New England Patriots: Staff Predictions Week Two vs New York Jets
By Hal Bent
Chris Simoneau:
The defenses were impressive for both these teams in week one. Even with the injury issues, I still see the Patriots finding a way to get in the end zone a few times.
Prediction: New England Patriots 24 – New York Jets 10
Cyrus Geller:
Nov. 22, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets wide receiver Jeremy Kerley (11) is tackled by New England Patriots cornerback Alfonzo Dennard (37) during the second half on Thanksgiving at Metlife Stadium. Patriots won 49-19. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports
After the Patriots put forth a mediocre performance against Buffalo in week one, most football experts are expecting a similar dogfight against the Jets in week two. When you factor in the injuries of Shane Vereen and Danny Amendola, you might even expect a Jets upset. However these are the types of games that Tom Brady relishes, and I expect a big performance from him as he leads the Pats to a route of the Jets. I think that Stevan Ridley steps up and has a huge game on the ground (as well as holding on to the football), and rookie Kenbrell Thompkins rebounds and has the type of performance we were expecting in week one. The Patriots improved (and healthy) defensive unit should have no trouble handling Geno Smith’s offense, and New England rolls.
Prediction: New England Patriots 31 – New York Jets 14
Celia Westbrook:
The New England Patriots Week 1 game against the Buffalo Bills score was closer than I wanted to be. Although we came up with a sloppy “W”, the bottom line is a “W” is a “W”. The New York Jets, for that matter, will not argue with that either when it comes to their final score in their Week 1 debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
One of the main factors we can take from the Buffalo Bills game is had the Patriots avoided turnovers, it would not have been a close game. Removing the turnovers and keeping it a clean game from penalties, the Patriots should be able to come up with a win against the Jets on Thursday. It’s a brand new core of receivers, Brady doesn’t have the luxury of a deep threat, his middle of the field option is questionable, and his main tight end won’t be seeing the field. Most of the load falls on our offense veteran Julian Edelman to step up once again and running back Stevan Ridley to do what a player is supposed to do – take control of his performance in the game and take care of the football. The main key for our offense will be ball security, communication and time management.
Even with the injuries turbulence the Patriots roster is feeling right now, I believe they still have advantage over the Jets. Obviously, Tom Brady over rookie quarterback Geno Smith is an incomparable advantage right off the bat. The Patriots defense already knows the taste of playing against quarterbacks who tends to run and scramble out of the pocket. The assignment should be overwhelming the Jets offensive line, not just by force, but by speed. Applying speed, pressure and going for the quarterback will disrupt their running and passing game. Smith tends to do better with short and quick passes, and even if he breaks away from the pocket just the pressure can be enough to make his pass ineffective. But our secondary should make sure the pass remains ineffective with good coverage.
While I respect the Jets, they did come up with a win derived mainly from a poor discipline by the Buccaneers in committing 13 penalties for 102 yards. On the other hand, the Patriots came up with win by execution when needed the most.