I'm a diehard Patriot fan but if I was to put emotion aside, I wouldn't put any money on this game.
The Jets played well last week. Is that the real Jets or just a one week performance against the lowly Texans? Same for Sanchez's performance. The Patriots have a whole bunch of new faces on defense. Even playing at home, last week against Buff, I thought the results were mixed. Is this a defense that can make stops and get off the field? Is Brady all the way back or still a bit rusty?
This game definitely shapes these two teams for the near term (who plays well in December is most key however).
I think people are putting too much emphasis on a week one win. In 2005 the Miami Dolphins beat the Denver Broncos in week one and the Phins sucked that year. The Broncos went to the playoffs that year and the lost to the eventual Super Bowl Champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers. On top of that, the Broncos beat us on their way to get there.
Let's put things in perspective. Matt Schaub was playing hurt, (high ankle sprain I think). Their offense had little depth at wide receiver. As a result, they used guys that Matt Schaub was not in sync with. Also, their defense is young and a work in progress. They had an injured Cushing covering established vets; they had journey men going up against Nick Mangold, (one of the best centers in the league); and Dunta Robinson (their best player in the secondary) just showed up to the team that week.
You could see on Sunday that the Texans were not prepared for that game. That's why they played poorly. Yes Sanchez played well. Yes the defense got pressure on Matt Schuab. However, we all know that good preparation and planning can make good players look great. The fact of the matter is that Bart Scott, and David Harris together still don't equal Ray Lewis. Kerry Rhodes is no Ed Reed. And we beat Ed Reed and Ray Lewis with Bart Scott. We did it with less depth on the O-line, Tight end, and Running back.
The defense can talk all it wants, but we have enough to beat them. The problem is our defense. I think the defensive line will be ok. I think our corners will be fine. The players that really have to step up for us to win on Sunday are our safeties and our line backers.
If we have someone like a Gary Guyton or a Brandon Meriweather spy Washington or Jones, we can shut them down. At that point, it would be up to our corners to handle the Jests receivers one on one. If that holds, the Jets tight ends will give us the most trouble. If we can confuse Sanchez, force him to stay in the pocket, hurry his throws, and throw off balance, he may need his tight ends to stay home and protect him from the Pats pass rush.
