Emotions in Patriots Favor Against the Jets On Sunday
As if watching Russell Wilson torch the Patriots last Sunday wasn't bad enough, in his performance Thursday night, he had a quarterback rating of 0.00 in the second half. Talk about a smack in the face. The Patriots secondary got blown wide open by a guy who couldn't put together a drive of over 10 yards in the fourth quarter. The Patriots have been dealing with that loss all week and combine that with a game against the AFC East rival Jets, and there should be more than enough fuel to push them to a dominating victory. Here are three things the Patriots have that the Jets don't and what will put them in the driver's seat on Sunday.
 Last week's loss will fuel Tom Brady to have a much needed turnaround game on Sunday. (FILE:USPresswire) |
Emotional Baggage I mean this in the best way possible. Last week the Patriots got exposed and embarassed. Richard Sherman showed a complete lack of respect for the future hall of famer that is Tom Brady. It's bad enough to lose to a team that is below your talent level, but to lose to a team that is incapable of acting like they've been there before, that's worse. Brady was asked in his press conference this week about going up against the Jets after coming off a loss like the one in Seattle. The Jets are a very familiar opponent and it takes a lot of work and creativity to come up with something they haven't seen you do before. He said he has a lot of respect and familiarity with this team and he touched on how they've adjusted to losing Darrelle Revis. Now just because there will be no "Revis Island", that doesn't mean the Patriots will get away scot-free. They will have to take advantage of their ability to run a high paced offense and make the Jets their outlet for enacting revenge. They have a lot to prove this week and should be running on their emotions from last week.
Front Seven If ever the Patriots front seven had an opportunity to disrupt a quarterback, this week is it. Mark Sanchez is pocket comfortable and can be forced into making bad passes. If Chandler Jones can keep playing at the level he has been, he should be successful in knocking Sanchez around. The Patriots have proven they can stop the run game when put to the test. Granted that shouldn't be too difficult this week. Shonn Greene is the only active Jet running back with a carry that is expected to play on Sunday. That means we could see Tim Tebow get some carries. Knowing Rex Ryan, I wouldn't put it past him. He likes to mix things up and keep the Patriots on their toes. As long as the front seven stay strong and are prepared for any and all possibilities, the Jets will not be able to break the wall.
Versatility With the Jets run game problems, the Patriots have the obvious advantage when it comes to versatility. They are more than capable of running the ball and Stevan Ridley is definitely looking to rebound from a poor performance. Wes Welker gives the Pats the shorter, slot pass option and he will probably be the defense's top target. So even if he gets the double coverage they can turn to the tight end game with Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez or they can go deep with Brandon Lloyd. The Jets have a lot of ground to cover when it comes to this Patriots offense. They'll be calling plays out at a rapid rate and keeping the defense on their heels. That is how they will find success and burn the Jets early and often.
It is week 7 and now is when losses can really start to hurt a team. The Patriots will rise to the occasion on Sunday and show they are not the defeated type. They will use all 60 minutes to close out the game and not give the Jets a second to breathe on defense. Last week was tough but this week we will see just what this team has and how much of a turnaround they can make.
