It is 2:30 p.m. on a Friday and I am having a hard time figuring out who will win this game — Pats vs. Jets.
I believe it will be very physical and a lot of trash talking.
Anyway, here are 10 things to look for in the biggest game of the early season for the Patriots:
1. Who steps up on defense.
Jerod Mayo is not walking through that visitors tunnel, at least not for another month. So who will be the playmaker on defense the Patriots are going to need. I believe it might be Brandon Meriweather, who made the play of the game, by ramming Bills returner Leodis McKelvin and setting up the strip by Pierre Woods. The Patriots need one, maybe two, defenders to make a game-changing play.
2. Protection of Brady.
This is probably the most interesting aspect of the game considering the talking coming out of the Jets locker room this week. They are coming after Brady, or at least they are threatening to. Expect the Patriots to counteract that attack with some quick, short passes and maybe have Brady throwing downfield, when protection is vital, on early running downs. Anyway, the pressure is on the offensive line to keep him upright.
3. Which running back will take charge.
They have three “tailbacks” and none have done anything exceptional just yet. Laurence Maroney, Fred Taylor and Sammy Morris appear to be all capable of being 15-rushes-per-game backs on a good team, but we haven’t seen it yet. Will the running back-by-committee be a long-term solution? Probably not.
4. Will real Ben Watson stand up?
The Patriots tight end has speed. The problem has been holding onto the ball in key situations. He made two of his biggest receptions at the end of the game with the Bills. Both were great patterns and one catch, in particular, to win the game, bordered on special. Expect Brady to go to Watson early to see if last week was the exception or the rule.
5. Gostkowski’s leg.
If the Patriots win this game it will probably be by a field goal or two. And that means Steve Gostkowski coming through. Because this offense is so good, his importance has been downplayed. Not on Sunday. He will have to be perfect and may be forced to hit one in the 50-yard range. He did jump on the fumble to get Brady the ball one last time. But now it’s his leg we will be watching.
6. Trash talking.
I have to admit, I like when teams don’t like each other. It means a physical game. Expect both teams to be taunting the other at some point. Remember, Brady didn’t take too kindly for the guarantee a Pittsburgh safety (Anthony Smith) made two years ago and he let him have it. Expect Kerry Rhodes, the Jets safety who said his team would be knocking Brady down on his butt more than “six” times.
7. The Handshake.
My guess is Bill Belichick, win or lose, will not be in the hugging mode after the game when he meets Rex Ryan afterward. The Border War is alive and well and the meeting after the game will be on every station’s sportscast afterward.
8. The Rookie.
Mark Sanchez, like it or not, might be the quarterback with a bull’s-eye on his back. The Patriots have a history of confusing young quarterbacks. The Patriots usually defer to confusing rather than pressuring, but that might change. The key for the Patriots defense will be stop the run first and then go after Sanchez, who has one NFL game on his resume.
9. A loud Giant Stadium.
The Jets are on record as saying this is an important game. Coach Ryan sent a recorded message to all season ticket holders basically begging them to make life difficult when the Patriots offense is on the field. The Patriots have heard noise before in big games (see two AFC Championships in Pittsburgh) and survived pretty well. Let’s see if it is a factor.
10. A great game.
I would be surprised if the difference at the end of the game is more than seven points. The Patriots, even looking shaky last week, are legit Super Bowl contenders and the Jets return a team that was a Super Bowl contender before Brett Favre (was he injured) fell apart in December. This was going to be a good game, with or without the hype. Honestly, I love the hype.
