The week leading up to today’s Jets-Patriots showdown at Giants Stadium began with phone Rex.
Rex Ryan’s phone-message plea to Jets fans implored them to rock the house for the Jets’ home opener and make life “miserable” for the Patriots, who have beaten them the last eight times there.
Since Ryan’s phone message, his players have carried the torch.
Nose tackle Kris Jenkins said this game is the Jets’ “Super Bowl.” Safety Kerry Rhodes said the Jets want to “embarrass” the Patriots.
“We’ve got to go out there and pummel them,” right tackle Damien Woody said. “To beat them, we’ve got to dominate them.”
“Talk is cheap,” was Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s response to the bravado emanating from the Jets locker room. “They can treat it however they want to treat it. We’re going to treat it like we treat every game. It’s not the Super Bowl. That doesn’t get played until February.”
Added Patriots’ veteran running back Kevin Faulk: “If you want to say something, do it on the field with your play, not with your mouth. This team is not about talking. This team is about playing.”
Let this fascinating game begin. Here’s how we see it breaking down:
BEST MATCHUP
Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis vs. Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss. Revis is coming off a game in which he shut down Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson (four catches, 35 yards). Moss is coming off a game in which he caught 12 passes for 141 yards against the Bills.
SCREEN DOOR
You can bet the Patriots will try to offset the Jets’ aggressive, blitzing pass rush with screen passes to Faulk and wide receiver Wes Welker. Both players have had big success against the Jets. The Jets, who are anxious to get after the Patriots with their pass rush, have to be careful about being overly aggressive, because they will get burned by the screen, so outside containment will be critical.
NOT DEAD YET
The Jets, who likely will come out of the tunnel with high intensity, must guard against burning themselves out early. As evidenced by last week’s 25-24 win against Buffalo, the Patriots are like cockroaches. You can’t kill them.
Down 24-13 with 5:32 remaining in the game, they came back to beat the Bills. Brady has led the Patriots to wins 29 times in his career when they have trailed in the fourth quarter.
TIGHT SPOT
The Jets must beware of the Patriots’ tight ends, because Brady loves to go to them. Ben Watson caught two touchdown passes against the Bills. Former Jet Chris Baker, also a very good receiving tight end, could be a factor today.
SLOT MACHINE
Welker, who caught 12 passes for 93 yards last week against the Bills, is Brady’s best outlet receiver. There isn’t a better slot receiver in the game. This puts immense pressure on Jets cornerbacks Lito Sheppard, Donald Strickland and Dwight Lowery.
WHAT’S THE RUSH?
The Patriots (23-for-73, 3.2-yard average) had trouble running the ball against Buffalo. The Jets held the Texans to 38 yards on 13 carries and a 2.9-yard average. Will that continue today? The Jets, too, get defensive end Shaun Ellis back from his suspension, which should make their defense even stronger than it was last week.
FOE FACT
The Patriots are 40-11 against AFC East opponents since 2001. The Jets are second in the division in that span at 25-25.
JETS FACT
After one week of this season, the Jets are ranked second in total defense and are tied for third in total offense.
NUMBER TO KNOW
100. This is the 100th meeting between the Jets and Patriots. The series is tied 49-49-1.
mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com