Game 12: Jets at Patriots

By Chad Finn

December 6, 2010

5 minutes to read

At this point, you need any extra buildup for this one, you’re probably watching “How I Met Your Mother” or something else anyway.

The hype for tonight’s matchup between the 9-2 Patriots and 9-2 Jets at Gillette Stadium has been overwhelming since both teams last played on Thanksgiving. It’s also been entirely justified. In a season in which the Patriots seem to play an accomplished opponent every other week, this is the one that matters most.

Not only is it a matchup with their greatest rival, but it will go a long way toward determining which team wins the AFC East and earns the possible No. 1 seed and a bye, and which team finishes with a wild card bid and begins the postseason on the road.

The Jets follow the approach of their brash, affable coach, Rex Ryan, telling everyone who will listen how good they are, and then most Sundays (or Thursdays, or Mondays) backing it up on the field. Thus far, they are every bit as good as they told us they would be during “Hard Knocks.”

The Patriots, meanwhile, have continued to win in a fashion that is both workmanlike and flashy. Quarterback Tom Brady sometimes gets more notice for his hair and his endorsements than he has for his spectacular play; he has thrown 23 TD passes against just 4 interceptions, and he should be considered the leading candidate for the NFL Most Valuable Player award.

Defensively, the Jets are known for their blitzing, ferocious style, but with the injury to essential safety Jim Leonhard this week, it will be interesting to see if they temper their aggressiveness. The Patriots’ defense has at times played like the old bend-but-don’t-break units during the early dynasty years, but this group could have a fatal flaw: it’s inability to get off the field on third down. The Patriots have allowed opposing offenses to convert 51 percent of their third downs, which over a full season would rank among the worst in the history of the NFL. If they are to win tonight, it’s imperative that they stop Mark Sanchez and the Jets’ offense from prolonging drives with crucial conversions.

Below are some more game details and story lines. Stay tuned to Extra Points for in-game and postgame reaction and analysis from Team Globe here at Gillette Stadium.

Kickoff: 8:30 p.m.
Records: Jets 9-2; Patriots 9-2
TV/Radio: ESPN, Ch. 5. Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Jon Gruden will call the game. Gil Santos and Gino Cappelletti handle radio duties for 98.5 The Sports Hub.
Line: Patriots favored by 4

Inactives
Patriots: WR Taylor Price, RB Thomas Clayton, DB Jonathan Wilhite, OL Rich Ohrnberger, T Mark LeVoir, DL Myron Pryor, DL Eric Moore, DL Mike Wright.
Jets: QB Kellen Clemens, LB Jamaal Westerman, OL Vladimir Ducasse, TE Matthew Mulligan, TE Jeff Cumberland, WR Laveranues Coles, DT Marcus Dixon, DL Matt Kroul.

Projected starting lineups (based on depth charts, injury reports and news reports)
Patriots offense: WR Wes Welker, LT Matt Light, LG Logan Mankins, C Dan Koppen, RG Dan Connolly, RT Sebastian Vollmer, TE Alge Crumpler, WR Brandon Tate, QB Tom Brady, RB Fred Taylor, RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis.

Jets offense: WR Jerricho Cotchery, LT D’Brickashaw Ferguson, LG Matt Slauson, C Nick Mangold, RG Brandon Moore, RT Damien Woody, TE Dustin Keller, WR Braylon Edwards, QB Mark Sanchez, FB Tony Richardson, RB Shonn Greene.

Patriots defense: LE Gerard Warren, NT Vince Wilfork, RE Brandon Deaderick, OLB Rob Ninkovich, ILB Jerod Mayo, ILB Brandon Spikes, OLB Jermaine Cunningham, LCB Devin McCourty, RCB Kyle Arrington, S Brandon Meriweather, S Patrick Chung.

Jets defense: DE Shaun Ellis, NT Sione Pouha, T Mike DeVito, OLB Bryan Thomas, WILL Bart Scott, MIKE David Harris, OLB Calvin Pace, CB Darrelle Revis, CB Antonio Cromartie, S Brodney Pool, DB Kyle Wilson.

What to watch for
Ch-ch-changes: The Jets and Patriots both have made some alterations since their Week 2 meeting, a 28-14 New York win at the New Meadowlands, with the most notable changes coming at wide receiver. Santonio Holmes, who missed the previous game while serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, has teamed with Braylon Edwards to give QB Mark Sanchez a pair of outside threats. Holmes has 32 catches for 491 yards and four touchdowns.

For the Patriots, the wideout change is more drastic, with Randy Moss dealt to Minnesota and replaced by old friend Deion Branch, who was reacquired after four seasons in Seattle. Branch has given more balance and diversity to the Patriots’ passing game.

Who replaces Leonhard: The Jets suffered a potentially damaging blow in practice Friday when dependable safety Jim Leonhard suffered a severe injury to his shin, ending his season. Leonhard was the glue of the Jets’ defensive backfield, a hard hitter who called the defensive signals. The Jets are further burdened in that they may not have a capable replacement. Safety Brodney Pool has struggled in coverage, and rookie first-round pick Kyle Wilson — chosen immediately after the Patriots selected standout Devin McCourty in the April draft — has had a rookie season marked by peaks and valleys. The Jets have struggled to defend opposing tight ends even when Leonhard was healthy — the Patriots’ Aaron Hernandez burned them for 106 yards in Week 2 — and this could be a night for Hernandez, Rob Gronkowski, and perhaps even Alge Crumpler to do some damage in the middle of the field.

Icing the kickers: It’s a cold one tonight in Foxborough, with temperatures expected to drop down into the 20s, and so the kicking game could be affected. If it comes down to the Jets’ Nick Folk or the Patriots’ Shayne Graham (who has performed ably while replacing the injured Stephen Gostkowski), they won’t just be facing pressure, they’ll be dealing with the elements.

What about Woody? The story has been told more than once in recent weeks as diminutive running back Danny Woodhead has emerged as a significant contributor to the Patriots’ offense, but it probably bears repeating (at least if you are a Patriots fan who enjoys gloating from time to time) that he began the season with the Jets. Woodhead was let go when the Jets decided to keep draft pick Joe McKnight out of Southern Cal, and he was quickly snapped up by the Patriots before the Week 2 game. Turns out they had bigger plans for him than just intelligence on his former employer, and it would be a heck of a plot twist if the Chadron State product ends up as a key performer in a victory over the team that gave him his first shot in the NFL.