The Patriots, Gillette Stadium and snow are all popular topics throughout New England these days, and when the three join together on a Sunday afternoon, visiting football teams have a serious problem.
But even though New England is undefeated in snowy conditions at “The Razor” (9-0, including a 16-3 win over the Jets in 2005), the snow, stats and hype between the two teams is not a concern to Jets running back Thomas Jones.
“It’s a regular game, we prepare the same way we prepare for any other team, so we’re just going to go out there and try to execute and win this football game,” said Jones who has 944 rushing yards and one touchdown this season. “That’s how we’re looking at it. We’re not looking at it any differently.”
It appears that the wintry mix of snow, ice, rain and wind won’t derail Jones, either. In 16 December and January games since 2005, Jones has averaged 78.1 rushing yards per game while recording 10 rushing touchdowns.
This season is no different for Jones as he’s been on fire in the last month, and in doing so, his teammates have rallied behind him. Jones rushed for 117 yards in the Jets’ win over the Steelers in mid-November and scored his first touchdown as a Jets in their win over Miami. Last week against the Browns, he averaged 4.4 yards per carry, running for 106 yards on 24 touches.
This weekend the Jets offense will be relying on Jones even more, most notably inside the red zone. The Patriots are next-to-last in the league in red zone defense, allowing touchdowns on 20 of 31 opportunities, a 64.5 percent rate that is better than only the winless Dolphins.
“We understand as a defense there is no way in the world that we are going to have to accept it if we keep being the worst red-zone defense in the league,” said safety Rodney Harrison. “We have to get better and we have to be able to play the goal-line defense better.”
But Jones isn’t going to take the bait. Such stats aren’t about to diminish for the former Virginia Cavalier how good this Pats defense really is.
“When you’re undefeated through this many games you’re doing something right,” said Jones who had 43 yards on 14 rushes in the Jets' opening-day loss to the Patriots.
But interestingly enough, getting to the red zone may not be as difficult for the Jets and their eighth-year running back as many fans might assume. Baltimore running back Willis McGahee rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown in the Patriots’ 27-24 win over the Ravens on Dec. 3, and Pittsburgh's Willie Parker gained 124 yards in the Pats' 34-13 win over the Steelers last weekend in Foxboro.
The Pats are allowing just a hair under 100 rushing yards per game this season, which places them at about the middle of the pack terms of NFL rush defense.
“We have to be able to tackle better and stop the run,” Harrison stressed.
“We need to do a better job filling the gaps,” Patriots linebacker Junior Seau added. “Until we do that, teams like the Jets are going to keep running on us.”
