Soggy outlook
If you’re heading to Gillette Stadium tonight for the Patriots-Jets showdown, you’d be wise to wear your raincoat. Actually, arriving via an ark might not be a bad idea, either, assuming the current weather forecast proves accurate.
According to weather.com, steady rain is expected in the Foxborough from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., followed by scattered showers until sometime between 11 p.m. and midnight.
With kickoff set for 8:15 p.m., it appears all but certain that the game will take place in less-than-ideal conditions, though temperatures will be in the mid-40s.
As Mike Reiss noted in a post here early this morning, this wouldn’t be the first time in recent seasons that wet weather would affect a matchup with the Jets:
Two seasons ago, almost to the day, the Jets came into Gillette Stadium on a rainy day and posted a surprising victory. Tonight’s forecast also calls for rain, although the feeling here is that it helps the Patriots in part because [Jets quarterback Brett] Favre’s ball security is always a concern for the Jets. Both teams figure to have trouble running the ball, as both defenses are especially strong in that area.
It will be fascinating to what impact the weather has on strategy and the outcome.
Will it make Favre — who can be mistake-prone and careless even in the best of conditions — even more likely to commit a crucial turnover? Or will it hinder Matt Cassel, a California native who presumably has little experience throwing the ball in lousy weather?
Will it give the Jets an edge in the running game since Thomas Jones is a more experienced ball carrier than Patriots rookie BenJarvus Green-Ellis?
Will it mean the big-play capability of Randy Moss will be of less concern to the Jets, and will it make Wes Welker and Kevin Faulk even more important in the short passing game?
Is there something we’re overlooking? Or are we blowing the potential effects out of proportion? Let us know in the comments how you think the rain could affect tonight’s game.
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