Patriots – Jets II, Key Matchups; Who Has the Razor’s Edge?

Patriots RBs vs Jets Front Seven – Razor’s Edge New York
The Jets are outstanding against the run allowing only 82.8 yards per game. Their front seven is very stout at the point of attack and in the first meeting the Patriots only attempted nine runs for 16 yards on the day. Tom Brady was actually the Pats leading rusher in October with 15 yards on four carries.

With LaGarrette Blount and Dion Lewis on IR, the Patriots running game was carried by Brandon Bolden and James White. Last week the team activated Joey Iosefa from the practice squad and the big FB had 51 yards on 14 carries. Now the team has signed Steven Jackson to help with the stretch run. The Pats are hoping he can contribute just 10-15 carries a game to help ease the burden on Brady and the passing game.

All eyes will be on Jackson to see what he has left in the tank and one particular area to focus on will be ball security. For a guy who hasn’t played all season, that will bear watching.

Patriots WRs vs Jets Secondary – Razor’s Edge New England
Brady has been one of the players talked about as an MVP candidate for a reason this year. He’s been fantastic and he was at his best in the fourth quarter of the October game against the Jets; Brady was 14-17 for 150 yards and two touchdowns in the pivotal 4^th quarter to lead the Pats to a comeback victory. Rob Gronkowski had 11 catches for 108 yards and a touchdown. But Brady had both Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola for that game.

The Jets pass defense is very good with Darrelle Revis still locking down one side and Buster Skrine in the slot. Their pass rush has been particularly effective during the 4-game winning streak notching 13 sacks. They get a great push from Muhammad Wilkerson, Damon Harrison and Sheldon Richardson up front. Rookie Leonard Williams has been impressive.

The key in the first game was hitting the quick passes to Edelman and getting the ball out before the Jets could bring pressure. Expect the Patriots to do that again and get James White involved in the passing game early. Brady got rid of the ball an average of 1.91 seconds in the first game. The Patriots want a repeat; the Jets want to slow that time down. Look for the Patriots to try to work the middle of the field against the linebackers.

Next up the Jets offense:

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About Steve Balestrieri

A former US Army Special Forces NCO and Officer, Steve has been following the Patriots since their days at Fenway Park. Steve has worked in the film industry and wrote as an Military Editor at SpecialOperations.com, 1945.com as a reporter for the Millbury Daily Voice, Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, and the Grafton News. He's also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA)

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