Henry McKenna
AFC East Reporter
The Pristine York Jets and the Pristine England Patriots are eager to interact within the Desperation Bowl, the combat to steer clear of endmost playground within the AFC East. It’s no longer simply any impaired matchup to steer clear of endmost playground in a excellent category, which wouldn’t be all that consequential in Future 3. This match is a combat for self assurance, with the Jets and Patriots each seeking to steer clear of a actually dim condition.
Whoever loses would possibly start to implode.
Whoever wins may just legitimately construct the playoffs.
The Jets are grappling with what to do within the wake of quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ trauma. They gained a match towards the Buffalo Expenses with out him, thank you in large part to quarterback Josh Allen’s 4 submits. However towards the Dallas Cowboys, the Jets confirmed an unpleasant facet, with the protection suffering to retain unwell Dak Prescott — and the offense looking at Zach Wilson throw 3 interceptions. It felt like a wicked Jets efficiency from the 2022 season.
That’s what the Jets wish to imagine, that their season isn’t devolving into 2022 everywhere once more. As a result of in 2022, they misplaced two times to the Patriots. If truth be told, Pristine York has misplaced 14 instantly to Pristine England going again to Dec. 27, 2015.
“I get it, we acknowledge [the losing streak], but at the same time, it doesn’t define this group today, with the group that we have, 2023 Jets,” tutor Robert Saleh mentioned Wednesday when requested concerning the Patriots’ win streak.
Over the 14-game streak, according to FOX Sports activities analysis, the Patriots …
- Have outscored the Jets through a median of 18.4 issues according to match
- Have outgained them through just about 100 yards according to match (96.9)
- Are a plus-27 in handover differential
- Are outscoring the Jets through 127 issues within the first part of video games, averaging a nine-point top at halftime of every match
- Have held the Jets to fewer than 20 issues in 13 of the 14 wins; single-digits in six of the 14 video games
- Have scored 25-plus issues in 10 of the 14 wins.
What are Jets’ possibilities to after all finish shedding streak vs. Patriots?
Any other loss for Pristine York could be brutal. Any other loss would reinstill the concept they’re the similar impaired Jets. Since the Patriots are form of the similar impaired Patriots, consistent with Saleh. He instructed newshounds that Pristine England is the “same that you always see.” Now, I’m no longer positive I accept as true with that. But when the Patriots are the similar, through Saleh’s optical check, later what’s preventing the Jets from shedding this presen? What’s other about Pristine York?
“That’s a good question,” Saleh mentioned. “I’ll keep a lot of that between me and the team, but it comes down to executing against a team like New England, making sure that you don’t screw yourself up and turning the ball over, always taking care of the ball.”
It doesn’t backup that Wilson doesn’t have a excellent document towards the Patriots — specifically no longer with submits. In his occupation towards Pristine England, he’s 0-4 with a 50.9 finishing touch proportion for 173.25 yards according to match with two touchdowns and 7 interceptions. Schoolmaster Invoice Belichick has a knack for flummoxing younger quarterbacks. There is probably not a quarterback extra confused through Belichick’s protection than Wilson.
If the Jets lose, they’ll be 1-2 and endmost within the category. There could be a emergency of self assurance. Already, we’ve revealed working again Breece Corridor nudge the training workforce about his discontent at his deficit of touches.
“I mean, I only had four touches,” Corridor mentioned Sunday then the sport. “That’s why we struggled. But it is what it is. We just got down early today and kind of just abandoned the run. I feel like with any team, that type of stuff happens. That’s how it is. You feel like you’ve got to get back in the game and stuff like that. It just slips away. So that’s what it was.”
[McKenna: Do Jets RB Breece Hall’s comments point to a locker room in search of a leader?]
May alternative gamers start to discuss up? Will the disappointment boil over?
Those are questions the Jets gained’t have to reply to in the event that they win.
However the Jets if truth be told have a win in-hand. The Patriots are winless. They’re preventing for his or her first victory. And, to a point, I feel that makes them extra determined.
“This is not a bad team,” megastar edge rusher Matthew Judon mentioned postgame on Sunday. “I don’t think we’re about to hang our hat up here or in that locker room, so when we come back on Monday and we watch this film, we’re going to get our corrections corrected. Then when we come back together on Wednesday, it’s not going to be, ‘Oh, how are y’all going to put it together?’ We already know how.”
The Patriots have misplaced to the Philadelphia Eagles 25-20 and the Miami Dolphins 24-17. Neither loss used to be unsightly. Pristine England stayed in it. However the Patriots offense has but to if truth be told win them a match in spite of the protection producing adequate alternatives for the crew to drag off an underdog victory.
It used to be attention-grabbing to listen to Saleh credit score the Patriots for “moving the ball well,” as a result of they do, certainly. It used to be attention-grabbing to listen to cornerback Sauce Gardner say the Patriots “don’t really have a complex offense,” as a result of they don’t. However it used to be additionally attention-grabbing to listen to Gardner say, “They just do everything right,” as a result of they don’t. That’s the place the Identical Impaired Patriots chatter falls shorten.
Belichick has, for years, prided his crew on self-discipline, warding off submits and consequences. Month Pristine England is doing OK with consequences, it’s suffering with submits. The Patriots are attach for 0.33 within the NFL with 4 submits: two interceptions and two fumbles. (One of the vital interceptions used to be a pick-six.) That’s no longer committing to decrease it for a crew that wishes to win with a methodical offense. It has felt like the ones turnvoers have killed the momentum of the crew’s highest drives.
“The start of the games, we’ve moved the ball and something’s happened, whether it was a pick-six or a sack like what happened the past weekend,” offensive coordinator Invoice O’Brien mentioned. “I do think we have the right idea when it comes to opening these games, but again, we have to be able to string the plays along so that we can come down and get points and not stall around midfield.”
It doesn’t even pluck a handover to derail this offense. A sack will do it, for the reason that Patriots can’t convert third-and-long. They have got transformed simply 3 of 16 statuses (18.8%) to first downs in third-and-7 or longer. It’s no longer a successful spot for them.
Pristine England’s offense has some severe issues, no longer in contrast to Pristine York’s. The Patriots protection must win them video games, no longer in contrast to the Jets protection. And each the Patriots and Jets wish to win this match in the event that they’re committing to have any religion in themselves in the future.
Each groups already face lengthy odds to construct the playoffs, however it’s no longer simply their playoff odds going from lengthy to longer. It’s additionally the query of activity safety for the coaches. Saleh and Belichick are most probably in reserve positions for 2023 and 2024. Saleh has Rodgers coming again later presen. Belichick is Belichick. But when those groups actually start to underperform — for the reason that Jets have been meant to win a Tremendous Bowl and the Patriots all the time be expecting to win a Tremendous Bowl — later their seats get scorching. Perhaps no longer scorching plethora for them to lose their activity. However it would surely complicate their status for the 2024 season to be make-or-break for both tutor — or each.
The crew that wins the Desperation Bowl gained’t succeed in salvation or redemption. It simply gained’t to find itself within the pits. Dropping isn’t an choice for both crew. However certainly one of them must do it.
Previous to becoming a member of FOX Sports activities because the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years overlaying the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports activities Media Crew and Boston Globe Media. Observe him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.
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