Jets at Patriots
With an NFL-record eighth consecutive division title wrapped up, the New England Patriots can go about the bigger business of trying to secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs when they host the rival New York Jets on Saturday afternoon. The Patriots already are assured a first-round bye and hold a one-game lead over Oakland for the top overall seed in the conference.
New England is fresh off a 16-3 victory at reigning Super Bowl champion Denver, which extended its winning streak to five games. The Patriots' toughest test during the five-game run came against the Jets in Week 12, when they rallied for a 22-17 victory with nine points in the final 7:02. The Jets sprung a 26-20 upset of New England in Week 16 a year ago, but the oddsmakers in Las Vegas don't like the chances of a repeat -- the Patriots are favored by more than two touchdowns. New York hoped to challenge New England for AFC East supremacy but instead are buried in the division cellar after dropping five of its last six.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Patriots -16.5. O/U: 43.5
ABOUT THE JETS (4-10): New York has gone five straight games without scoring more than 17 points in regulation and is down to third-string quarterback Bryce Petty, who practiced fully Wednesday after absorbing a huge hit in last week's 34-13 drubbing by Miami. Bilal Powell is expected to get the bulk of the playing time at running back in place of an ailing Matt Forte, who suffered a torn meniscus in his knee in Week 14 and sat out practice Wednesday while dealing with a nerve problem in his shoulder. Undrafted wide receiver Robby Anderson has emerged as a favorite target of Petty with 14 catches and a pair of touchdowns on 29 targets over the past three games. The defense has provided minimal impact with the second-fewest interceptions (seven) and sacks (23) in the NFL.
ABOUT THE PATRIOTS (12-2): Quarterback Tom Brady downplayed a thigh injury that limited him in practice Wednesday, but New England is not downplaying the back-to-back losses to the Jets and Miami last season that cost the team home-field advantage. “Huge sense of urgency,” safety Devin McCourty said Wednesday. “It’s kind of like we were in the same position last year, same opponents last two weeks of the season. Obviously, the same goals." Brady was held to a season-low 188 yards passing and failed to throw a scoring pass for only the second time this season, but Dion Lewis supplied 95 yards rushing on 18 carries. New England is permitting a league-low 16.6 points per game and ranks fourth in the league against the run with an average of 87.9 yards.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Brady has 23 scoring passes against four interceptions in his last 12 games against New York.
2. Powell has amassed 341 yards from scrimmage and rushed for two TDs in the past two games.
3. Patriots RB LeGarrette Blount leads the league with 15 rushing touchdowns.