Pats Preview: Pats Vs. Jets

As the New England Patriots prepare for their Week 16 clash with the New York Jets, here are some pregame story lines to keep in mind:

Looking For The Sweep- The Patriots enter the game looking to complete a season sweep of their two games against the Jets. New England knocked off New York on the road back in Week 12, as they outlast the Jets 22-17 in a somewhat-surprisingly close match up. If the Pats can get the win Sunday, it will cap their first sweep since the 2014 season and their 17th sweep in series history.

Another Game On Short Rest- The Pats will be playing the game on short rest, as they did last week coming off of a Monday Night Football appearance. This time they'll be following up a late Sunday afternoon performance with an early Saturday afternoon game, as the league shifts the majority of the schedule to Christmas Eve rather than Christmas day. It will be a slight challenge for New England, mainly because they are now on back-to back short weeks. The Jets, will be on full rest, however, as they played on Saturday last week as well.

Complete Opposites- While the Patriots wrapped up the AFC East title for a record 8th season in a row last week, the Jets have done their best to become the anti-Patriots, spending another season in the division's cellar. New England enters the game with a 12-2 record, a division title, a playoff spot and a first round bye already under they're belt, as they look to lock up the top seed in the conference. On the other hand, the Jets come in with a 4-10 record, are already mathematically eliminated from postseason contention. Bottom line, the game is a match up of two teams headed in completely different directions.

Taking The Ball Away- The Jets are the league's worst team, in terms of turnover differential. Entering the game with a -19 turnover differential, New York has been basically giving the ball away to its opponents this season. With the Pats defense playing better over the past handful of weeks and creating much more turnovers than they had earlier in the season, going up against the Jets should present another opportunity to build on some recent improvements. In fact, the swing in the defense's play can in some ways be traced back to their first game against the Jets, in which they forced three fumbles and recovered two of them including one to end the game. If the Jets put the ball in the air on offense, New England's secondary should look to make plays, as New York quarterbacks have combined to throw 22 interceptions so far this season. While they didn't created any of those 22 interceptions in the first go-around, expect the Pats secondary to be hungry to change the narrative this week.

Using The Wide Outs- The Pats always find whatever way is easiest to attack the opposing defense. New York's defense is right around the middle of the pack overall, though they struggle more against the pass than they do against the run. In the first match up, the Pats utilized their traditional wide receivers to tear up the Jets defense, as the trio of Julian Edelman Chris Hogan and Malcolm Mitchell combined for 17 catches, 195 yards and two scores on 23 targets. Since New York couldn't stop them in the first go-around, expect the Pats to go to the three wide outs a lot on Saturday and continue to pick apart the Jets secondary.

A First Look- Saturday figures to give Pats Nation a first look at what newly signed receiver Michael Floyd can bring to the table. Floyd, who was cut last week by the Arizona Cardinals following his arrest for a DUI, was picked up off waivers by New England a day later. He did not play in last Sunday's victory over the Denver Broncos, though he did travel with the team to get more accustomed to the system. After practicing all week, Floyd appears poised to make his Pats debut in an otherwise less-than-exciting game. The former 12th overall pick in the 2012 draft had been going through a down season, prior to his legal issues. You shouldn't expect too much from the guy, but with the injuries the team has dealt with at the receiver position and his size and natural ability adding him as depth isn't a bad move.

Not Usual Business- Typically, due to the nature of the relationship between the two teams, the match ups are usually rather close, regardless of how either team is doing in the standings. This is evident from how the first game between the teams this year ended in close fashion and with a strip sack by Pats defensive end Chris Long to seal the deal in the final minutes. While most games between the two end up somewhere in the 7-point range, the Jets have gotten worse since the first meeting and have absolutely zero to play for. The Pats should roll in this game and even be able to manage their key players' playing time.

Prediction- The Pats should and most likely will absolutely roll in this game. There is simply no reason why the Jets, who have 100 percent mailed in their season, should give the Pats any issues in any aspect of the game. Look for Brady to hit his wide outs and pass-caching backs early and Blount to ice the cake late in the game, as New England moves onto win number 13.

Pats 34, Jets 9