By Phil Dickson – New England Patriots Writer
How long will it last? How long will the Patriots continue to dominate the AFC East? How long will the Jets injury woes continue? How long before Jets fans taste victory in Gillette Stadium once again? How long will Antonio Brown remain in New England?
These were the questions on the lips of many in the build up to this divisional matchup. The Patriots, usually renowned for a slow start that prompts questions of decay, have come out this season faster than a seagull diving for a bag of chips on the promenade. Many Jets fans – following the news of Sam Darnold’s diagnosis of mono – have “kissed” this season, and the thought of turning over the Patriots in Foxboro, goodbye. However, after the latest twist in the Antonio Brown saga, the latter question at least, has an answer.
The New England Patriots have released Antonio Brown amid allegations of sexual assault and ongoing intimidation of the alleged victim. In a press conference just six hours prior to this, Bill Belichick, attempted to divert all questions, rather unsuccessfully, away from off-the-field developments and on to the upcoming game with the Jets. Therefore, in honour of the great coach, that is just what we will do now.
The Season So Far
The only commonality between the winless Jets and unbeaten Patriots thus far in 2019 is injuries; and for New York fans, unenviably, the Jets are winning. For a season that brought much excitement and hope; beginning week 3 with their third choice quarterback, Luke Falk, under centre and behind a weakened offensive line, lacking receiver depth is not what they had imagined. Add in to that a depleted defensive unit, with C..J. Mosley and Quinnen Williams both doubtful for Sunday and the situation is far from ideal.
The Patriots have had their own challenges, however, their results have not shown any sign of it. After losing starting centre David Andrews and left tackle Isaiah Wynn to IR, the offensive line is no longer the impenetrable fortress Brady had hoped for at the age of 42. A questionable Marcus Cannon at tackle has added to offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia’s troubles in preparation for Sunday and sees a makeshift line with new recruit Marshall Newhouse in at LT.
Key Matchup
Bill Belichick vs Le’Veon BellDeath, taxes and Bill Belichick nullifying your biggest weapons. The recipe for success at home on Sunday is not ground-breaking for the Patriots. Should the offensive line struggle to open up lanes for Michel or provide unlimited time in the pocket for Brady, the Patriots will dink and dunk their way to victory on the shoulders of James White. If the line holds up then their array of talented offensive weapons should have the ability to score on this Jets secondary, even in the absence of Brown.
However, it is the battle on the other side of the ball that is of greater intrigue and will determine not only the result but the final margin. New England’s defensive displays thus far have been clinical, conceding only three points in their two games. Last week, they inflicted seven sacks on Fitzpatrick and Rosen, with this cumulative pressure leading to four interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns.
Le’Veon Bell, one of the Jets few remaining weapons has been heavily involved in the Jets attack over the first two weeks and this is only likely to increase. Last week, against Cleveland, he took 21 carries for 68 yards and 10 receptions for 61 yards. That will have to improve if the Jets are to see any chance of victory this week.
If the Patriots are able to stifle the run, then any chance of a Jets victory will rest on the shoulders of third string quarterback Luke Falk. With little preparation time and in only his second year he delivered a respectable stat line of 20-25 for 198 yards and a passer rating of 99.7. However, facing a secondary that is arguably the best in football, he will have to provide a performance for the ages to pull off the greatest of upsets.
Prediction: Patriots 34, Jets 10.
With the Patriots favoured by greater than 20 points, this is not predicted to be a close one. If Le’Veon Bell can find some success on the ground and the Jets can bring pressure on Brady they may make this a closer game than many expect; however, I only see this game going one way.
The Future:
Alongside Antonio Brown, we know that a lot can change in life and the NFL in 11 days. In 1963, Randy Gardner, a high school student from Southern California, became a national icon by setting the record – which still stands – for the longest a human has gone without sleep (11 days and 25 minutes).
In the last 11 days in the NFL, another Gardner, this time Minshew, has gone from relative unknown to cult hero. Over the next 11 days we can only but dream what may happen. If the Patriots and the Bills win out on Sunday, as many predict, we will see two AFC East teams face-off at 3-0 and who knows, the Patriots domination of the AFC East may not last that long after all.
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