New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick speaks to the media following an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Tennessee Titans, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
The New York Jets have been a snake-bitten franchise since Joe Namath’s guarantee in Super Bowl III. No man has attributed more to that curse than the coach they are about to face on Sunday.Â
Bill Belichick’s dominance over Gang Green is well-documented. The Jets haven’t won in 14 consecutive tries against the Patriots. The last time New York even beat their AFC East rivals in regulation was their very last playoff victory. That’s over a decade of futility for a team that hasn’t been in the playoff since the 2010 run with Mark Sanchez and Rex Ryan’s defense.Â
Without Aaron Rodgers, Gang Green’s chances of knocking off the Patriots have become more difficult. A string of young, inexperienced passers struggled under Belichick’s defensive mind. With Rodgers, the expectation was that things would be different. Now, the team will need to find a way to win a big Week 3 contest against their arch-rival.
Luckily for them, there are five ways the Jets can beat the Patriots on Sunday. Let’s go through them all here.
A Stronger Defensive Performance
Without Rodgers, the Jets’ defense will need to be a lot better than they were last Sunday against the Cowboys. While the group showed they can be excellent in the red zone, they’ll need to be a lot better against a strongly coached team. The Patriots don’t have a lot of true talents on offense, but they do have an improved Mac Jones at quarterback.
Jones isn’t considered a top passer, but he can win games when given the opportunity. If the Jets aren’t careful, he could carve them up just as Dak Prescott did. With a backup quarterback at their disposal, New York’s defense needs to rise and play like the dominant group they expect to.Â
Protecting the Football
Belichick’s…
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