(
)
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Jets coach Rex Ryan admitted this week that he never stops thinking about the Patriots. Everything in the Jets universe is centered around the two weeks every year when they play their New England rivals.
The first meeting of 2012 arrives today.
“Both teams know the opponent like the back of their hand,” Jets LB David Harris said. “It comes down to who wants it the most.”
First place in the AFC East on the line today, as is last place. All four teams are knotted up at 3-3, but the winner of this game will have control of the division, thanks to a tiebreaker.
The road to the division crown always runs through Massachusetts. The Patriots have won nine of the last 10 AFC East titles, with the only exception coming in 2008, when quarterback Tom Brady was injured. Since Ryan took over with the Jets in 2009, the Patriots and Jets have finished 1-2 in the division every year.
Ryan said this week he knows his team can beat the Patriots. Now, the Jets have to back up his words.
“You have to be an excellent team to start with if you plan on knocking them off,” Ryan said. “You also have to beat them. I think our overall record is 3-4 against him. We’re one of the teams that can beat him. We’ve proved that. We’ll see if we’re the better team on Sunday. We’re going to find that out. To be the man, you have to beat the man, that old saying, and I think that’s the case.”
The Patriots’ three losses have come by a combined four points, so it’s not like they’re slumping. Last year, when the Jets and Patriots met in November, people were questioning whether the Patriots were vulnerable because they had lost two straight games. They beat the Jets, 37-16, and did not lose again until the Super Bowl.
The Jets know they have a huge challenge today in spite of what the records might say.
A look inside the game:
MARQUEE MATCHUP
Jets ILB David Harris vs. Patriots QB Tom Brady: It will be on Harris to make sure the Jets are lined up properly when the Patriots go to their rapid-fire, no-huddle attack. Harris is the one who gets the defensive play radioed into his helmet. He will have to keep the Jets defenders on the ball and ready for what Brady throws at them. Brady is a master at using audibles. He checked out of pass plays and into runs a bunch last year when he saw the Jets bring their passing defense onto the field. The Jets must limit alignment mistakes.
“We can’t give them handouts,” safety Yeremiah Bell said. “We can’t help them win the game.”
ON THE RUN
The Patriots always have been known for throwing the ball, but this year they’re also running it. The Patriots are fourth in the NFL in rushing offense (152.3 yards per game). Stevan Ridley has rushed for 524 yards and four touchdowns on 118 carries. The Patriots’ top-ranked offense now is a dual threat.
The Jets defense has struggled against the run this season, ranking 28th in the league, but played better over the past six quarters.
“That’s a great wrinkle they’ve added,” Jets DL Mike DeVito said. “They were already hard enough to prepare for with just the passing game. Now you add that and they’ve become a really potent offense.”
TAKE IT IN CHUNKS
It might be a good week for Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez to take some shots down the field. The Patriots have given up 33 pass plays of more than 20 yards, more than any other team in the league. “Chunk plays,” as they are known, are a big part of Tony Sparano’s offense. If the Jets can establish some running game, the play-action pass could be a huge weapon against a weak Patriots secondary.
ROOKIE RUSH
Both teams took pass rushers in April’s draft. The Jets took Quinton Coples out of North Carolina at No. 16 and the Patriots took Chandler Jones out of Syracuse five picks later. So far, Jones has the edge. The defensive end has five sacks in six games. Coples got on the board last week, registering his first two sacks of the season.
The Jets liked Jones, but had some questions about how he would fit in a 3-4 defense. The Patriots play a 4-3.
“I just preferred Coples,” Ryan said. “He’s a little bigger and he was a guy we were going to take as an inside-pass rusher. … But we liked both those guys.”
TEBOW TRICKS
Bill Belichick made Tim Tebow sound like Jim Brown and Joe Montana rolled into one this week. Was the Patriots coach tweaking the Jets by talking up their little-used weapon? It makes sense that Tebow would play more today with injuries to running backs Bilal Powell and Joe McKnight. It won’t be as a running back, though. It should come with a heavy dose of Wildcat plays.
brian.costello@nypost.com
Costello’s Call
This is not a good matchup for the Jets.
The Patriots will jump out to an early lead and take the Jets out of their game plan. The Patriots have too many offensive weapons for the Jets.
PATRIOTS 35, JETS 24