New England Patriots vs. New York Jets: Four Players To Watch
By Cyrus Geller
Oct 12, 2014; Orchard Park, NY, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) throws a pass under pressure by the Buffalo Bills defense during the 2nd half at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Patriots beat the Bills 37-22. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
3. Pats’ Offensive Line
Dan Connolly and Bryan Stork are most likely out once again, which means Josh Kline and Jordan Devey will have to step up on the inside.
This scares me to death.
Now, I realize this group rebounded from a rough start last week, and actually performed quite well up in Buffalo. They gave Tom Brady ample time in the second half to survey the defense, and pick apart a weak Bills secondary. And they were doing it against arguably the best pass-rushing defensive line in the NFL. But that doesn’t stop me from losing sleep over what the Jets defensive line could do against this makeshift New England front.
On the interior, the Jets trot out Muhammad Wilkerson (four sacks), Damon Harrison (25 tackles), and Sheldon Richardson (three sacks) as their three down lineman, who week in and week out wreak havoc for the opposing offense. The entire New England offensive line, from Nate Solder, all the way down to Sebastian Vollmer, has to step up in this game, both in the passing game, and the running game.
Stevan Ridley is gone for the rest of the year, which means it will be harder than it already was to establish a ground game. If the Pats are forced to throw the ball 50 times against this defensive front, things won’t end well for Brady. Look for James White and Jonas Gray to get more than a few carries in this one, because as great as Shane Vereen is, he isn’t awesome between the tackles, and he can’t withstand the rigors of running the ball 20+ times in one game. Hopefully the young guys can come through, because getting the run going against a front like New York’s is crucial.
In the passing game, the two tackles (Solder and Vollmer) must contain New York’s edge rushers, and the three guys on the inside, most notably Jordan Devey, absolutely must hold their own at the point of attack.