Jets desperate to put end to losing streak
Pats boosted by expected return of Gronkowski
>> EAST RUTHERFORD: The New York Jets and New England Patriots are coming off ugly losses that sent them into their bye weeks on a disappointing note.
The similarities end there for the AFC East rivals, who face off today when the Patriots (7-3) visit the Jets (3-7) at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.
New England sit atop the AFC East with a two-game lead over the Miami Dolphins. The Patriots also are tied for third in the conference with Houston.
“You can make or break your season these final six games, so we’ve got to go out there and compete,” New England running back James White said. “We have a lot of division games, which are the most important. You’ve got to play your best football at this point because, like I said, it can make or break you.”
While the Patriots are headed toward a 10th straight division title, the Jets are careening toward an eighth straight season out of the playoffs. That would match the secondlongest drought in team history.
New England won six straight after starting out 1-2, but headed into the bye week with a 34-10 loss at Tennessee in Week 10. It was a rare sight for the Patriots as Tom Brady was sacked three times, hit six other times, didn’t throw a touchdown and did not complete the game as New England struggled to contain the Titans’ blitzing.
“We’re playing the Jets here,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “We’re not playing Tennessee. So, we’ll have to deal with what the Jets do, what their keys are and who their players are. Whatever else has happened this year has happened. We’ve talked about those situations, corrected them, but we’re focused on the Jets now.”
The rare bad game left Brady with 576 touchdowns in the postseason and regular season. He is three shy of tying Peyton Manning’s alltime record.
Brady is 25-7 with 48 touchdowns in 32 regular-season meetings with New York. Since losing to the Jets in the divisional round in the 2011 play-offs, Brady is 12-2 in the last 14 meetings.
Brady will get a boost from the expected return of tight end Rob Gronkowski, who missed two games with an ankle injury.
The Jets have lost their last four games. Since a 42-34 win over the Indianapolis Colts, they have been outscored 115-43 and the calls for coach Todd Bowles to be fired are intensifying.
“It’s a must-win game for the next six weeks, let’s put it like that,” Jets safety Jamal Adams told WFAN. “We’re looking forward to a big game coming up and it being back home and just making a statement. We felt like that past game just wasn’t us. We got to come back out and prove what we can do.”
Before the bye week, the Jets took a 41-10 home loss to the Buffalo Bills in a game that saw them give up a 47-yard reception on the first play and fall behind for good 49 seconds in.
Rookie quarterback Sam Darnold did not play due to a sprained right foot that he suffered in Week 9 against Miami. Josh McCown started and was 17-of-35 for 135 yards with two interceptions.