NFL Game of the Week: Jets vs. Patriots
Through 10 weeks, the NFC East has been the talk of the football world, but the AFC East has been just as impressive.
Somehow, someway, a Week 11 game between the New York Jets and Tom Brady-less New England Patriots has serious playoff implications this year.
These teams already faced each other once so far in Week 8 as the Patriots closed out a 22-17 victory over New York in Metlife Stadium.
However, a lot has changed since then as the Jets bounced back from that loss and upset the Bills the next week in a thrilling game that came down to the wire.
Now, Gang Green is sitting at a 6-3 record and holds the top wild card spot in the AFC while also coming off their bye week rested and prepared for what Bill Belichick will throw at them on Sunday.
While the Jets would be the fifth seed in the playoffs if the season ended today, the Patriots would also be in the playoffs as the seventh seed.
New England’s season has been full of storylines, most notably the QB controversy that occurred from weeks 4-7 between Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe, but in the past two weeks, Jones has looked more like his rookie self and has secured the job with solid play and team success.
In that Week 8 win against the Jets, Jones completed 68% of his passes and totaled 194 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
He then followed that up with another good performance in a dominant 26-3 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
The calling card of each team thus far has been the performance of their defenses.
An argument can be made that they are currently both top five in that category due to a mix of breakout veterans and impressive rookies.
Quinnen Williams, the third overall pick in the 2019 Draft, is blossoming into a star right before our eyes as he currently leads all defensive tackles in total pressures and sacks.
For New England, Matt Judon, their prize free agent signing from 2021, is one of the leaders in the Defensive Player of the Year race as he leads the entire league in sacks with 11.5 so far.
More parallels can be found between the opponents when looking at each secondary, specifically at the cornerback positions.
In April, the Jets selected Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner with the fourth pick in the draft and not only has he proven to be the best rookie cornerback, but he’s already established himself as one of the best in the league, locking up opposing number one receivers on a weekly basis.
The Patriots also took a corner in the draft, but their selection came much later, selecting Jack Jones out of Arizona State in the fourth round and he has certainly exceeded expectations.
Posting an 86.9 PFF grade in just his first year, Jones has done an amicable job taking over as the top corner on New England in the wake of J.C. Jackson’s departure.
With the defenses playing at a high level and the offenses still trying to find their footing, expect a low scoring affair in this divisional matchup at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Jakob Schnur is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jks6463@psu.edu
