New York Jets vs New England Patriots: Tale of the Tape

Nov 22, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan shake hands after the game on Thanksgiving at Metlife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

We started this column last week, and we are going to continue it for each week of the season. We are going to look at the Jets’ opponent, and look at the history of the series between the two teams, and note any interesting facts regarding the upcoming game along the way. Let’s get to it:

The overall series between these two teams is a lot closer than you might expect, with the Patriots leading 53-51-1. The last time these two teams met was the night of, well, you know, a certain fumble that will remain nameless. October 21st of last year was the last meeting in New England, which ended with a Stephen Gostkowski 48 yard field goal to send New England into the night with a 29-26 OT win. Rob Gronkowski caught six passes that day, two of them for touchdowns.

Geno Smith actually made history last week, becoming the first quarterback drafted in the second round or later, to pass for 250 yards or more and pick up a win on kickoff weekend since 1970. Congratulations to Geno on that.

Kellen Winslow could make some personal history tomorrow night. He needs only 73 receiving yards to reach 5,000 for his career.

Tom Brady is riding high with a streak of 49 games throwing at least one TD pass, second to only the Drew Brees streak of 54.