NFL 2010 GAME OF THE YEAR

ESPN has predicted that whoever wins this game tonight will have an 80% shot at winning the AFC East champions. The game of games is tonight, the New York Jets will take on their arch-rivaled New England Patriots at Gilette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. The game will feature the top 2 teams in the AFC, both in the AFC East. The implications of the game are extremely high. The winner of this game will control the AFC East, as well as the entire AFC itself. If the Jets were to win, it would be the 2nd time this year they defeat the Patriots, holding a head-to-head tiebreaker over them. If the Patriots were to win, they would hold a strength of schedule tiebreaker over the Jets, for the head-to-head matchup between themselves and the Jets would be split at 1-1. The Jets previously defeated the Patriots 28-14 in a week 2 thriller in New Jersey. Jets QB Mark Sanchez threw for 200 yards and 3 TD and TE Dustin Keller caught 7 passes for 115 yards and a TD. Here's an outlook on tonight's game:

New England Patriots:

Patriots WR Deion Branch

The Patriots, as usual, are out-performing just about every team in the NFL. Coach Bill Belichick always finds a way to muster up schemes to beat the best of the best. They have beaten teams such as the Baltimore Ravens, Minnesota Vikings, San Diego Chargers, and Pittsburgh Steelers. Somehow, even though they have the worst defense in the NFL, they managed to maintain a 9-2 record. The main reason why is because they lead the NFL in points per game with 30.3. They are led by future Hall of Fame QB Tom Brady, and his arsenal of emerging WRs, rookie stud TEs, and mixed group of youth and experienced RBs. The Pats have amazingly done so well without star WR Randy Moss, who was traded to Minnesota in exchange for a 4th round draft pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. He had led the team in receiving the past previous season, but caused trouble with his big mouth and was not liked by many teammates.

Team Leaders:

Passing: QB Tom Brady- 2703 passing yards, 23 TD, 4 INT, 66.3 completion %, 105.89 QB rating

Rushing: RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis- 637 rushing yards, 9 TD, 0 fumbles, 4.3 yards per rush

Receiving: WR Wes Welker- 65 receptions, 592 yards, 6 TD, 9.1 yards per catch

Defense: ILB Jerod Mayo- 132 tackles, 1 sack, 3 passes defended
CB Devin McCourty- 61 tackles, 5 INT, 12 passes defended
S Patrick Chung- 71 tackles, 2 INT, 6 passes defended, 1 TD

MVP: QB Tom Brady- Brady has been unreal this year, even without his favorite target, Randy Moss. Brady has thrown for 23 TD and only 4 INT, and has helped to emerge 3 new stars in the New England offense; those players being TEs Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski as well as RB/WR Danny Woodhead, and has also re-created a spark with his former favorite target WR Deion Branch, whom the Pats re-acquired from the Seattle Seahawks after trading away Moss. Brady seems to be unstoppable, as he does every year. He won't put up numbers like in did in 2007(50 passing TDs) but has been just as good in the clutch.

New York Jets:

Jets ILB David Harris

The Jets have just been clutch this season, recording 5 comeback wins. They are led by sophmore QB Mark Sanchez, Captain Comeback himself. Sanchez has exceeded all expectations, and has grew as a QB. Sanchez has become more accurate, more poised, and most importantly... more confident. He continues to grow as his team grows around him, and he has a GREAT team. He, like Brady, as an unsung number of heroes, as his backs and receivers continue to make him look even better than he's playing. The Jets have been playing great overall, as they rank 9th in total offense and 5th in total defense. They are well-rounded, and are led by many break-out stars such as CB Darelle Revis, ILB David Harris, S Jim Leonhard(injured in practice this week, broken leg), OL Nick Mangold, and OL D'Brickashaw Ferguson. They also have a mix of stud veteran players such as ILB Bart Scott, OLB Jason Taylor, RB LaDainian Tomlinson, DT Kris Jenkins(injured in week 1, torn ACL). 

Team Leaders:
Passing: QB Mark Sanchez- 2472 passing yards, 16 TD, 8 INT, 55.2 completion %, 81.9 QB rating
Rushing: RB LaDainian Tomlinson- 741 rushing yards, 5 TD, 1 fumble, 45 receptions, 329 receiving yards
Receiving: WR Braylon Edwards- 35 receptions, 618 receiving yards, 6 TD, 17.7 yards per reception
Defense: ILB David Harris- 74 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble, 2 passes defended
CB Antonio Cromartie- 33 tackles, 15 passes defended, 3 INT, 1 fumble recovered
OLB Jason Taylor- 28 tackles, 4 sacks, 4 passes defended, 4 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles

KEYS TO GAME:

Patriots: The Patriots must utilize their passing attack as well as possible. Because of the variety of options Tom Brady has, the Jets will be forced to use a lot of zone schemes, and knowing Rex Ryan, he will send a lot of blitz packages in zone. Brady must be able to locate his main targets: slot WR Wes Welker, who can dig into the hearts of defenses and move the chains; the duo of Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski, for this duo has combined for 9 TD, including 7 redzone TD; and the wideout duo of Deion Branch and Brandon Tate, both guys can stretch the defenses and open things up for other receivers. The Jets will have a hard time being able to cover all these guys, as well as being able to put pressure on Brady.

Jets: It's all about defense. The Patriots defense has been nothing but putrid this season, making it almost automatic that the Jets will put a lot of points off. Rex Ryan must be smart with his defense. He must switch it up, keeping the offense worrying on what the Jets will do next. Don't let Brady be able to predict what you'll do next, or else he'll pounce on the opportunity. 

Difference Maker:

Patriots QB Tom Brady

Patriots: It's simply Tom Brady. He is the key to the Patriots. Like all great QBs, such as Dan Marino, Roger Staubach, Joe Montana, and rivaled Peyton Manning, if Brady does well(usually), the Pats will play well. If he does not... well then it's downhill from there because the Jets are NOT a team you want to slip up on.

Jets QB Mark Sanchez

Jets: Mark Sanchez must be the difference maker for the Jets. He must be able to maintain his pocket presence and keep cool under pressure. He needs to be clutch, like he has been all season. The team depends on his play, and will grow as he grows.

Prediction:
The Foz says Jets win 24-21

Reason: The Jets are just clearly a more defined, more balanced team, contributing on both offense and defense, unlike the Patriots.

Ocho Cinco says Patriots win 24-17