Week 13: Patriots vs. Jets

You would think that after being completely and utterly annihilated and embarrassed on national TV, that even someone with as big a yap as Rex Ryan would know to just keep his mouth shut. Yet despite the 45-3 shellacking his Jets took last night, Ryan continued to put even more of a target on the fraudulent Jets. "I'll go out and play them now if they'll go out and do it again", said Rex. Well listen here, coach. I'm not saying the Patriots would go out and whoop your sorry excuse of a team by 42 points again, but if you think that your team honestly has any chance of beating the Patriots down the line here, you are sadly mistaken. Especially now that the Patriots have grabbed control of the AFC East, and perhaps the entire conference. It looks as though yet again, the road to the Super Bowl will run through Foxboro.  Tom Brady hasn't lost a regular season home game since November 2006. That's four whole years ago, for the mathematically challenged. And until the Patriots do indeed lose at Gillette, there is absolutely zero reason to pick against them there. As unlikely as it seems right now, how great would it be to have the Jets make the return trip to New England in late January and embarrass the hell out of them again?

Wipe that grin off, Rex. You're team has a heckuva lot of work to do for them to be taken seriously again.

In terms of the game itself, where do you even begin? Tom Brady's nearly perfect night, for starters. Brady once again excelled with the spotlight shining bright, going 21 for 29, accumulating 326 yards through the air, tossing 4 TD's, and, most notably, no picks. There was a great graphic showed late in the game last night that Brady became just the third quarterback ever to post at least 5 consecutive games of 2 or more TD passes without throwing a pick. Coincidentally, the only person with more than Brady is former Cowboys QB Don Meredith (6), who passed away yesterday at age 72. There is little question that Brady is the front runner for NFL MVP right now. His 27 touchdown passes lead the league, and his 4 interceptions are tied for the fewest among quarterbacks with more than 300 pass attempts. (Who's Tom tied with? Matt Cassel of all people). His 109.5 QB rating tops the league among qualified passers, and he is on pace for 4,039 yards, which would be the fourth time since 2005 he has topped the 4,000 yard mark. Lastly, he trails only Drew Brees and David Garrard in completion percentage (66.3), although he has thrown for over 1,000 more yards than Garrard. I rest my case.

Coming into the season, there were many doubts about the ability of the Patriots running game to help aid their potent passing attack. The inconsistent Laurence Maroney and the ancient Fred Taylor were the top two backs on the depth chart. Maroney has since been jettisoned to Denver (he hasn't played since Week 6), while Taylor has missed significant time with a toe injury. BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead simply cannot be praised enough for what they've brought to this team in place of the other two. Green-Ellis is tied for 2nd in the league in rushing touchdowns with 11 (ahead of names such as Chris Johnson, Michael Turner, and Maurice Jones-Drew), while averaging a very respectable 4.3 yards per carry. Woodhead has been amazing as a duel threat, making contributions in both the running game and the passing attack. He is on pace for more than 1,000 yards from scrimmage. The man is nearly impossible to cover, whether he's lining up behind Brady, or in the slot, or even split out wide.

Last night had to be especially meaningful for Woodhead. At this point, we all know the Danny Woodhead story. Deemed too small to play Division I college football, let alone in the NFL, he settled for a D-II gig at Chadron State in Nebraska. He went on to become the NCAA all-time leading rusher at any level. He won the Division II version of the Heisman trophy twice. Cast off by the Jets after Week 1 this season, Woodhead delivered his finest performance as a receiver to date last night. He led the Pats in receiving yards at 104, on just 4 catches for an average of 26 yards per catch. Perhaps his finest play was on a 3rd and 4, late in the 3rd quarter, where a simple screen pass turned into a 50-yard scamper down the sideline for the little guy. Wish you could have a mulligan on that one, dontcha Rex?

This unlikely duo has added a whole new dimension to the Patriots' attack.

And for as good as the offense was last night, the Patriots D just might have been even better. If you watched the game, you could hear all the numbers being spewed by the usually enjoyable tandem of Jaws and Gruden. The Patriots D ranked last in the NFL in yards allowed per game, pass yards allowed per game, etc., etc. I'm not gonna go all Raheem Morris here and say "stats are for losers", but that was no 32nd ranked defense we saw last night. Have they been an elite defensive unit this season? Certainly not, but in what is most definitely a transition year for that side of the ball, the strides being made are something nobody, perhaps not even Bill Belichick himself, saw coming. 

Devin McCourty had his 4th interception in the past 3 games, on a play where he was practically attached to Jets WR Braylon Edwards. James Sanders, who's also become INT-happy lately, picked off yet another errant Sanchez throw, while Brandon Spikes had the first of his career. The Jets' 2nd year signal-caller out of USC was downright AWFUL last night, and I really can't emphasize that enough. He was missing open receivers all night long, overthrowing them, under-throwing them, you name it. The Patriots pass-rush, despite generating just one sack, was fairly effective in rattling Sanchez, forcing him from the pocket on numerous occasions. Jerod Mayo once again led the Patriots in tackles, with 12, and continues his ascension into the upper-echelon of interior linebackers in the NFL. 

Back to the Jets for just a minute here, it warrants mentioning how badly they've played in their three losses. Which, oh by the way, have all been to playoff-caliber teams. The offense has put up 9, 0, and 3 points in said losses against the Ravens, Packers, and Patriots, respectively. Combined winning percentage of the Jets opponents in those losses? .722 (26-10). Combined winning percentage of the Jets opponents in their wins? .370 (40-68). You do the math. If the Jets do reach the post-season, I wouldn't make plans for that Super Bowl parade again this year, Rex Ryan. 

I know I've used this picture before. Screw it. Kiss those rings, Rex. Kiss 'em.

The bottom line? The Patriots just made it loud and clear that they are the team to beat in the AFC. They have now beaten playoff contenders Pittsburgh, Baltimore, San Diego, Indianapolis, as well as the Jets last night. Are they the best team in the entire NFL? I'll listen to arguments for the Atlanta Falcons, and I'm a big Matt "Matty-Ice" Ryan fan, but I have no plans of jumping off the Patriots bandwagon anytime soon. To hell with the haters, the Pats are back baby.