a must-win game for the Jets in week 7.

New England might be heavily favored, but don't count Gang Green out of this game just yet.

Send your questions, comments, and hate mail via mr.zack@gmail.com or @JeffParksNY on Twitter. Thanks for reading.