NFL Week 13 Recap

Texans	24
Eagles	34

Vick got his act back together and scored 3 TDs. The Texans’ offense was alive but their defense just isn’t cutting it.

Saints	34
Bengals	30

Poor time management cost the Bengals a chance to pull off a last second stunner. Christopher Ivory gave the Saints the ground game that Reggie Bush has not been able to provide yet.

Bears	24
Lions	20

The Lions gave the Bears a scare, but a 4^th quarter touchdown pass turned out to be the game winner. Drew Stanton’s version of the Dougie clearly needs almost as much practice as the Lions do.

49ers	16
Packers	34

Donald Driver made one of the best catch and runs you’ll see this season. Aaron Rodgers was almost perfect and has put himself right in the thick of the MVP race.

Jaguars	17
Titans	6

The Jags won an important division game and gave themselves a one game lead in the South. The Titans’ free fall continues as they still have not found the answer at quarterback that they need.

Broncos	6
Chiefs	10

Can’t say this was an exciting game, but the Chiefs did just enough to get it done and get themselves a bigger lead in the West. The Broncos finally found a ground game, but it clearly was not enough.

Browns	13
Dolphins	10

Rob Ryan’s defense continues to impress and Jake Delhomme was able to avoid turning the ball over. The Dolphins are now 1-5 at home.

Bills	14
Vikings	38

After Favre went down on the first series, Tarvaris Jackson helped the Vikings put a beating on the Bills. Sidney Rice seems to be back to the receiver he was last season.

Redskins	7
Giants	31

The Giants started hot and led 28-0 in the third, then they let their defense play closer. The Giants’ defense is the key to taking them deep into the playoffs.

Raiders	28
Chargers	13

When we all thought the Raiders were done and the Chargers were going to take over, Oakland comes out and stomps the Chargers once again. The Chargers have a lot of ground to make up now.

Cowboys	38
Colts	35

Peyton Manning threw 4 interceptions for the second straight week, giving him 11 in his last 3 games. Clearly the Colts are out of sync with all the injuries and lack of a ground game. Jason Garrett has completely renewed the Cowboys.

Rams	19
Cardinals	6

The Rams have won 2 straight road games after losing their first 4. The Cardinals had their second straight game without a touchdown and don’t seem to have much fight left in them.

Panthers	14
Seahawks	31

The Seahawks still prove to be a force at home. They were able to put up plenty of yards on the ground and in the air against Carolina’s absent defense.

Falcons	28
Buccaneers	24

Although they lost, the Bucs proved that they can stick around with some of the best in the league. Some crucial injuries in this game may hurt them in the last few games though. Matt Ryan has come through for the Falcons in all situations.

Steelers	13
Ravens	10

A huge mistake by the Ravens gave the Steelers the opportunity to win the game, one that they would not pass up on. Ben Roethlisberger was able to throw the game-winning touchdown on a sprained foot and with a broken nose. Respect.

Jets	3
Patriots	45

Brady and the Pats embarrassed the Jets on Monday night. The Jets are now 0-3 and haven’t shown up at all in games after long breaks (Baltimore, Green Bay, New England).

Point Proven: Patriots 45 – Jets 3

Mark Sanchez could not lead the Jets to a single touchdown in the game, as the Jets suffered their most embarrassing defeat in the Rex Ryan era at the hands of their biggest rivals. The Patriots were out to prove that the AFC East still belongs to them, and that’s exactly what they did. The Jets came out cold after the long week off and could not keep up with the Patriots’ high-powered offense.

The Jets’ defense has not played as well this season since play calling duties were given to defensive coordinator, Mike Pettine. The Jets played a soft zone coverage for most of the game and it was torn apart. Man-to-man coverage is what helped the Jets stop Tom Brady in their week 2 matchup, and they decided to go with something different. Revis was not shadowing Wes Welker like he needed to all game and Antonio Cromartie had some trouble keeping up with Deion Branch. The Patriots’ rookie tight end duo was able to make some big catches and former Jet running back Danny Woodhead was able to accumulate more than 100 receiving yards. Brady did not need to throw downfield much as the Jets’ defense was giving up short passes easily and missing tackles left and right. Brady finished with 4 touchdown passes and 326 yards. It was clear that the absence of defensive captain Jim Leonhard played an impact in the overall defensive execution by the Jets, as they gave up over 400 yards of total offense to the Patriots.

The offense was a completely different disaster. The Jets came out with the no-huddle offense to start their first drive, but after some bad coaching decisions they ended up with no points on the drive after an abysmal field goal attempt by Nick Folk. The ground game was actually very effective against the Patriots. Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson led a rushing attack that totaled 152 yards for an average of 4.9 yards per carry. Mark Sanchez had his worst game of the season and was embarrassed for a second straight year in New England. Sanchez threw 3 interceptions in the second half including his first red zone interception of the season. All were terrible decisions on his part. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer’s play calling was questionable at best, as it has been all season, but Sanchez did not do himself any favors the way he played. He finished the game with a 27.8 passer rating for the game, a large deficit from Tom Brady’s 148.9 rating.

In a way, the Jets deserved to get pounded the way they did. They have done a lot of talking this season, but have not proved anything to anyone. In my opinion, I feel that Rex Ryan giving his team 3 days off after their Thanksgiving night victory was the first mistake they made this week. After having a full offseason to prepare, they scored only 9 points against the Ravens. After a bye week, the Packers shut them out. Now, after 10 days between games, they score 3 points. They have played some of their toughest opponents after these extended breaks, but they clearly come out stronger on a short week. The Jets’ 9-3 record is still very good, but they have a lot of respect to earn back in the coming weeks. The good news is that they still have a 3 game hold on a wildcard spot with only 4 games to go.

Ready to Shock the World…AGAIN: JETS at Patriots Monday Night Football

The Jets head to New England for their Monday Night Football matchup with the Patriots this week. Gang Green has the opportunity to sweep the Patriots for the first time since the 2000 season. The Jets won the first matchup at home in week 2 after outscoring the Patriots 18-0 in the second half to win 28-14. In that game, Mark Sanchez outplayed Patriot’s quarterback Tom Brady by throwing 3 touchdowns with no interceptions, while Brady threw 2 second half interceptions. Darrelle Revis sat out the entire second half with a hamstring injury, but Antonio Cromartie and rookie Kyle Wilson held wide receivers Randy Moss and Wes Welker in check.

Without Randy Moss on the opposing sideline, who should Revis be covering in tonight’s matchup? Rex Ryan and Revis were both asked earlier in the week who Revis will be shadowing, and both decided to keep their lips sealed. This is likely going to be one of the games where Revis will move around a lot. I expect to see him covering Welker a lot, even with him lining up in the slot. He will also play a role in stopping the Patriots dangerous rookie tight ends, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. Hernandez received for over 100 yards in week 2, something I am sure Rex is not going to allow to happen again.

In addition to the absence of Revis in the second half, the Jets were without wide receiver Santonio Holmes (suspension) and linebacker Calvin Pace (foot injury), who led the Jets in sacks the past two seasons. The addition of Holmes to the offense gives Mark Sanchez an extra weapon as he goes up against the 32^nd ranked pass defense in the NFL, although this number is a bit inflated. The Patriots are the highest scoring team in the league; therefore, their opponents have had to throw the ball more while trying to play catch up. Holmes has 4 touchdowns in the last 3 games and has established himself as Sanchez’s favorite target this season.

We cannot forget the impact that Braylon Edwards and Dustin Keller had in the week 2 matchup. Braylon scored an early touchdown (followed by a fantastic version of the Dougie) and also caught an important 2-point conversion when the Jets scored to take the lead. Keller made 7 catches for 115 yards and a late touchdown to ice the game. The addition of Holmes to the offense and a healthy Cotchery (who also had a touchdown in the first meeting) back this week makes Mark Sanchez and the passing game very dangerous barring tough weather conditions.

LaDainian Tomlinson will need to be effective in the passing game to help Sanchez keep the offense moving. I expect the combination of LT and Shonn Greene will have a big impact in this game. With sub-freezing temperatures in the forecast tonight, the Jets may want to rely on the ground and pound instead of making Sanchez throw the ball 35 times. Having played football his entire life in California, Sanchez still has not had much experience playing in cold temperatures. I am confident in his ability to adjust to the conditions since he has proven to be much more mature than last season, but the ground game needs to once again prove that it is a powerful force for this Jet offense.

The defense took a big hit this week. The Jets secondary lost their strong safety and captain, Jim Leonhard, to a broken shin this week after a freak collision with WR Patrick Turner. Leonhard is out for the season and will be replaced tonight by safety Eric Smith. Smith spoke confidently in interviews this week about taking over as the starter. Smith has always been one of the better tacklers on the Jets and has consistently played well since joining the team in 2006. I expect some combination of Smith, James Ihedigbo, Dwight Lowery, and Kyle Wilson to make a big impact for the secondary in this game. The Jets will have to throw something new into the game plan without Leonhard. If they can execute it well, it will be something the Patriots cannot have seen while watching film this week and will not be prepared for. The Jets will also need to bring plenty of pressure on Tom Brady. The Patriots offense is built to tear apart the zone defense, but the Jets rarely go into zone. The Jets will be playing man to man all night, and with pressure being brought on Brady, he should have a hard time finding open receivers. Some may be worried about the impact Danny Woodhead may have in this game. The Jets are 3^rd in the NFL against the run for a reason. As much as I liked Woodhead, he will have as tough of a time as any trying to run on the Jets. The Jets will want to keep him behind the line of scrimmage in passing situation. The Jets have had trouble defending running backs on passing plays, but again, this is something I am sure Rex is ready for.

The Patriots are currently on a 3 game win streak. They have scored 31 or more points in each of these victories and, again, are leading the NFL in scoring. The Jets’ offense is more than capable of winning a shootout if necessary, but the Jets are 3^rd in total defense and 4^th in points against, so there’s no guarantee it will be necessary. The Jets have been winning ugly this season, but no team goes 9-2 by shear luck. They have beaten the Patriots once already and are built to do it again.

Note:

Today is 12/6/10. Tom Brady wears #12, Mark Sanchez wears #6. If this is fate somehow, then expect #10, Santonio Holmes, to have a big impact in the outcome of the game (the Patriots do not have a #10 on their roster). I could just be overly superstitious though.

A Deeper Look into the Jets-Patriots Rivalry: 2000-Present

New Jets head coach Al Groh led the Jets to a sweep of the Patriots in 2000, the last time the Jets have accomplished this feat. After being 9-4, the Jets collapsed to 9-7 and finished 3^rd in the AFC East, while the Patriots finished 5-11 in Belichick’s first season as head coach. The next season, Herm Edwards replaced Groh as the Jets’ head coach. In their first matchup of the season, Jets’ linebacker Mo Lewis gave quarterback Drew Bledsoe a hard blow to the chest, knocking him out of the game. This would end up being one of the worst things to happen to the NFL in the 2000s. Backup quarterback Tom Brady would enter the game for the Patriots, who would lose this game to the Jets. Brady and the Pats would catch fire after this game and finish the season 11-5 on a 6-game winning streak, which would continue into the playoffs and end with a Patriots Super Bowl victory over the St. Louis Rams. In the 2002 season, new Jets quarterback Chad Pennington would lead the Jets to an 8-7 record going into a week 17 matchup with the Green Bay Packers. At the time, the Dolphins were 9-6 and held a 1 game lead in the AFC East, but did not have the tiebreaker over the Jets and Patriots, who were also 8-7. The Jets had the tiebreaker over both teams, who happen to be playing each other in week 17. The Patriots would defeat the Dolphins in overtime, while the Jets would crush Brett Favre and the Packers 42-17 to win the AFC East. The Jets would win their AFC Wildcard matchup against Peyton Manning and the Colts, 41-0, but would be defeated by the eventual AFC Champion, Oakland Raiders. After splitting the 2002 season series, the Patriots would win their next 7 games against the Jets and would win the 2003 and 2004 Super Bowls. Jets head coach Eric Mangini would lead the Jets to a victory on November 12, 2006, in New England. The Patriots would go on to beat the Jets in the playoffs that year, 37-16.

In week 1 of the 2007 season, the Patriots would beat the Jets in Giants Stadium by a score of 38-14. After the game, Eric Mangini accused Bill Belichick and his staff of illegally videotaping the Jets defensive signals from an on-field location, which Belichick admitted to two days later (Spygate 2.0). Belichick was fined $500,000 by the league, the Patriots franchise was fined $250,000, and the Patriots were forced to forfeit their 1^st round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. The Pats would finish the regular season 16-0, only to lose to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl.

The Jets signed future Hall Of Fame quarterback Brett Favre before the 2008 season and had to cut Chad Pennington to make room for him. In the first game of the 2008 season, Tom Brady would tear his ACL against the Kansas City Chiefs and be placed on IR. Matt Cassel would hold the Pats victory against the Chiefs that week and would then defeat the Jets in week 2, 19-10. Brett Favre would lead the Jets to a 6-3 record going into a Thursday night rematch in New England. The Jets would have a 24-6 lead at one point in the 2^nd quarter, but would end up blowing a lead in the last few seconds of regulation. The Jets would win 34-31 on a Jay Feely field goal in overtime. The Jets would beat the undefeated Titans the next week to improve to an 8-3 record, but would lose 4 of their last 5 games and fall short of the postseason. This led to the firing of head coach Eric Mangini. The Patriots would manage to finish the season 11-5 behind Matt Cassel, but would lose the division title by a tiebreaker to the Miami Dolphins and would fall short of a wildcard spot to the 11-5 Ravens and the 12-4 Colts.

Before the 2009 season, the Jets would hire Rex Ryan as their new head coach. Ryan promised to bring a new attitude to the New York Jets and start a new era for the team. The Jets traded up in the 2009 NFL Draft to pick quarterback Mark Sanchez out of Southern California with the 5^th overall pick. Under Sanchez and Ryan, the Jets started the season 3-0, including a victory over the Patriots in week 2, 16-9. The Jets defense was resurged under Rex Ryan’s lead and held Brady and the Patriots to 0 touchdowns. We all know how this season would turn out. Sanchez had his struggles and his flashes of brilliance. The Jets would back into a wildcard spot after beating the previously undefeated Indianapolis Colts in week 16 after Peyton Manning and many starters were benched and the AFC North champion Cincinnati Bengals in week 17 to finish 9-7. The Patriots won the AFC East with a 10-6 record. The Jets would win their first two games in the postseason over the Bengals and Chargers, making Mark Sanchez the second rookie quarterback in two years to lead his team to the AFC Championship. The Patriots were knocked off at home by the Ravens in the AFC Wildcard round. The Jets would lose their halftime lead over the Colts in the AFC Championship, and their impressive run would end that day.

And here we are in the 2010 season. The Jets and Patriots are both 9-2 and are tied atop the AFC East. The Jets won the first matchup in week 2 by a score of 28-14 after the Jets outscored the Pats 18-0 in the second half. Mark Sanchez outplayed Tom Brady with his 3 touchdowns and no interceptions to Brady’s 2 touchdowns and 2 picks. The Jets and Patriots will face each other tomorrow night in what could end up deciding the AFC East. Check back tomorrow for my preview of the game. 

A Deeper Look into the Jets-Patriots Rivalry: The 1990s

The 1990s was a decade full of crazy story lines between the Jets and the Patriots. On December 15, 1991, the Pats would beat the Jets by a score of 6-3 in what was the lowest scoring game in the series, for another two years. The Jets would beat the Pats on November 28, 1993, 6-0. Oddly enough, the Jets would win their first matchup that season in a blowout, 45-7. On October 16, 1994, future Patriots coach Pete Carroll would lead the Jets to a victory over future Jets coach Bill Parcells’ Patriots in their first ever matchup against each other. Before their trip to the Super Bowl in 1997, rumors surfaced that head coach Bill Parcells was going to leave the Patriots in favor of a team that would allow him to have more front office power. After they lost the Super Bowl, Parcells resigned as head coach of the Patriots, leading Patriots owner Robert Kraft to believe that the Jets had been tampering with Parcells to bring him in and fill in their vacant head coach spot. After some back and forth and disagreement over league rules, commissioner Paul Tagliabue arranged an agreement between the two teams that would involve the Jets giving the Patriots a 3^rd and a 4^th round pick in the 1997 draft, a 2^nd round pick in the 1998 draft, and a 1^st round pick in the 1999 draft as compensation for the Jets being able to sign Bill Parcells as their head coach. The Patriots would finish the 1997 season with a 10-6 record to win the AFC East title, one game better than the 9-7 Jets. 

The next season, the Jets would sign running back Curtis Martin after he played his first three seasons with the Patriots. With Martin and new quarterback Vinny Testaverde, the Jets got off to a 2-3 start, but surged to finish the season at 12-4 earning themselves an AFC East title and a first round bye in the playoffs. The Jets would sweep the Patriots that season, but both teams would make the playoffs. The Patriots lost to the Jaguars in the AFC Wildcard round, while the Jets lost to John Elway and the Broncos in the AFC Championship game. The Jets and Pats would open the 1999 season against each other. Early in this game, Vinny Testaverde would tear his achilles and would be replaced by punter Tom Tupa, who threw 2 touchdown passes and was able to keep a 28-27 lead for the Jets until late in the 4^th quarter. After two failed two-point conversions, Parcells put Jets’ emergency quarterback, Rick Mirer, into the game with about 3 minutes left to go. Mirer would then throw an interception to cornerback Ty Law, which would set up a game-winning 30-yard field goal by kicker Adam Vinatieri. The Jets would fall to 4-8 that season, but would win their last 4 games behind quarterback Ray Lucas, including the final game of the 20^th century in Miami on Monday Night Football (December 27, 1999, my first football game**). The decade series finished with an 11-9 Jets victory.

After the 1999 season, Bill Parcells retired from coaching (for the time being) and announced assistant coach, Bill Belichick, as his predecessor. At a press conference the following day, Belichick wrote a resignation note on a napkin saying, “I resign as HC of NYJ,” and proceeded to announce his resignation instead of his hiring. Despite rumors that the Patriots had offered Belichick their vacant head coaching spot, he referred to the Jets uncertain ownership situation (owner Leon Hess had died in the last year) as his actual reason for leaving. After some controversy similar to when the Jets wanted to sign Parcells from the Pats, the two sides made an agreement and the Jets received a 1^st round pick in the 2000 draft and 4^th and 7^th round picks in the 2001 draft from the Patriots, but had to give the Patriots their 5^th round pick in the 2001 draft and a 7^th round pick in the 2002 draft.

Come back tomorrow for part 3. 

A Deeper Look into the Jets-Patriots Rivalry: 1960-1989

With what seems to be the most highly anticipated Monday Night Football game of the season coming up this week, I thought I’d take a deep look into the Jets-Patriots rivalry through the decades. This is the first of 3 parts. First is the 1960s through 1980s. Saturday will be the 1990s. Sunday will be the 2000s. My preview for the game will be posted Monday afternoon. Check back each day for the next part.

We begin this journey through time on September 17, 1960. On this day, the Titans of New York hosted the Boston Patriots at the Polo Grounds in their first ever AFL matchup. The Titans took a 24-7 3^rd quarter lead before giving up 21 unanswered points as the Patriots won the first matchup in the rivalry, 28-21. Boston would go on to win 7 of the first 12 games in the series. In their first matchup in 1966, The New York Jets and Boston Patriots would have their only tie in 50 years. In their second matchup of the 1966 season, which the Jets won 38-28 at Shea Stadium, the Jets knocked the Patriots out of playoff contention in the last game of the season. The Jets would close out the 60s on a 7 game winning streak against the Patriots, winning the decade series 12-7-1, which became 9 games after the 1970 season. As we all know, the 1968 season was a magical one for the New York Jets, who won the AFL Championship and then defeated the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III for their first and only Super Bowl championship.

The 1970s would also belong to the Jets as they won the series 12-8. On November 21, 1976, the Jets would have one of their most horrendous games ever. Joe Namath threw 6 interceptions and backup Richard Todd threw a 7^th. The Jets also lost 3 fumbles and lost the game 38-24. In a weird case of foreshadowing, on October 29, 1978, the Pats beat the Jets 55-21. Jets head coach Walt Michaels felt that the Patriots were somehow deciphering his coaching staff's signals and suspected that a rival team had told these signals to the Patriots (Spygate 1.0?). Later that season, the Houston Oilers came back against the Patriots, who at one point held a 23-0 lead, to beat them 26-23, and there was speculation that the Jets had told Oilers coaches about the Patriots signals. In what still stands as the largest margin of victory in the rivalry, the Patriots defeated the Jets 56-3 on September 9, 1979.

The 1980s would be the first decade that the Patriots would take over the Jets. In 1982, a player’s strike cut the season short, so the Jets and Patriots would only meet once, a 31-7 victory by the Jets. On December 28, 1985, the Patriots would visit Giants Stadium for the first ever postseason matchup between the two rivals. The Patriots would win 26-14 in what was their first playoff victory since defeating the Buffalo Bills in a 1963 elimination game to decide the Eastern Division championship. One of the more entertaining games of the rivalry occurred on October 12, 1986, when the Jets travelled to Sullivan Stadium. The Jets would explode to a 24-0 halftime lead, but would allow Patriots quarterback Steve Grogan to throw for 401 yards and 3 touchdowns which led a big Patriots comeback. With the score 31-24 in favor of the Jets, the Patriots were driving down the field late in the game when a 31-yard reception by Irving Fryar was fumbled and recovered by the Jets to secure the victory. 1987 would be a year of blowouts in this series, starting with a Jets home victory, 43-24, and ending with a Patriots home victory, 42-20. The decade ended with a 12-8 series win for the Pats.

My Week 13 NFL Picks

Here are my picks for this week’s NFL Games (with spreads from ESPN.com’s Pigskin Pick ‘Em):

(5-6) Houston Texans at

(7-4) Philadelphia Eagles** -8.5

I fully expect Michael Vick to get the Eagles back on track against one of the league’s worst pass defenses. The Eagles' secondary is hurting though, so Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson can take huge advantage of it. The Eagles can win in a shootout.

(8-3) New Orleans Saints** at

(2-9) Cincinnati Bengals +6.5

The Saints are finally back in championship form while the Bengals are as bad as they’ve ever been. This should not be close.

(8-3) Chicago Bears** at

(2-9) Detroit Lions +3.5

Detroit is not the spoiler it once was this season. The Bears should easily have their way in this one.

(4-7) San Francisco 49ers** at

(7-4) Green Bay Packers -9.5

9.5 is a big spread. The Packers should win, but the 49ers are capable of keeping it closer than that.

(6-5) Jacksonville Jaguars** at

(5-6) Tennessee Titans -3.5

The Jaguars are playing better football right now. The Titans have way too many problems at the moment.

(3-8) Denver Broncos at

(7-4) Kansas City Chiefs** -8.5

The Chiefs are looking good again and put up big numbers last week. Don’t expect what happened in the last meeting to happen again.

(4-7) Cleveland Browns at

(6-5) Miami Dolphins** -4.5

With Chad Henne playing well, the Dolphins are definitely capable of winning by at least a touchdown. With Jake Delhomme starting, the Browns chances of winning always seem to be lower.

(2-9) Buffalo Bills** at

(4-7) Minnesota Vikings -6.5

Not only do I expect the Bills to cover the spread, I expect them to win this game. They’ve been playing very competitive football lately and the Vikings just aren’t good enough to keep up.

(5-6) Washington Redskins** at

(7-4) New York Giants -7.5

Just like last week, I expect the ailing Giants to let this game be closer than it should be. Eli Manning still has enough weapons to win though.

(5-6) Oakland Raiders at

(6-5) San Diego Chargers** -12.5

The Raiders are not the team we thought they were a few weeks ago. We can say the same about the Chargers. They’re ready to take over the division and prove a point this week.

(9-2) Atlanta Falcons** at

(7-4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers +3.5

The Falcons are way too good for the Bucs to handle. Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, and Roddy White will have an easy time with Tampa.

(1-10) Carolina Panthers** at

(5-6) Seattle Seahawks -5.5

Carolina has the running game to beat the Seahawks. As tough as they are to beat at home, Seattle does not seem willing to win their division.

(5-6) St. Louis Rams** at

(3-8) Arizona Cardinals +3.5

The Rams, on the other hand, are playing like they do want to win their division. Sam Bradford has done as outstanding job, while the Cards have had many issues at quarterback this season.

(3-8) Dallas Cowboys at

(6-5) Indianapolis Colts** -5.5

Peyton Manning cannot let the losing streak continue. He’ll step it up and get the Colts back on track this week.

(8-3) Pittsburgh Steelers** at

(8-3) Baltimore Ravens -3.5

Each of their last 3 meetings has ended in a 3-point deficit. I cannot decide who I feel will win this game, but I do feel like it will end the same as the last few.

(9-2) New York Jets** at

(9-2) New England Patriots -3.5

Just going with my gut on this one.

My NFL Power Rankings: Week 13

Rank	Team	Record	Comments
1	Falcons	9-2	The Falcons have proven they can stand up against some of the best teams in the league. They’re also unbeatable at home since drafting Matt Ryan.
2	Patriots	9-2	Their offense continues to put up tons of points, but they have another matchup with the Jets this week, a team they only scored 14 points against in week 2.
3	Jets	9-2	Their man-to-man defense matches up extremely well with the Patriots offense. Monday night’s matchup will be a great one.
4	Ravens	8-3	Sunday night’s game against the Steelers may decide the AFC North, especially if the Ravens sweep.
5	Steelers	8-3	They wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Steve Johnson, but they remain tied with the Ravens going into this Sunday.
6	Saints	8-3	Reggie Bush’s return actually hurt the Saints, but Drew Brees keeps finding ways to win.
7	Bears	8-3	The Bears are looking like real contenders now. They intercepted Vick for the first time and stopped him from scrambling for many yards.
8	Packers	7-4	No shame in losing to Atlanta at home, but they’ll need to start winning if they want to pass the Bears.
9	Eagles	7-4	Without Asante Samuel and Ellis Hobbs, the Eagles’ secondary is very vulnerable.
10	Giants	7-4	Missing 5 starters on offense, they managed to go a full game without a turnover.
11	Chargers	6-5	The win over the Colts makes them look like a huge threat to the rest of the AFC.
12	Chiefs	7-4	Matt Cassel is playing like an elite QB this season. His 22 TDs and only 4 interceptions are going to take the Chiefs a long way.
13	Colts	6-5	They need to get some starters back quickly before their free fall becomes serious.
14	Buccaneers	7-4	They still do not have a win against a team with a winning record, but they played the Ravens tough and showed they can compete with good teams.
15	Dolphins	6-5	Chad Henne’s early return from a knee injury gives the Dolphins a chance to make a run.
16	Jaguars	6-5	The offensive line let David Garrard down in the second half against the Giants.
17	Texans	5-6	Michael Vick is not Rusty Smith. Don’t expect another goose egg from this defense next week.
18	Rams	5-6	Sam Bradford became the first rookie QB to throw for over 300 yards, 3 TDs, and 0 picks. He definitely leads the Rookie of the Year voting.
19	Raiders	5-6	Two straight embarrassing losses lead me to believe that their previous winning streak was just a fluke.
20	Titans	5-6	The free fall continues, but lucky for the Titans, everyone in the South keeps losing and they find themselves only 1 game out of first place.
21	Seahawks	5-6	The defense is letting them down big time after a good start to the season. Nevertheless, they still have a great shot to win the West.
22	Redskins	5-6	The lack of a ground game will make it tough for the Redskins to win games down the stretch.
23	Cowboys	3-8	They were a Roy Williams fumble away from beating the Saints on Thanksgiving. That trade keeps looking worse and worse for them.
24	49ers	4-7	At 4-7, they are closer to first place than the 7-4 Buccaneers are.
25	Bills	2-9	They have become one of the most competitive teams in the NFL lately. At least their fans can see some fun games.
26	Browns	4-7	Peyton Hillis is one of the best backs in the league this season. Too bad he has no support around him.
27	Vikings	4-7	Leslie Frazier is now 1-0 as head coach. How many wins can interim coaches rack up this season?
28	Broncos	3-8	Things keep getting worse and worse for Josh McDaniels and the Broncos. How much longer will he keep his job?
29	Bengals	2-9	The Bengals’ nightmare continues as their losing streak climbs to 8 straight.
30	Cardinals	3-8	It’s time to start planning for next season. Ken Whisenhunt is too good of a coach to lose this many games.
31	Lions	2-9	After leading the Patriots at the half, the Lions completely fell apart in the second half. Seems like they have given up again.
32	Panthers	1-10	At least they are seeing great things out of backup backup backup running back Mike Goodson. He gives them a chance to win in Seattle this week.