Jets vs Patriots: Top 5 players to watch

Dec 21, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) calls a play at the line during the first quarter against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

In Week 7 of the NFL, it’s Jets vs Patriots for first place in the AFC East with the top spot on the line. Who will be the major players to watch out for in this one?

It’s finally that time of year, it’s Jets-Patriots week in the NFL. The NY Jets (4-1) will come into Foxboro with a new sense of confidence as they prepare to do the unthinkable vs the undefeated seemingly invincible New England Patriots (5-0). But before the big game on Sunday let’s discuss who the major players will be in this match-up that’ll decide who picks up the big win on Sunday.

Keep an eye on these top 5 players who will no doubt have a major impact in this epic showdown for the top spot in the AFC East.

Next: 5. He has his own island for a reason

Oct 4, 2015; London, ENG; New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis (24) catches an interception during the second half of the game against the Miami Dolphins at Wembley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Flynn-USA TODAY Sports

5. Darrelle Revis

Why should the Jets feel so confident heading into this match-up as opposed to last season? Darrelle Revis is a big reason and this entire Jets’ defensive secondary for that matter. Stylistically the Jets match-up very well with the Patriots across the board.

A problem for defenses all season has been versatile receiver Julian Edelman, a former quarterback for the Kent State Golden Flash. He’s the new Wes Welker for the Patriots, he can do it all as he is an excellent punt returner, an phenomenal slot receiver and has incredible foot work paired with solid hands.

It will be up to Revis to nullify his impact on the Patriots’ offense as Edelman has been a fantasy freak accumulating 40 catches for over 440 yards and 4 touchdowns. This Patriots team is undefeated and analysts are starting to make comparisons to the 2007 team that went undefeated in the regular season. But Revis’ comments leading up to the game have to be inspirational for this Jets squad:

“We’ve been playing lights out,” Revis said of the 4-1 Jets. “We’ve just got to continue to make turnovers on defense. It’s going to be a battle next week. They’re a team, man. Any team can be beat any week, on any given Sunday.” provided by Darryl Slater from NJ.com

Next: 4. The key to disrupting Tom Brady

Oct 18, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson (91) celebrates with defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson (96) after a sack against Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (not pictured) during the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

4. Sheldon Richardson

Historically speaking when Tom Brady gets disturbed in the pocket, he forces the ball which uncharacteristically leads to mistakes. Though this season Brady is doing incredibly well against multiple rushers, it shouldn’t stop head coach Todd Bowles from throwing the kitchen sink, he just has to proceed with caution.

The luxury for this Jets’ defensive unit is the fact that they can generate a consistent pass-rush with their front-4: Muhammad Wilkerson, Richardson, Leonard Williams and Damon Harrison. They have so many possible 4-3 combinations that they won’t have to rely on the blitz to get to Brady.

As we discussed in the last slide with the Jets’ defensive secondary, if the pass-rush can get to Brady quick, these press corners will be able to make some plays on the ball. Hopefully if the Patriots hold in extra blockers the Jets can hold up in the back-end to provide the pass-rush enough time to get home.

Though the Jets are tied for 28th in the league in sacks (8) that doesn’t necessarily tell the whole story. Here are a few tweets describing the Jets defense, their formula to success, and some motivating rankings:

2015 New York Jets: Defense allowing 1.4 TD/game: Best in NFL Offense scoring 3.0 TD/game – Fifth-best in NFL

— Mike Clay (@MikeClayNFL) October 19, 2015

Jets Rank No. 1 in Defense (No. 3 Rush & No. 2 Pass), No. 1 in Points Allowed (15 PPG) & No. 1 in Rush Offense (146 YPG). — Eric Allen (@eallenjets) October 19, 2015

Jets Rank No. 1 in Red Zone Defense (33.3 TD%) and No. 3 in Red Zone Offense (73.7 TD%).

— Eric Allen (@eallenjets) October 19, 2015

Next: 3. One of the ultimate quarterbacks of our time

Oct 18, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) calls out at the line against the Indianapolis Colts in the first half during the NFL game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports

3. Tom Brady

Of course this list wouldn’t be perfect without Tom Terrific or whatever nickname he is going by these days. What some have called the vengeance tour, the Patriots playing with a chip on their shoulder, etc., Brady without a doubt is playing at an elite level still at this stage of his career. His statistics are absolutely off the charts there is no questioning that.

He threw his first interception last week off a Edelman bobble which hardly counts, but pair that with 14 touchdowns strikes and I think Brady is feeling pretty good about himself. I mean it’s a typical year: 100+ QBR, crazy touchdown to interception ratio, and the Patriots are undefeated, surprise-surprise.

The Patriots had a unique game-plan to counter-act the Buffalo Bills ferocious pass-rush: quick passes. It destroyed the Bills all day long, if the Patriots want to remain undefeated they have to avoid the Jets exotic blitz packages with the screen game.

In my esteemed opinion, I’ve been wrong before, I don’t think Brady will be able to do the quick passes like he did against Buffalo. The Jets have a much better defense overall, but specifically in the secondary. The Jets were lucky in the Redskins game from losing the turnover battle and still pulling out the win. Don’t expect that against the Patriots, for the Jets they have to win the turnover battle, something they’ve done successfully all season.

Jets Rank 2nd in Takeaways (15) & 5th in Turnover Margin (+5).

— Eric Allen (@eallenjets) October 19, 2015

Next: 2. The man running with aggression

Oct 18, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets running back Chris Ivory (33) carries the ball against the Washington Redskins during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

2. Chris Ivory

Now that we have some game-tape we can prove what I’ve been saying all season: this offense will go as far as Chris Ivory takes them. Ivory has 460 yards for a crazy 5.5 average per clip with 4 touchdowns which puts him 3rd in the league.

Take a deeper look: he is 47 yards short of the league lead in rushing with 43 less carries which is pretty impressive stuff. Brandon Marshall deemed Ivory the best back in the league, many scoffed at the notion, but people better start taking notice because Ivory appears to be on a mission. Which is good news for this Jets’ offense, when he’s playing they’re undefeated. Does anyone remember what happened in the Philadelphia Eagles game?

The Jets’ running game was stifled without Ivory in the match-up, which led to short offensive drives, forcing the defense to be on the field longer than usual, which led to the Eagles opening up a huge lead. Which also meant Ryan Fitzpatrick had to throw the pigskin 58 times. Not the way the Jets want to win football games.

So expect a heavy dose of Ivory in this Jets-Patriots match-up and this will without a doubt be the key to the game for the Jets. Though the potential is there for the Jets to dominate the passing game with Marshall and Decker having favorable match-ups on the outside, they should mainly focus on battering the Patriots into submission.

If Ivory gets 125+ yards and finds the endzone we’ll be writing about another Jets victory in the win column next week.

Next: 1. The most dangerous man in this match-up

Oct 18, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New England Patriots running back Dion Lewis (33) is tackled by Indianapolis Colts inside linebacker Jerrell Freeman (50) in the first half during the NFL game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

1. Dion Lewis

Surprised? You shouldn’t be, after the Eagles game I’ve been nervous about the running backs matched up with our linebackers. The closest thing to Darren Sproles is this Dion Lewis reincarnation, who has the potential to screen and wheel-route the Jets to death. You better believe that head coach Bill Belichick watched all the Jets game-tape and will look to exploit this match-up early and often.

Lewis was picked off of the scrap-heap by the Patriots in vintage Belichick fashion and turned a marginal player into a superstar. And superstar he has been, getting all kinds of touches bringing back images of Kevin Faulk and Danny Woodhead into the brains of Jets fans everywhere. He has 40 rushing attempts and 26 receptions for a combined total of 457 all purpose yards with 3 scores to his name. For the Jets, they’ll have to continue to stop teams on 3rd downs:

On 3rd Down, Jets “D” Ranks 3rd (32.4%) and Jets “O” Ranks 9th Overall (43.1%). Jets No. 1 in NFL in terms of sacks allowed (2). — Eric Allen (@eallenjets) October 19, 2015

Just when you think you did a good job defensively on first and second down against the Patriots, then you face a third and long and think all is well, then all of the sudden Lewis breaks off a 25 yard catch and scamper to give the Patriots a first down. This will be the most underrated part of this game, plays like I just mentioned. The Jets can’t make these silly mistakes against the Patriots or it’ll be back to the cellar for the Jets planning their next escape.

Next: A deeper look at an incredible defensive line

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