By Dan Zeigarnik, Patriots Daily Staff

Tonight’s game against the trash talking Jets, pits two of the worst 9-2 teams in recent history. Lets face it, with one of the leagues worst defenses that manages to let 3^rd and longs be converted as easily as 3^rd and inches, the Patriots have a long way to go until they become as dominant as their record suggests. Jets are in a similar predicament: a magnificent record that was earned by pulling out miraculous victories when defeat was at the doorstep. Despite their great records, an early playoff exit for either of these teams will not be a total surprise and Captain Hindsight will surely let us know exactly why it was obvious before the fact.

However, in a year where there are no teams without serious flaws and bad losses, home field advantage and a first round bye in the playoffs can make all the difference. And that’s exactly what is on the line tonight. It will surely be a great game, as there is much media hype about it, and the Patriots are well rested and playing at home. If the Patriots are to reach the lofty 10-2 goal, look for them to get the upper hand in these matchups:

1) Jets Running Backs vs. Patriots Linebackers

It is not a secret that the Jets have a great running game which will strain the Patriots linebackers. To add to the New England’s troubles, Tomlinson is also great at catching the ball in the flats which will force Mayo and Spikes to play sideline to sideline and open up the middle of the field for the likes of Keller and Holmes.

2) Patriots O-line vs. Jets Blitz

The Jets have gotten Calvin Pace back into to their linebacking corps, which frees up Jason Taylor to do what he does best; rush the QB. Combine that with Bart Scott and Rex Ryan’s blitzing schemes and it becomes an offensive line’s nightmare. Considering that Stephen Neal is now on the IR, there will be little room for error.

3) Dustin Keller vs. Patriots Secondary

The Jets tight end, Justin Keller, is one of Sanchez’s favorite targets. He often functions as an escape hatch for ‘Sanchise’, who frequently looks to his tight end in a pinch. Look for Chung and Meriwether to try to contain him.

4) Patriots Second Half Adjustments vs. Jets Schemes

In their week 2 meeting, it was only in the second half that things started to get unraveled for the Patriots. It was reminiscent of their problems from a year ago, when they were handily outscored in the 3^rd and 4^th quarters. Since then, the Patriots have gotten better in the second half and they will surely focus on not falling into the same trap against the Jets again.

5) Shayne Graham Vs. New England Weather

While his efforts are commendable, he is just not up to snuff. His kick-offs only make it to the 7 yard line, a sight so sorry that it has me considering dusting off my soccer cleats and trying out myself. However, some footie-pajama wearing blogger will accuse of me of being only slightly better then Graham and then I will know what it would be like to be criticized just for trying to make a living.

By Dan Zeigarnik, Patriots Daily Staff

The much-ballyhooed matchup against the Colts found a way to live up to its astronomical hype. It played on every string of the storied rivalry. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick found a way to win (as always), while Peyton Manning posted amazing stats and clearly carried a mediocre team. In the end, the allure of Foxborough held up, and as happy as fans are about the win, they are understandably weary of how close the Patriots came to defeat. Fans could barely watch Manning’s inevitable march to victory in the 4th quarter.

Did Someone Call My Name?

With all due deference to Peyton Manning’s greatness, Patriot fans still find New England’s defensive ineptitude inexcusable. They are the worst 3rd down defense in the history of the NFL. The whole history! Considering how likeable this defense is with the likes of Chung, Mayo, McCourty, Spikes and Wilfork and the rest, it’s hard to decipher whether we, as fans, are just huge homers. I remember the Celtic days of yore, not the Bird era but the wilderness after. Fans fell in love with the likes of Gerald Green, Milt Palacio, Adrian Griffin, Marcus Banks, and Sebastian Telfair. This was a time when ‘I love Waltaaaah!’ was as ubiquitous as the “Waz up!” Budweiser commercials. Luckily those cultural phenomena are long behind us. Nowadays, not recognizing any of these names is not a crime as these basketball ‘stars’ were part of the leagues worst teams. The question arises: is Darius Butler, who can’t find consistent playing time on one of the leagues worst defenses, the NFL equivalent of Gerald Green? Are fans turning a blind eye to obvious fact that the Patriots defense is terrible and therefore the players on that team could also be described with the same adjective?

These questions are easily overlooked because of the fantastic wins against the Ravens, Chargers, Steelers and Colts. The 8-2 record gives the young defense much cover as it tries to quickly mature with the all-important winter months quickly closing in on them. However, how fast will reporters and fans sour on the inept defense, especially considering how vital a stout defense is to a prolonged playoff drive?

However, until that day comes, there is much to be thankful for. One of which is the fact that the Patriots are playing on Turkey day. Here are the top 5 things to watch for as you scarf down pumpkin pie with your family:

Calvin Johnson vs. Patriots Secondary

This guy is like a bigger and stronger version of Randy Moss in his prime. It’s a scary thought and a huge challenge for the Patriots Defense.

Green-Ellis vs. Lions Linebackers

With Randy Moss gone, the Patriots have switched to a much more balanced offense, whose success is predicated on a potent running attack. Look for Green-Ellis and Woodhead to manage the clock and keep the Lions linebackers honest.

Lions Defensive line vs. Patriots O-line

The Detriot defensive line has Kyle Vanden Bosch and Ndamukong Suh, who are always dangerous and need to be accounted for at all times. Vollmer and Light did an excellent job against the Colts and will surely continue their stellar performance.

Special Teams Play

The Lions have a great kick-off returner and a great punter. Seeing them often, while difficult is better then not seeing them at all (i.e. Pats never score, and Detroit never punts.)

Patriots 3rd Down Defense vs. Lions Passing Game

As discussed above, the Patriots need to show some ability to get off the field when it matters. The Lions will prove to be a good test as they are no slouches, ranking 6th in passing offense with 256 yards per game.

By Dan Zeigarnik, Patriots Daily Staff

After a historic ‘shellacking’ of the vaunted Pittsburgh Steelers, all is great in Patriot Nation. Everyone is walking around on cloud nine, like a middle school girl returning home from her first kiss. The Patriots excelled in all aspects of the game, from Tom Brady and the offensive line to the pass rush and the running game.

Amongst all this understandable exuberance, the worry is that everyone seemed to forget just how pathetic the Patriots played against the Browns. Nobody really knows which team will show up against the Colts, but considering how storied the rivalry has been in the last ten years and how much ESPN has been hyping it up, it seems that both teams will be bringing their ‘A’ game to town.

This week’s game will be much different then last week’s. The Steelers are known for unleashing a stout defense and having a run first offense that relies on clock management with a sprinkle of big plays to Mike Wallace. The Colts, on the other hand, rely on Peyton Manning to audible the right call and to pick apart his opponents with precision passes once he has made all of his reads correctly. So with that in mind, here are the key matchups too look for:

1) Peyton Manning vs. Patriots Pass Rush

Peyton Manning is the greatest quarterback in the NFL at picking defenses apart and it will surely be a long day for the young Patriots secondary. The key to defeating the Colts to not give Manning enough time to make all of his reads accurately. That can only be accomplished by confusing schemes or forcing him to get rid of the ball quickly. The Patriots anemic pass rush was awoken last week against the Steelers as they wreaked havoc in the backfield, sacking Ben Roethlisberger five times. Now it is still unknown whether that was a result of a great scheme and a continued maturation of the young defense, or if it was a result of injuries to the Steelers offensive line.

2) BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead vs. Colts Linebackers

The Colts have a horrible rush defense, allowing 133.2 ypg which is good for 3rd worst. To add to their troubles, they might be without both starting linebackers Clint Session and Gary Brackett. The  Patriots need to exploit this weakness. If they are successful, they will win the time of possession battle which will keep Manning off the field as much as possible.

3) Mathis and Freeney vs. Vollmer and Light

These two Colts pass rushers have been giving Patriots offenses headaches for years. If Sebastian Vollmer and Matt Light have as good a day as they had against the Steelers, then the Patriots will most likely come away victorious.

4) Gronkowski and Hernandez vs. Colts Secondary

Rob Gronkowski had an amazing day against the Steelers and Aaron Hernandez has already ingratiated himself with the Patriots fans. These two are a force to be reckoned with and if they are having a good day, it will be a long day for the Colts defense. Considering that most days are good days for the 2 rookie tight ends, it bodes well for the Patriots chances.

5) Patriots Kicking Situation

Unfortunately Stephen Gostkowski’s absence is going to be felt dearly this year. Shayne Graham can’t kick a football into the endzone, which puts the Patriots defense in a bad starting position every time.  Considering how young and inconsistent the Pats defense is, this new burden will surely give Bill Belichick headaches. This isn’t even considering the fact that Graham probably cannot hit a 45 yard field goal.

By Dan Zeigarnik, Patriots Daily Staff

When Did This Guy Become The Patriots QB?

Fans are a resilient bunch, and have quickly shrugged off one of the most embarrassing losses in recent history. It has already been chalked up as a trap game against a coaching staff that knew how Belichick operates. The Patriots seemed woefully unprepared for the dogfight that the Browns were clearly going to bring. Having just come off of a great win against the Saints, and getting a whole bye week to prepare for the Pats, Cleveland was brimming with confidence and the Browns brought their “A” game. Colt McCoy was cool under fire, and clearly has a bright future in this league. Peyton Hillis is simply a beast the likes of which we haven’t seen since Mike Alstott. It also seems that Cribbs, Massaquoi and Robiskie only needed a competent quarterback to let their considerable talents shine through. The Cleveland Browns are clearly playing well and are better then their 3-5 record would have you believe.

The Patriots on the other hand are worse then their 6-2 record. Their defense is young and porous in the middle third. There complete lack of ability to prevent a 10 yard pass down the middle is borne out by the stats; they are dead last in 3rd down stops. Their offense is better, but not much better. The Patriots running game, while lovable, holds on by a shoestring with 2 players who would fit right in with the cast of the movie The Replacements. Speaking of which, Tom Brady looked like Shane ‘Foot-steps’ Falco, and it’s not just his obnoxious and noxious haircut. It was his errant and off-balance throws. To top it all off, the wide receivers can’t seem to get open and are all having a sub-par year. Welker’s woes are understandable; Branch is slower and more injury prone then he was 5 years ago. Edelman is having a year to forget and Tate is still developing.

This was all evident to anyone actually watching the games and not just listening to 98.5 about how much better the Patriots are now that Randy Moss is gone. It was easy to get coaxed into that kind of thinking, because the Patriots were finding ways to win games and pad their record. However, it’s hard to win games when you lose the turnover battle especially in the costly way the Patriots did last Sunday. The things to keep in mind for the rest of the season is that the Pats are a fun team with exciting young players that play the Belichick way.

Next up are the vaunted Steelers on the road, and Patriot fans are understandably nervous about being 1 game into a 3 game loosing streak. Sunday’s play against the Browns didn’t help much to bolster their confidence. However, there isn’t a single team in the league without a loss, and most team have an embarrassing loss or even multiple losses on their sheet. In this topsy-turvy league, anything can happen week to week. Look for the Patriots to get the upper hand in these key matchups:

1) Quaterback Play

Tom Brady had a night to forget and needs to bring his ‘A’ game in order for the Patriots to have any chance at winning this game. Roethlisberger is an upper echelon QB, but his team never asks him to throw a lot or for many yards. Also, he has had his fair share of turnovers and mediocre games this season despite having only playing in 4 games.

2) Gostowski’s replacement

With Stephen Gostkowski out of the year with a torn quadriceps it is vital that his replacement be adequate.

3) Rashard Mendenhall

He is a workhorse that can run through or around his opponents. This does not bode well for the Patriots linebackers who were just flattened by a much less-talented Peyton Hillis. Containing Mendenhall is of utmost importance, as he is the lynch-pin of the Steelers attack.

4) 3rd down conversions

The Patriots defense needs to get off the field, and give the offense a chance to put some points on the board. Otherwise the Steelers will just grind out the clock with a well-oiled ground game.

5) Turnover battle

What happened to Rob Gronkowski against the Browns is only forgivable because he is such a promising rookie and those mistakes seem like flukes. The team that wins the turnover battle will most likely win the game.

By Dan Zeigarnik, Patriots Daily Staff

The Patriots are a league’s best 6-1!

I guarantee that neither you nor anybody else saw that coming. They are exciting to watch and fun to follow. The rookie tight ends are electrifying. Danny Woodhead has become an immediate fan favorite. The defense still has a ways to go but it is young, talented, and is much-improved from last year.

While the team is not creaming its opponents like it they did in 2007, the Patriots resemble the feistiness of the 2001 team and that fits with the Patriot fans self-identification much better. Now they face the overlooked Browns, which just beat the Saints, are coming off of a bye week and are playing at home.

Look for the Patriots to perform well in these five areas of the game, to take home a seventh win.

Special Teams

The Patriots have a great special teams unit. So far they have blocked a field goal, a punt, and have run back two kickoffs for touchdowns. Apparently that’s not good enough against the Browns, who are supposedly even better then that. We will see what happens in this, special, matchup.

Wes Welker’s Routes

Will A New Knee Brace Mean Crisper Routes For Wes Welker?

Wes Welker is having a decent year considering he shouldn’t even be playing right now. He has recovered remarkably quickly from his devastating knee injury. However, he is clearly not having as productive a season as he did last year. Some of that is due to the fact that the offensive approach is much more balanced this year, as well as the fact that Randy Moss is gone which lets the defenses focus more on Welker. The other part is that Wes is wearing a big bulky brace that hinders his ability to cut with the same gusto as he is used to. Well folks, the good news this week is that Wes has gotten himself a much thinner knee brace that he likes a lot more. If his routes are crisper and he can get more up-field traction once he catches the ball it will make the Patriots offense that much more dynamic.

Peyton Hillis

Think of him as a rich man’s Heath Evans. He is big and lumbering; however he seems to catch the ball well out of the flat and to get yards after the catch by either running over opposing players or nimbly sidestepping them. He is ultimately a very likable guy, and someone who would fit great in the Patriots system. But not this week. This week The Patriots need to stop him in his tracks. The fans can go on to root for Hillis on Monday.

Patriots letdown vs. A Rested Browns Team

The Browns are a well coached team, or so everyone says. I think the Patriot fans clearly remember how ‘well coached’ the Jets were under ManGenius turned ManJudas, but that’s for another time. More importantly, this scrappy team is coming off a bye week and is playing at home. This does not bode well for the Patriots, who despite having some very respectable wins on the road this year, have faced some serious road woes in the past three years. With each successive road win, that monkey keeps sliding further off the Patriots back.

Trick Plays

The Browns don’t have the raw talent on their roster to compete with the big boys, so they devise trick plays to even the playing field. As always, a successful trick play is about catching the opposing team napping, so when the plays are called in the game is the most crucial and under-appreciated aspect of a trick play as opposed to the play itself. If the Pats are ready for them they will blow them up regardless of how tricky the trick play is.

By Dan Zeigarnik, Patriots Daily Staff

The exciting season-opener against the Bengals surely motivated the fanbase. The game had everything one could ask for; the offense was unstoppable, the rookie tight ends performed admirably, and the young defense was flying around, creating havoc on the field. Now, the Patriots leave the friendly confines of Patriot Place and head on down to face the self-proclaimed unbeatable Jets. The key matchups for week  two are:

New England will need Wilfork and Company to stuff the run.

1. Mark Sanchez vs. Patriots Defense

Quick – what do an Azteca TV reporter and Mark Sanchez have in common? They both get flustered with oncoming NFL players (just kidding). But seriously. The second year quarterback did not look good against the mighty Baltimore defense. He made poor decisions and inaccurate throws. Despite the Patriots young defenses impressive performance against the Bengals, their pass rush is not to be confused with Ravens. So it will be interesting to see if the New England defense will be able to confuse and harass Sanchez.

2. Fred Taylor and Sammy Morris vs. Jets Linebackers

After last year, Patriot fans know first hand how Fragile Fred got his nickname. However Taylor looked as youthful as ever in Week 1 and it was a great sight. Look for this trend to continue against the Jets trash talking defense.

3. Patriots Offensive Line vs. Jets D-Line

With Mankins and Kazur out, the offensive line will remain a question until they prove themselves against game opponents. In Week 1, the ferocious Bengals turned in a pussycat performance, leaving Tom Brady oodles of time to check down to open receivers. The Jets have a much more formidable defensive line, even without Kris Jenkins. So whoever comes out the winner of this trench battle, will most likely come away with a ‘W’.

4. Shonn Green vs. Patriots Linebackers

Last year the Jets relied heavily on the run and got a great year out of Thomas Jones. Now, they are relying on second year man Shonn Green to have a good season. Otherwise, the success of their season will rest on Sanchez pretty little shoulders. It will be interesting to see how Mayo, Spikes, Guyton and Banta-Cain fare in this matchup.

5. Gronkowski and Hernandez vs. Jets Secondary

The young tight ends did not disappoint in the season opener. They made big plays, and key blocks. Even what Tom Brady calls “friendly home crowd” of Foxborough was excited by their performance. It would be great to see these two rookies that pick up where they left off.