Why They Win: Patriots Get 14th Consecutive Over Jets?

The New England Patriots have had the surging New York Jets' number. How do they keep it in a Sunday rematch?

Death. Taxes. New England Patriots over New York Jets. 

The latter has joined life's other certainties over the past decade-plus, as the Patriots have prevailed in each of the last 13 matchups against their divisional rivals. Even in their resurgent state, Gang Green has failed to break through in the post-Tom Brady era, as the first of two annual meetings became a sweet Halloween treat three weeks ago. Their latest opportunity to snap the dubious streak lands on Sunday afternoon in Foxboro as part of Week 11 action.

Behind three interceptions of Zach Wilson, two landing in the arms of Devin McCourty, the Patriots were able to escape from New York ... or, literally, New Jersey ... with a 22-17 win on Oct. 30. While the Patriots mostly struggled on offense, the strong defensive effort was enough to forge a path to a mini-winning streak that the Patriots were able to take into their bye, having topped Indianapolis two weeks ago. 

The Jets, likewise coming off their bye, were able to recover from the latest blemish on their rivalry ledgers with a win over the Buffalo Bills while the Patriots handled the Colts. With a win, the Jets will earn the rarefied of first place in the AFC East, as they own the head-to-head tiebreaker with would-be co-leader Miami.

What: New York Jets (6-3) at New England Patriots (5-4)
Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, MA
When: 1 p.m. ET, CBS
Who's Won: New England leads series 72-54-1 (last: 22-17 NE, 10/30/22)

Launch by Grounding

Leave it to the star-crossed nature of the Jets to have lingering answers in the franchise quarterback's role while they embark upon their most hopeful season in a decade. The Patriots got to take advantage of that discomfort the last time around and the Jets' lack of trust in Wilson is apparent despite their wins. 

Look no further than the Jets' aforementioned triumph over the Bills: the final piece of the win, a 13-play, 60-yard drive that ended with Greg Zuerlein's go-ahead field goal, featured only two Wilson pass attempts (which included a sack of surrender on the final play to preserve the field goal). The Patriots always seem to have a way of getting in the Jets' heads and convincing them to let Wilson try and win a game on his own could be awfully tempting.

To that end, however, New England did a solid job of stuffing the Jets' medically-induced run game restructure (thanks to rookie Breece Hall's season-ending injury). Michael Carter and trade arrival James Robinson handled business for most of that aforementioned final drive, part of a united 124-yard day. That was a stark improvement over the 43 on a dozen carries they had against the Pats in the week prior, which for the Jets to turn to Wilson in an effort to force more drastic yields. 

New England's cursed with their own issues at quarterback. But if observers are talking more about Wilson than they are about Mac Jones in Sunday's aftermath, that likely bodes well for the hosts. 

Field Day

One of the quieter parts of the Jets' newfound confidence is their work on special teams, overseen by Brant Boyer, who has somehow survived three different New York staffs. Zuerlein has been the long-awaited answer the Jets have sought for ending points with drives after Pro Bowler Jason Myers absconded to Seattle after the 2018 season. The multi-talented Braxton Berrios has been a strong returner ... but then there's the flip side of that.

Entering Sunday's game, the Jets rank 30th in opponents' starting field position (own 30.3). When the Sauce Gardner-led secondary is there to make sure that teams don't take advantage of that, it can easily be excused. But for a team like the Patriots, a group that has struggled to gain offensive traction and momentum, a stat like that could be a godsend, especially considering the fact that no one in the league currently starts drives in prettier places than the Patriots (own 32.6).

New England proved itself more than capable of drives that ate both time and yardage the first time around: that game perhaps saw Rhamondre Stevenson officially become RB1 to the tune of a 143-total yard day. With Stevenson working through a full wave of momentum, he's perhaps the perfect weapon to sink the Jets' fortunes, especially considering that his plays will avoid the pesky arms of Gardner. 

Bring the Turnovers!

Perhaps no team in the league has had their fortunes shifted by the turnover on both sides than the Jets: New York is 3-0 when it fully takes care of the ball and they've earned at least one takeaway in every game this year. Like the Patriots, they've primarily gotten by on the strength of a strong defense (though one can definitely argue that the Jets, as they stand, are packed with more potential at this point in time, at least on offense). 

A game like this, one where betting the under is advisable, plays into the hands of a relentless, backfield-invading team like the Patriots. Sure, they need to do a better job of protecting the ball ... fans of oddly satisfying phenomena may delight in the fact the Patriots have forced 17 and lost 17 turnovers, but they're certainly not pleased ... but the shakier they can make the Jets feel, the better. 

Enough has been said about the valuable efforts of the pass rush: in a fairer, more balanced league, Matt Judon would be in the MVP discussion. But the Patriots' abilities to force turnovers (i.e. mainstays like McCourty and Jonathan Jones working alongside stars of the next generation like Kyler Dugger) are the perfect antidote to youth in revolt. The Patriots are 4-1 in games that feature fewer than 40 combined points. There's a solid chance the Jets' visit could turn out the same way and, with more experience on their side ... not to mention the New England-sized mental toll undoubtedly lingering in green heads at this point in time ... the Patriots feel better equipped to prevail. 

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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