New England Patriots: an early scouting report on the New York Jets

The New England Patriots host their bitterest division rival, the New York Jets, on Sunday with AFC playoff positioning on the line.

If the rhetoric coming out of headquarters is to be believed, New England isn’t looking past New York as they begin gearing up for another postseason run. The team understands just important it is to keep their focus on the game at hand.

A win over the Jets will guarantee them at least a first-round bye. If they get lucky, the Patriots could even end up with home-field advantage, should the Chiefs and Chargers both stumble.

A loss, however, could spell trouble – tumbling the Patriots down the ladder to the No. 3 or even the No. 4 seed before all is said and done. Keep in mind: a Belichick-coached Patriots team has never advanced from the Wild Card Round to the Super Bowl.

“Right now I think it’s a one-game season here,” Belichick told reporters Wednesday.

The Jets are a fascinating team this season. Long since eliminated from postseason contention, the AFC East’s cellar-dwellers are actually anything but pushovers. New York was extremely competitive in both of its last games: a close loss to the playoff-bound Houston Texans and an overtime defeat to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.

When New England faced New York in Week 11, the Jets were without starting quarterback Sam Darnold. This time, the rookie gunslinger out of Southern California will be suiting up for Gang Green – and that’s a great thing for Jets fans.

Besides gaining valuable experience, Darnold has an opportunity to continue building on a solid debut season. He’s currently ranked second among rookie quarterbacks behind the Browns’ Baker Mayfield when it comes to completions, passing yards, and touchdowns. Especially when considering the Patriots’ soft defense and the possibility of a shootout-type of game, Darnold has a great opportunity to strengthen his case for Rookie of the Year.

The biggest weakness for the Jets heading into the weekend might be injuries, however. New York has six different players on injured reserve, including valuable cogs like Isaiah Crowell, Eric Tomlinson, and right tackle Brandon Shell.

Complicating matters further, the Jets also have a bevy of playmakers appearing on their injury report this week: Quincy Enunwa, Morris Claiborne, Jermaine Kearse, etc. These are household names and key contributors on both sides of the ball, and if they can’t go on Sunday, it just makes the chances of a Jets upset that more unlikely.

In contrast, the Patriots are a remarkably healthy team considering where they’re at this season. Offensive gadget Cordarrelle Patterson is the only significant player worth monitoring as the week goes on. Patterson was having a terrific game both catching and running the ball against the Bills before exiting the game with a knee injury.

Realistically, it would take a herculean effort from the Jets to topple the Patriots in Foxborough this weekend, especially with all New England has to gain or lose compared to New York. But nothing is guaranteed in the NFL – and especially not when it comes to division games between rivals.