New England Patriots vs New York Jets: Game Six Preview and Prediction
By Hal Bent
WHAT IS THE HIDDEN KEY TO THE GAME?
The New York Jets’ pair of super safeties
Just like in 2015, the Jets caught a huge break when the best player in the draft fell to them. In 2015 it was defensive end Leonard Williams. This past draft it was dynamic rookie safety Jamal Adams. This week Adams may face the biggest test of his young NFL career as he faces the the best tight end in the NFL in New England’s Rob Gronkowski.
Gronkowski is off the injury report and should play his usual full package of plays on Sunday. Despite missing the Thursday night win over Tampa Bay, he has 20 receptions in four games for 318 yards and 15.9 yards per reception. While linebacker Darron Lee may help out in coverage at times, expect Adams to handle a bulk of the coverage of Gronkowski.
However, the Jets have not one but a pair of rookie safeties who will be facing Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski for the first time in their careers on Sunday. Second-round draft pick safety Marcus Maye has also played well for the Jets. He is ball-hawk who snagged his first interception last week against Cleveland.
While Maye is the last line of defense, Adams is everywhere on the field. He helps in the running game with big hits like he was a linebacker. He is an excellent blitzer showing closing speed and good gap reads. Finally, he is a solid pass defender who has helped shut down opposing tight ends in the first five weeks of the season.
This duo is fearless, intelligent and their enthusiasm and energy has fed the defense and infused confidence to the entire unit. This is their first chance to play against a future Hall-of-Fame quarterback (Tyrod Taylor, Jay Cutler, Blake Bortles and Deshaun Kizer hardly measure up to Tom Brady–Derek Carr is an elite quarterback and he lit up this unit in week two) and if they play well it could be a big boost for the entire Jets team.