This should be a battle in Foxboro on Sunday.  The Patriots and Jets have split their two contests this season with New England outscoring the Jets 38-34 in those games.  Each team won the road game between these two teams.  The Patriots have thrown and run the ball well against the Jets this season.  Tom Brady completed 40 of 66 passes (60.6%) for 475 yards with 2 TD passes and 2 interceptions.  The Patriots will look to run the ball because the Jets have had problems with the Patriots running game as Corey Dillon (178 yards rushing) and Laurence Maroney (102 yards rushing) have both run well against the Jets.  The Jets will probably go to the air as they haven’t run the ball well against the Patriots.  Chad Pennington has completed 44 of 70 passes (62.9%) for 474 yards with 3 TD passes and 2 interceptions.  Jerricho Cotchery (12 rec, 191 yards, 2 TDs), Lauveranues Coles (11 rec, 129 yards, TD) and Justin McCareins (7 rec, 82 yards) all have played well against the Patriots.

The Patriots without a doubt will be running the football against a Jets defense that allowed 130.3 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry this season.  Corey Dillon (812 yards, 13 TDs) and Laurence Maroney (745 yards, 6 TDs) should both have big games despite the Jets having three decent LBs in Jonathan Vilma (113 tackles), Eric Barton (101 tackles) and Victor Hobson (100 tackles).  Tom Brady (3,529 yards passing) should have a good game if the Patriots line keeps him standing and that was a problem the last time these two teams meant.  Watch for ancient Troy Brown to make a big play or two…he always does in the playoffs.

The Jets will likely be throwing alot in this football game.  Chad Pennington (3,352 yards passing) has done a good job against the Patriots this season.  Lauveranues Coles (91 rec, 1,098 yards, 6 TDs) and Jerricho Cotchery (82 rec, 961 yards, 6 TDs) should both have good games, but Pennington will have to be careful because Asante Samuel has picked off 10 passes this season.  Look for Justin McCareins and TE Chris Baker to be the Jets secret weapons on Sunday.  The Jets will still try to run the football, but it won’t be easy against Tedy Bruschi (112 tackles) and Mike Vrabel (89 tackles).

The Patriots special teams haven’t played too well this season.  Stephen Gostkowski is no Adam Vinatieri.  Gostkowski hit 20 of 26 FGs as a rookie, so we’ll see if he can handle playoff pressure.  Todd Sauerbrun is the third punter used this season by the Patriots.  Sauerbrun is averaging 40.8 yards per punt with a net average of 30.7 yards.  He has placed 2 of 10 punts inside the opposing 20 yard line.  Kevin Faulk has done a good job as the punt returner as he’s averaging 10.6 yards per return.  Ellis Hobbs has been electric returning kicks as he’s returned 10 for 360 yards (36.0 avg) and a TD.

The Jets special teams have really played well this season and this is an area that the Jets have a huge edge on the Patriots.  Mike Nugent has done a great job in his second year as he has hit 24 of 27 FGs, including 6 of 7 over 40 yards.  Punter Ben Graham has done a good job as he has averaged 44.2 yards per punt and a 37.8 yard net.  He has pinned the opposition inside the 20 on 26 of 72 punts.  Tim Dwight has done a decent job returning punts as he has averaged 10.4 yards per return.  Justin Miller has probably been the best kick-off returner in the NFL as he has returned 46 kicks for 1,304 yards (28.3 avg) and he’s returned 2 kicks for TDs.

It’s hard to pick against the Patriots at home.  Tom Brady has never lost a playoff game at home and Bill Belichick sports an 11-2 post record as a head coach.  The Jets should keep this game close as they’ve played well against the Patriots this season, but I have to side with the Patriots in this one.  It should be a close game though.