Kickoff: The Patriots play their only prime time game of the season when they visit the New York Jets tonight. New England lost in overtime to the Seahawks on Sunday, 23-20. The Jets picked up their first win of the season against the Titans, 24-17 in Tennessee. Tonight will be the first of two meetings between the teams. The Patriots and Jets will square off again at Gillette Stadium on October 27th.
Here are four keys to the game.
1st Down: Left tackle help: Rookie Caedan Wallace is getting the start at left tackle and he will need some help tonight. Wallace will have his hands full with Will McDonald and the Jets edge rushers. Look for the Patriots to get him some help by alignment with their tight ends and they will chip with the backs as they try to help the rookie get acclimated.
2nd Down: Get something out of the receivers tonight: The Patriots receivers have been non-existent thus far this season. If the Patriots want to win tonight, they will need more out of Ja’Lynn Polk, Pop Douglas, K.J Osborn and Tyquan Thornton. 19 yards receiving like last week is unacceptable.
3rd Down: Make Rodgers uncomfortable: The Patriots have to pressure Aaron Rodgers tonight and throw him off spot. They cannot allow him to expand the pocket or improvise. If he does, he will extend plays and hurt the Patriots vertically.
4th Down: Fundamentally sound on defense: The Patriots did not communicate well on Sunday and had several breakdowns in the secondary. They must do a better of communicating and not give up big plays. Run fits and tackling will also be a big key tonight, especially in run support.
Extra Point: New England leads the series 74-55-1 overall. The Patriots are 34-29 all-time in road games against the Jets, including 11-3 at MetLife Stadium and 2-0 at the Jets on Thursday Night games.
Final Drive: The Patriots have owned the Jets in recent years, especially in New York but this will be a tough game to win. New England does not match up well on paper and will need to play a clean game to have any shot of winning this game.