Pats-Jets Predictions

After a long, long week, Sunday is finally here, and we can stop listening to the chatter and finally let the players decide the results on the field instead of in front of a microphone.

The stage is set for the Pats and Jets to face off in an early season divisional match-up, and all six division games are important, no matter how early in the season they go off.  This is not lost on the Jets, who simply cannot stop talking about this game.

But what does all the chatter mean about how they will actually play this game?

The main thing it means is that Rex Ryan has the Jets pumped up for this one.  They will come out of the gate flying, and you can bet that they are going to blitz every chance they get, especially early in the game to try to set the tone and knock Tom Brady down. 

The first quarter is going to go a long way toward dictating the way this game goes.  If Jenkins, Ellis and Harris can get after Brady early, they may be able to disrupt the pace of the game and help get their rookie quarterback some decent field position.  Once Sanchez gets the ball, he will look over a Patriots defense that is certainly not what it used to be.

Sanchez will most lkely try to stretch the field a bit more than he did last week, gaining the confidence of having a successful week one.  If Thomas Jones and Leon Washington can force New England to bring some extra bodies into the box, look for Sanchez to have a breakout week.  He's already shown us he has excellent footwork and great field vision.  If the Pats leave a man open downfield, Sanchez should be able to hit him.

That being said, the Patriots have Tom Brady and Randy Moss to give the Jets headaches all day long.  Brady historically hates trash talkers, so you better believe he'll go after Kerry Rhodes.  Rhodes and Darrell Revis are no scrubs, however, and they should be able to hold their own against Moss.  The Jets will most likely have more trouble defending against Wes Welker in the slot.  Calvin Pace is still serving a suspension, so the Patriots may have a little more space across the middle of the field than they normally would.

The X-Factor to this game will be Special Teams.  Leon Washington is a stud in the return game, and he can turn a game on it's head on a moment's notice. 

PREDICTION:

Rex Ryan is a lunatic, and he will send the house against the Pats O-Line.  As cool under pressure as Brady is, he won't be able to avoid getting drilled a few times in this one.  That doesn't mean he won't be able to exploit the D and put up some numbers.  But it does mean that the Jets should get Sanchez the ball with decent position.

Mark Sanchez showed incredible grit on Third Down last week.  Thomas Jones should be able to pound the front seven enough to give Sanchez some time to throw on third down and succeed again in those crucial spots.

This is going to be a close game, and lower scoring than a lot of people are anticipating.  The Jets defense will end up controlling the game, and giving the home team just enough of an edge to win a close game.

Final Score: Jets 17, Patriots 14