The last time these teams met … well, you know.
It was the embarrassing Monday Night game, as the Patriots dominated the Jets 45-3. They did this thanks to the skill players on offense. HB Danny Woodhead (+2.9) had a nice day catching out of the backfield, with four catches for 104 yards, 92 coming after the catch. WR Wes Welker (+2.5) caught all seven passes thrown his way for 80 yards and a touchdown.
Most of the Jets defense did not perform well, and the offense was also hindered by the poor play of QB Mark Sanchez (-2.9). He only managed 5 yards per attempt and three interceptions. What made his rating particularly poor was not only his struggles throwing deep, but also missing on many short targets.
JETS OFFENSE
On offense, the Jets operate a simple, man-up blocking scheme, allowing their powerful linemen to open holes for RBs LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene. They use an extra lineman — usually T Wayne Hunter — as a tight end in jumbo packages, which they use more than just for goal-line and short-yardage runs, allowing them to really grind on an opponent's run defense. In recent weeks Hunter has found himself starting in place of Damien Woody, and with Woody winding up on IR, expect to see a lot more of TE Ben Hartsock, who is the best blocking TE the Jets have. The Jets’ blockers against the aggressive run D of the Patriots will be a key encounter.
The run game opens things up for play-action passes makes things easier for QB Mark Sanchez by giving him easier throws to make. Sanchez and the Jets love to use TE Dustin Keller as a receiving weapon, especially crossing the formation, often giving Sanchez a wide open receiver to hit after his run fake. Sanchez seems at his best when he hooks up with Keller early.
JETS DEFENSE
The Jets' defensive relies on CB Darrelle Revis. If Revis plays like he did in 2009 – and he has been in recent weeks — the Jets can lock him down in man coverage against a team's top receiver and roll the rest of the coverage away from him, including sending their defensive backs on blitzes. This season they like to match up Antonio Cromartie on the opposition’s vertical threat, but the Patriots don’t really have such a receiver, so how they try to protect Cromartie will be interesting.
Up front the Jets operate what might be the league's only true “hybrid” defense, switching between three- and four-man defensive lines constantly. The Rex Ryan mantra is pressure, and the Jets blitz people from everywhere. They may not have a truly dominant pass-rusher, but they compensate for that by sending players from all positions and confusing protection schemes. They are dominant when they can confuse an opposing quarterback, but that is easier said than done against Tom Brady
PATRIOTS OFFENSE
The Patriots offense is unique in that it might be the only offense in the NFL with no real deep threat to speak of. They run a mixture of zone- and man-blocking schemes, and their O-line became a visibly stouter unit with the return of Logan Mankins at midseason. The Patriots have a stable of small, quick receivers and some impressive young tight ends. Their receivers work primarily underneath with lots of option routes and crossing routes, and they then attach from inside out and down the seam with their tight ends, forcing coverages to adjust on the fly. Their base offense this season has featured a lot of two-tight end sets, and they still force teams to commit a lot of players to covering pass patterns.
PATRIOTS DEFENSE
On defense, the Patriots have a pretty simple two-gap, 3-4 scheme that relies on big linemen up front to eat up space and allow ILBs Jerod Mayo and Brandon Spikes in particular to play downhill against the run, which they have been doing very well. In sub-packages, the Patriots will mix it up between three- and four-man fronts, changing personnel as much because they lack a real stand-out pass rusher that commands a permanent spot on the field as to keep fresh bodies out there.
In coverage, they rotate their safeties and will often move one towards the line of scrimmage, leaving a lot of room on the back end between their young corners and a single high safety. The players in the New England secondary are asked to cover a lot of ground in some of their zones, but Devin McCourty in particular has excelled this season in his first year in the scheme (and indeed the NFL).
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