Jets Are Goin’ Down

It's very unlikely that the Jets will head into Foxborough and come away with a win against Tom Brady and the Patriots.  Here are a few things that the Jets will have to do to actually pull off the upset.

The Jets didn't do themselves any favors by talking a bunch of trash about Tom Brady this week.  Rex Ryan said Tom Brady's work ethic isn't the same as Peyton Manning's.  Antonio Cromartie said Brady is an a--hole.

Tom Brady has a 14-4 playoff record.  The Patriots have a league best 14-2 record.  Bill Belichick isn't exactly a dummy when it comes to postseason preparation.

I don't see the Jets winning this game, but to have a shot at beating the Pats the Jets must do the following:

#1 Force turnovers - The Patriots only have nine total turnovers this season.  Nine!  That's insane.  The Jets don't have a great pass rush, so it's extremely important to force turnovers.  The Jets have to try to rip the ball away from the Patriots as much as possible.  Forcing turnovers would disrupt the Patriots' rhythm, and possibly sway the game in the Jets' favor.

#2 Run the ball effectively - The Jets' running game came up huge last week.  They kept Peyton Manning on the sideline and didn't force Mark Sanchez to make a ton of plays because they were able to run the ball well.  Keeping Tom Brady on the sidelines this week would be huge.

#3 Win the special teams battle - The Jets have their work cut out for themselves when it comes to slowing down Tom Brady.  Antonio Cromartie's big kickoff return in the final minute against the Colts last week was enormous.  Winning the special teams phase of the game against the Patriots could be big.