I am ready to be hurt again.

After some days bereavement and anguish the time has come to let delusion creep back in my head. Sunday is a must win and the Jets are going to do just that. The defense will return to form, the run game will get going, and Zach Wilson will do just enough to defeat New England for the First time since before I had hair below my eyebrows. How much do I believe that? Not completely sure but what other choice do I have?

A week 3 matchup after a 1-1 start is hard to call a must win but a loss at home verse a division rival following the beat down in Dallas feels like a recipe for disaster. The Jets came into this season with championship aspirations, with the loss of Hall of Fame Quarterback Aaron Rodgers most sensible people no longer find that to be the case. The players and coaches can tell us they are still contenders but if losses begin to pile up I fear the organization will not be only to dilute itself any longer.

Last weekend against Dallas left us with a lot of questions that I think we will find answers to this Sunday. How far has Zach Wilson come as a quarterback? For a half of football we watched Zach Wilson look more mature, poised, and accurate. He was unable to overcome the struggles of his offensive line and reverted back to the Zach Wilson of old in the second half. Bill Belichick ( Old ) always seems to have the perfect scheme when it comes to playing the Jets. Despite this the Patriots defense does not have the star power the Cowboys or Bills have. The Jets have to score points this week and Zach Wilson has to prove to this fanbase that he can lead a competent offense. If the team is not able to go on extended drives and come away with touchdowns the Jets will be forced to look at outside options to quarterback this team.

The position group with almost as much pressure as the quarterback has to be the offensive line. Against Dallas Duane Brown looked old, Laken Tomlinson continued to look like a bad contract and Connor Mcgovern appears ready to be replaced by rookie second round pick Joe Tippmann. Breece Hall only had four carries (check his Twitter to confirm) ((I will not call it X)) largely due to the O-lines inability to create holes in the running game. You can argue the Jets got away from the running game early not allowing them a chance to establish it. What you cannot argue is that the unit was abysmal in pass protection. This week keeping Zach upright will be paramount. I believe there best chance of doing so will be double teaming and chipping Matthew Judon, something they did not do Sunday against Micah Parsons. Worth noting I am writing this while watching the Thursday night matchup and the 49ers and the Jets do not play the same sport.

Last but certainly not least we look to do the defense who I feel needs to have a strong bounce back performance. Our pass rush did not live up to its potential against Dallas but I see this as an opportunity to get back on track. New England is down some offensive lineman and if we are able to heat up Mac Jones the team can create some much needed turnovers. New England lacks talent at the receiver positions so I expect our linebacker play will be tested by tight ends all afternoon. A strong performance from Mosley and Quincy Williams can cause Mac Jones a lot of frustration. It has been longer than any of us would like for Quinen to log his first sack this week despite still being a force on the field but I expect that to change this weekend.

All in all if the Jets want to be a playoff team this year they need to handle teams like New England. On paper the Jets are a better team and I expect them to take care of business this Sunday in Jetlife. If you’re in attendance this weekend be sure to be loud and lets break this brutal streak. I predict a 20-10 Jets victory, comment below how you expect the game to go!