Opponent Profile: Will The Jets Get That Big Win In New England?
By Dave Thomas
When the New York Jets opened the regular season with a home victory over Oakland, some fans may not have exactly been jumping for joy.
Sure, it was a win to start the 2014 campaign, but it came against a team that is arguably the worst in football as the calendar approaches mid-October. Five games later, the Jets have gone from potential AFC East contender to a downright disappointment, leaving many to wonder if head coach Rex Ryan will make it to the end of the season.
After dropping a 31-17 home decision this past Sunday to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos, the Jets have a short turn around time before heading to Foxboro and meeting with the hated New England Patriots this Thursday evening.
Brady And Company Await Struggling New York Team
Losers of five straight and having been outscored 62-17 in their last two games, the Jets will look to knock off the AFC East-leading Patriots, 37-22 winners in Buffalo this past weekend.
To the surprise of absolutely no one in the NFL, veteran QB Tom Brady is yet again the focus of attention in Foxboro. Although he may not have some of the high-caliber weapons from the past to work with, the University of Michigan product continues to find ways to win.
After a Monday Night thrashing two weeks ago in Kansas City, Brady and Company responded by dismantling the previously unbeaten Cincinnati Bengals a week ago this past Sunday before yet again knocking off division rival Buffalo.
Heading into this Thursday night encounter, Brady has thrown for 1,444 yards and 10 TD's this season, with Julian Edelman (409 yards receiving) his top threat to date, though favorite target Rob Gronkowski (341 yards receiving, four touchdowns) is always a threat.
On the ground, New England has been relying on Stevan Ridley (340 yards rushing, two touchdowns) to carry the load.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Patriots are led by middle linebacker Jerod Mayo (53 total tackles) and left defensive end Rob Ninkovich (four sacks).
New England certainly won't be accused of having an easy schedule, as the Patriots face Chicago, Denver, Indianapolis (away), Detroit, and Green Bay (away) to finish out October and November.
For now, however, it is a longtime AFC East rivalry (New England leads series 56-53-1) that will have the attention of both the Jets and Patriots come Thursday night in New England.
For more Jets news and updates, visit Jets Central.
Dave Thomas has been covering the sports world since his first job as a sports editor for a weekly newspaper in Pennsylvania back in 1989. He has covered a Super Bowl, college bowl games, MLB, NBA and more. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
