Patriots back from the bye refreshed
The New England Patriots are back from their bye week after a road loss to Tennessee. Head coach Bill Belichick was all business Tuesday when asked about the Chiefs-Rams game, one of the greatest regular-season games of all-time. He responded that he is focused on the New York Jets.
Belichick wants the Patriots to play a complete game Sunday and show that they can get off to a fast start on the road. In their three road losses this year, the Patriots have started slow. When a team needs help boosting its confidence, it is always helpful to play the New York Jets who are 3-7 and there is a good chance they could be without starting rookie quarterback Sam Darnold. Belichick does not want his team taking the Jets lightly and thinks the Jets will give the Patriots their best game.
“Yeah, we’ll get it. I’m sure we’ll get it. Yes,” Belichick said.
Without Darnold, the Jets would be forced to turn to Josh McCown. At 39, McCown is serviceable but the Patriots should have little trouble against him. The Jets, though, should be motivated with questions about the future of head coach Todd Bowles after a 30-point loss to Buffalo two weeks ago. The Jets have usually played the Patriots close in New York even when they are not very good. So while the expectation is that the Patriots blow out the Jets on Sunday, the Jets could keep the game close for a while out of pride.
SERIES HISTORY: 116th regular-season meeting. Patriots lead series, 61-53-1. The rivalry between the Patriots and Jets has always been competitive. In Rex Ryan’s first two years with the Patriots, he went 3-2 against the Patriots including a playoff victory in 2010 at Gillette Stadium. Since 2011, the Patriots have dominated with a 12-2 record. The Patriots two losses were in New York in overtime and the Jets have not made the playoffs during that stretch. This will mark the eighth straight year the Jets will not make the playoffs and they have only had one winning season during that stretch. The Patriots have beaten the Jets twice in the playoffs in 2006 when Eric Mangini was the coach.
