Patriots/Jets AFC East Showdown
Are the clouds rolling in on the New England Patriots? Despite a victory, if last week’s performance is any indication, the Pats time in the sun is done. Tom Brady threw for just 163 yards on 11 of 23 passing as the offense looked way out of sync. Fortunately for the Pats, the duo of rookie Lawrence Maroney and veteran Corey Dillon picked up the slack rushing for 183 yards.
Chad Pennington and the Jets on the other hand looked great as they got out to a fast 16-0 lead before having to score late to defeat the Tennessee Titans. Pennington was in Pro Bowl form throwing for 319 yards on 24 of 33 passing.
New England does have history on its side winning six straight meetings with the Jets and five in a row at Giants Stadium. If the Jets are going to end their losing streak they’ll have to put together a better ground game. Their running back duo of Kevin Barlow and Derrick Blaylock combined for just 71 yards last week.
If this game ends up close down the stretch, the Jets will have to be nervous as kicker Mike Nugent missed two chip shot field goals and an extra point last week.
What we can expect this week is a better outing by Tom Brady, but I also think Pennington will repeat with another solid performance. New England appears to have the edge on the ground, but the Jets will likely win the battle through the air.
Another factor is that New York’s coach Eric Mangini and Bill Belichick know each other well as Mangini was Belichick’s defensive coordinator just a season ago for New England. It is apparent that Mangini has the Jets defense whipped into a much tougher unit. Both Belichick and Mangini should benefit from knowing each other’s tendencies.
History may be on New England’s side, but New York’s offense definitely looked better in week one. The defense which performs better will be the deciding factor in this one.
I couldn’t be more confident in my winning side in this AFC East opener and that’s why I’m making this matchup my AFC East Game of the Year. I have weighed every factor in this matchup and I have uncovered the easiest winner you’ll find Sunday. Make sure you’re playing who I’m playing in Sunday’s AFC East Game of the Year.