Five things the Jets can do to win

FOXBOROUGH, Mass.

Rex Ryan calls it the second-biggest game in Jets history, behind only the epic Super Bowl III victory over the Colts on Jan. 12, 1969.

Ryan's right about this: a win over the 14-2 Patriots, and the Jets would send a resounding message that they're capable of matching Joe Namath's Jets.

Now for the challenge of getting from here to there. The Jets are capable of beating New England - the Jets and Browns were the only teams to do so in the regular season - but they'll have to play as close to a perfect game as possible.

Here's a five-point plan for how to make it happen:

1) Run the ball

Then run it some more . . . and some more after that.

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Ryan calls his offense "ground and pound," a smash-mouth style that he believes is a prerequisite to winning games. Sometimes the Jets stray from that philosophy, such as in their 45-3 loss to the Patriots last month at Gillette Stadium. In that one, Mark Sanchez dropped back to pass on 6 of 11 plays on the first drive, then 16 of 23 plays in the rest of the first half. By then, the Jets were down 24-3 and the game essentially was over.

They obviously can't afford to let that happen again, and the best way is to get back to their core identity. And that means running the ball the way they did in the second half against the Colts in last week's 17-16 win.

Remember that extraordinary 17-play drive that consumed more than nine minutes in the late third and early fourth quarters? There were only six drop-backs from Sanchez; LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene spent the bulk of the drive running between the tackles.

The Jets were able to run on the Patriots in the first half last month (5.3 yards per carry), but they didn't stick with it. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer's unwillingness to stick with the run hurt the Jets in the end. Can't afford to let it happen again. Don't expect it to, either. The Jets will run it more in this one - guaranteed.

2) Blitz Brady

Tom Brady is playing some of the best football of his brilliant career. Consider: He has gone an NFL-record 335 straight passes without an interception and has passed for at least two touchdowns with no interceptions in his last nine games, the longest streak in league history.

One of his few poor performances came against the Jets in Week 2, when he threw two interceptions in a 28-14 loss. A big reason for his struggles that day: The Jets put plenty of heat on him throughout the game. They did it with a four-man rush, but they also did it with timely blitzes. Brady was sacked only once, but he was hit nearly two dozen times after releasing the ball.

The Jets didn't blitz as much last month, but when they did, it often worked. In the Patriots' second three-and-out that game, the Jets blitzed Eric Smith and then David Harris on consecutive plays in the second quarter and forced a third-and-20. They risk leaving the pass defense vulnerable by sending blitzers, but they need to take their shots.

3) Match Wes Welker with Darrelle Revis

But not exclusively.

The formula used to be easy against the Patriots when Randy Moss was in the lineup. Just have Revis shadow Moss, take him out of the game and force Brady to look elsewhere. But that's one of the big reasons Bill Belichick traded Moss - to give the Patriots a more balanced passing attack.

Welker now is the primary receiver, and his over-the-middle routes are nearly impossible to defend. But he is Brady's security blanket, and if Revis can disrupt that chemistry, it's a huge plus for the defense.

Welker isn't the only threat, though. Deion Branch, a former Super Bowl MVP with the Patriots, has re-emerged as a deep threat, so the Jets need to be mindful of him, too. It's best to keep Antonio Cromartie on him most of the time, but switching up with Revis isn't a bad idea, at least on a few occasions.

For his part, Cromartie, who called out Brady during the week, needs to have his best coverage game of the season, as Brady likely will be throwing away from Revis.

4) Let Sanchez take a few deep shots

One benefit of the successful use of the "ground and pound" is the opponent putting an extra player in the tackle box to help stop the run. But that move is not without risk, because an eighth defender in the box means there is less help in the secondary. If the Patriots do respond by putting one of their safeties down low to better deal with the run, Sanchez can respond by hitting Santonio Holmes or Braylon Edwards on deep routes.

Edwards loves to run the "go" route straight up the field; Holmes is a bit niftier with the double move to fake a defender and then get upfield. Either way, Schottenheimer should sprinkle in a deep route every now and then to try and hit a big play.

At the very least, it can loosen up the Patriots' defense and potentially help the running game if New England backs off the line of scrimmage. 

5) Be aggressive on special teams

You're not going to fool a Belichick-coached team very often, but if the occasion presents itself and if the score is manageable, Ryan should give special-teams coach Mike Westhoff the latitude to call a fake punt, onside kick or fake field goal.

These things can backfire on you, but as we saw in last year's Super Bowl, when Sean Payton called for an onside kick to open the second half, they can be momentum-changers.

Westhoff is a master when it comes to finding an opening for a special-teams surprise, and if there's a spot to do it here, then take it.