Mark Sanchez (Paul J. Bereswill)
(
)
Jets fans might feel indigestion tonight that is completely unrelated to too much stuffing or pumpkin pie.
If the Jets lose to the rival Patriots tonight, you basically can forget about the playoffs. That is why the Jets are approaching this game like it’s a do-or-die game.
“We need to win out,” safety LaRon Landry said. “We’re keeping everything in house. It’s really not about our opponent. It’s about what we want to do and what kind of future we’re trying to create.”
The 4-6 Jets are feeling good after getting a win in St. Louis last week to keep their season alive. Now, in comes Tom Brady and the hated Patriots, who at 7-3 are on their way to another AFC East title. The Jets just hope they can slow them down a little tonight to keep their hopes of getting a wild-card berth.
The task won’t be easy. The Patriots have won four games in a row, and their offense has been unstoppable. They put up 59 points last week on the Colts and are the league’s top-ranked offense in yards and points. They are fifth in rushing and fourth in passing. That’s what you call balance.
“You look at them offensively,” Jets coach Rex Ryan said, “he doesn’t get sacked. They don’t turn the ball over. They lead the league in points. Rushing’s in the top five. It’s like they’re … man, I don’t know.”
Ryan needs to find some answers by tonight or he’ll be crying in his leftovers.
A look inside the game:
MARQUEE MATCHUP
Patriots WR Wes Welker vs. Jets CB Ellis Lankster. The Jets had an interesting plan against Welker in their first meeting. They put 5-foot-8 Isaiah Trufant on him and it worked pretty well. Unfortunately for the Jets, Trufant suffered a knee injury two weeks ago and is done for the season.
That leaves Lankster with his toughest assignment of his career. You know with tight end Rob Gronkowski out that Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will go to Welker early and often. The Jets surely will give Lankster help, but Brady will figure out a way to exploit this matchup.
TRIPLE OPTION
The Jets have battled injuries all year at running back, but last week was the first time they used all three of their running backs in an effective way. It will be interesting to see how offensive coordinator Tony Sparano mixes Shonn Greene, Bilal Powell and Joe McKnight. When the Jets have been successful against New England, they have controlled the ground game and run the clock.
THE BRADY RUSH
It’s the same story every time the Jets meet the Patriots: They talk about getting to Brady to rattle him and make him uncomfortable. They have been able to do it a few times since Rex Ryan has been the Jets’ head coach, but not lately.
This season, the Patriots have allowed just 15 sacks, fifth-least in the NFL. The Jets have 17 sacks, 25th in the league. The Jets hope to blanket the Patriots receivers and force Brady to hold on to the ball.
“We’re not going to make it easy for him,” safety Yeremiah Bell said. “I can tell you that. We’re going to try to beat the receivers up and make it hard for them to get off the line and make him hold the ball a little bit so our D-line can get there. We’re going to play very physical and hopefully we can get a couple of interceptions.”
NEW YORK STRIP
The Jets’ 29-26 overtime loss last month ended with Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich sacking Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez and causing a fumble. Patriots coach Bill Belichick called Ninkovich a “Jet killer” after the game. He has five forced fumbles this season. Sanchez has nine fumbles (four lost) this year. That’s a bad combination. Sanchez must protect the football.
THE DROPSIES
Jets rookie wide receiver Stephen Hill had a dropped pass that he would like to forget when these teams last met. He had another one last week in St. Louis. Hill swears he is not losing confidence, but he has to start holding on to the ball. According to Pro Football Focus, Hill has six drops, which is tied for 12th most in the NFL — with just 36 targets, fewer than everyone else who has more drops.
“He’s doing fine,” Sanchez said of Hill. “He’ll learn things on the fly. It’s not an easy position to come in and play. He’s working his butt off, that’s the most important thing, and he’s not getting down. He’s still a positive kid. He’s still working hard and doing everything he possibly can. We’ll keep him rolling. I have all the faith in the world in him. I think he’s going to make big plays down the stretch for us this year and for years to come. He’ll be a good player for us.”
brian.costello@nypost.com