The New York Jets will renew their blood-feud with the New England Patriots on Sunday and there will be more at stake than the master versus the pupil storyline.  This is the playoffs where the weather gets colder, the hits get harder and the games get tighter.  The road to the Super Bowl is a perilous one and for the Jets that road begins in Foxborough.

Oh yeah, I’m ready for Sunday.

The consensus is that the Jets storybook season will come to a crashing end in New England.  That Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots don’t lose at home in the playoffs.  That Tom Brady always comes up big in the big game.  That there is no way the Jets can defeat the Pats twice in one season on the road.

Fair enough.

But, it should also be noted that nothing has gone according to plan (or logic) in the NFL this season.  So, with that, here are my keys to the game:

1. Make Tom Brady beat you.  I know it sounds ridiculous, but if the Jets are able to shutdown the New England two-headed running attack of Corey Dillon and Laurence Maroney and force Brady into passing situations I think the defense can be successful.  In their 17-14 victory against the Pats earlier in the year, the Jets confused and frustrated Brady with different looks and schemes.  It was probably the D’s best team effort of the season.

2. Spread the field.  It would be great if the Jets could run the ball consistently, but they can’t.  I feel the Jets can have success if they employ the short passing game similar to the one they utilized against the Vikings.  Many of those plays are similar to runs anyway.  The short pickups could eat up clock and could turn into long scoring drives.  Face it; the Jets need to keep this game in the teens.

3.  Weather the early storm.  It’s going to be crazy in New England.  The key is not to panic if things don’t go well early.  Mangini and his staff have done a great job keeping this team poised during difficult periods in the regular season.  The post season is a different animal.

This game should be hard fought and tight throughout.  Are the Jets playing with house money?  Sure, but that doesn’t mean they can’t go out and win this.  After all, this season has been anything but predictable.

One thing’s for sure – at the end of the game both head coaches will cross the field and embrace in a warm, loving bear-hug, regardless of the outcome.

Yeah, right.