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Patriots Head to Meadowlands for AFC East Showdown

New England Patriots (1-0) at New York Jets (1-0)

Time: 1:00 p.m.
Where: Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey
TV: CBS
Radio: 98.5 FM:  The Sports Hub

It may not be Middle Earth, and the Pats have three rings to rule them all, but expect Sunday afternoon’s contest to be an epic battle nonetheless. It’s always thrilling when two unbeaten teams face off…or does it not work when the teams are 1-0? In any case, the Pats are hoping for that Brady magic to get them a fourth Super Bowl ring, and the trash-talking Jets are counting on Mark Sanchez to lead them to the playoffs and especially to not fall off at the end of the season like they they did with Brett Favre last year.

The Jets last week had a solid performance against the Texans, scoring in every quarter to win 24-7. On the other hand, the Patriots…well, it wasn’t pretty, but a win’s a win. They did pull through multiple times when it counted to pull off a 25-24 win over the upstart Bills. The Pats will have to play consistently well over the whole game if they want to keep racking up wins, while the Jets will have to prove they can beat other teams besides the pitiful Texans (sorry, David, Jon, Brian, Mike, and Teddy).

New York’s Keys to Winning:

Attack the Defense and Offense

Last week, the Pats surrendered 16-yard runs to two different rushers, including the quarterback, passes of over 20 yards to three different receivers, and two touchdown passes from a quarterback, Trent Edwards, who had no touchdowns and three interceptions during the preseason. Buffalo also converted a fourth down attempt.

Additionally, the Pats offense struggled for good chunks of the game, save for the last two drives. Brady threw an interception, and nearly had another throwing right by the center line that was fortunately dropped. New England was 0/2 on fourth down and 0/2 on two point conversions. New York would be wise to hammer the Pats in these areas to take sole possession of 1st place in the AFC East.

New England’s Keys to Winning:

Two Words: Tom Brady

Brady was 39/53 for 378 yards, including 12/14 in the last five minutes Monday against the Bills. This is why Brady is the man to have on your team in a clutch situation. The Pats need to keep the ball moving, not just to Randy Moss and Wes Welker, but to a good variety of receivers when possible, to keep the opposing defense guessing. This will open up more opportunities, such as the 31-yard pass Brady and Moss connected on Monday.

The Patriots also managed a muscular 28 first downs, which translated into a time of possession of 37:08. Controlling the ball for most of the game and extending drives will mean more chances for the Pats to score at the expense of opponents. Better performance on fourth down will make this even easier, and we all know Bill Belichick is willing to go for it when he sees an opportunity.

Prediction:

Patriots 17, Jets 13

Look for this to be a hard-hitting game, where the Pats will tighten up holes in their game against the Bills, while the Jets look to exploit those holes. The momentum should swing back and forth throughout the game, and the more experienced Brady should prove to be enough to overcome the Jets’ rookie leader Sanchez in the end.

Tags: Bill Belichick, New York Jets, Patriots, Randy Moss, Tom Brady, Wes Welker