PATRIOTS (1-0) vs. JETS (1-0)
Thursday, Sept. 12, 2013 at 8:25 p.m. EDT
Gillette Stadium (68,756)
The New England Patriots will host the New York Jets in a nationally televised game on NFL Network this Thursday night at Gillette Stadium.
The Patriots beat Buffalo 23-21 in the season opener last week to extend their opening day streak to 10 straight opening day wins, the longest current streak in the NFL. The Patriots joined Dallas (17, 1965-1981), Miami (11, 1992-2002) and Portsmouth/Detroit (10, 1930-1939) as the only teams with 10 straight opening day wins.
The Patriots win over Buffalo also extended their streak to 11 straight wins over AFC East opponents. The Patriots will look to extend that streak this week against the Jets.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TELEVISION: This week's game will be broadcast to a national audience by the NFL Network. The game can also be seen in the Boston area on WCVB-TV Channel 5. Brad Nessler and Mike Mayock will call the game. Alex Flannagan will report from the sidelines. The game will be produced by Bob Goodrich and Mark Teitelman and directed by Artie Kempner.
NATIONAL RADIO: This week's game will be broadcast to a national audience by Westwood One Sports. Ian Eagle and Trent Green will call the game. Ross Tucker will report from the sidelines.
RADIO: 98.5 FM, The Sports Hub, is the flagship station for the Patriots Radio Network. A complete listing of the network's 37 stations can be found here. Play-by-play broadcaster Bob Socci will call the action along with former Patriots quarterback Scott Zolak, who will provide color analysis.
TEDY BRUSCHI NIGHT
Patriots 2013 Hall of Fame inductee Tedy Bruschi will be honored at halftime of this week's game. Bruschi and former Patriots play-by-play man Gil Santos were inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame presented by Raytheon in a public ceremony on Monday, July 29. Bruschi has been called the "consummate Patriot" by Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft and described as the "perfect player" by Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick. As a seven-time team captain, Bruschi's relentless work ethic and intensity helped set the tone for the entire team and helped guide the Patriots to three Super Bowl championships in four years. Bruschi joins Drew Bledsoe (2011) and Troy Brown (2012) as the only players to be selected by the fans into the Patriots Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. Santos, the "Voice of the New England Patriots," retired last season and learned in a pregame ceremony prior to the 2012 regular season finale that he would be inducted into the team's hall of fame. Santos will serve as an honorary team captain before Thursday's game.
SERIES HISTORY
The Patriots and Jets will meet for the 109th time, including three postseason games, since the series between the AFC East rivals began in 1960.
Last season, the Patriots swept the annual series for the 15th time in team history and for the second straight season after a 29-26 overtime win at Gillette Stadium on Oct. 21 and a 49-19 win at MetLife Stadium in Thanksgiving night on Nov. 22.
The 2012 victories put the Patriots in front in the series, 55- 52-1 overall.
The Patriots are 29-25-1 all-time in home games against the Jets, including 25-19 overall in Foxborough and 9-4 at Gillette Stadium.
The Patriots are 29-25-1 all-time in home games against the Jets, including 25-19 overall in Foxborough and 9-4 at Gillette Stadium.
The teams have played in the postseason three times, a 1985 Wild Card game, a 2006 Wild Card game and an AFC Divisional game in 2010. New England beat the Jets, 26-14, in 1985 at the Meadowlands on their way to Super Bowl XX. In 2006, the Patriots defeated the Jets, 37-16, at Gillette Stadium. The Jets defeated the Patriots, 28-21, in the 2010 playoff game.
New England is 26-14 against the Jets since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994.
New England's 55 victories over the Jets (including two playoff wins) are the second most over any single opponent, trailing only Buffalo with 64 all-time wins.
SERIES BREAKDOWN
NEW ENGLAND 55, NEW YORK 52, 1 Tie
(Including New England 2, New York 1 in Playoffs)
Home Record ........................... 29-25-1 (incl. 1-1 in playoffs)
Record in Foxborough .................. 25-19
Gillette Stadium ...................... 9-4
Foxboro Stadium ....................... 16-15
Record in Boston ...................... 4-5-1
Record in Birmingham, Alabama ......... 0-1
Away Record ........................... 26-27 (incl. 1-0 in playoffs)
MetLife Stadium ....................... 2-1
Giants Stadium ........................ 17-10 (incl. 1-0 playoffs)
Shea Stadium .......................... 5-14
Polo Grounds .......................... 2-2
Seasonal Sweeps ....................... Jets 14 (most recent '00), Patriots 15 ('12)
Bill Belichick vs. N.Y. Jets .......... 20-10 (19-9 with New England)
PATRIOTS ON THURSDAY
The Patriots will playing on Thursday for the 12th time in team history overall and against the New York Jets in a Thursday game for the fourth time overall.
The two teams met last season in a Thanksgiving Night game with the Patriots taking a 49-19 win at MetLife Stadium on Nov. 22, 2012. The Patriots last Thursday Night game at Gillette Stadium was on Nov. 13, 2008 vs. the New York Jets, with the Jets winning, 34-31, in overtime.
Five of the Patriots Thursday games were played on Thanksgiving (1984, 2000, 2002, 2010 and 2012).
BILL BELICHICK ON THURSDAY
Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick will coach in his ninth game on a Thursday, including his eighth with the Patriots. Belichick is 6-2 all-time when coaching on Thursday, including 3-1 on Thursday Thanksgiving games and 5-2 as head coach of the Patriots in Thursday games.
CONNECTIONS
New England Ties
Jets President Neil Glat received his J.D. from Harvard Law School after graduating with a degree in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. * Jets General Manager John Idzik graduated with Magna Cum Laude honors from Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H. in 1982 and played wide receiver for the Big Green for four seasons. * Jets Defensive Backs Coach Brian Smith graduated in 2000 from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Mass., where he was a three-year starter at safety and cornerback. Smith went on to coach at UMass as well, coaching Linebackers in 2004 and Wide Receivers from 2005-2006. * Jets Senior Personnel Executive Terry Bradway spent six years as a scout for the New York Giants from 1986-1991 during Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick's tenure as a Linebackers/Special Teams Coach (1986-1990) and Defensive Coordinator (1991). * Jets Director of Pro Personnel Brendan Prophett played wide receiver for one year at the University of Maine before transferring to the College of New Jersey. * Jets College Scout Rick Courtright attended Wheaton College in Norton, Mass., where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in physical education and played linebacker. * College Area Scout Christopher Prescott is a Connecticut native and attended Western New England University in Springfield, Mass., where he played safety on the football team for four years. * Jets OL Vladimir Ducasse, a native of Haiti, moved to Stamford, Conn. in 2002 and attended Stamford High School before going on to play four years as an offensive lineman at UMass Amherst. Ducasse started the final 35 games of his career at left tackle for the Minutemen and was named an FCS First-Team All-American as a senior in 2009.
New York Ties
- Patriots S Steve Gregory was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. and was an All-City wide receiver at Curtis High School in Staten Island, N.Y., just 20 miles south of MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. Gregory's father and stepmother are both New York City police officers and were on duty during the events of September 11, 2001.
- Patriots DB Devin McCourty attended Saint Joseph's High School in Montvale, N.J., just 20 over miles north of MetLife Stadium. At the end of his senior year, McCourty was recruited to play in the 2005 New York/New Jersey Governor's Bowl at Rutgers Stadium, located 40 miles southwest of East Rutherford.
- Patriots LB Steve Beauharnais hails from Saddle Brook, N.J., just 10 miles north of MetLife Stadium, and attended McCourty's alma mater Saint Joseph's High School for one year.
Former Patriots
- Jets College Area Scout Jay Mandolesi, a native of Springfield, Mass. and graduate of Springfield College, spent two years as an intern in the Patriots video department from 2002-2003 and earned a Super Bowl ring in 2003. Former Patriots
- Jets College Area Scout Jay Mandolesi, a native of Springfield, Mass. and graduate of Springfield College, spent two years as an intern in the Patriots video department from 2002-2003 and earned a Super Bowl ring in 2003.
Former Jets
- Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick spent three seasons with the Jets from 1997-1999, serving as an assistant head coach/secondary coach under Head Coach Bill Parcells. The Jets compiled a 29-19 record during Belichick's tenure, capped by a 12-4 season in 1998 in which they won the AFC East reached the playoffs for the first time since 1991.
- Patriots Linebackers Coach Pepper Johnson joined Belichick in New York for his final two NFL seasons from 1997-1998. Johnson started just eight games in 1997 due to injury but returned in 1998 as a team captain and started in all 16 contests.
- Patriots Offensive Coaching Assistant Brian Daboll spent two years as quarterbacks coach for the Jets from 2007- 2008.
- Patriots Director of Football/Head Coach Administration Berj Najarian spent five years in the New York Jets Public Relations department before joining the Patriots in 2000. Najarian is a native of Manhasset, N.Y., less than 30 miles east of MetLife Stadium.
- Patriots CB Marquice Cole spent three seasons on the Jets from 2009-2011 as a valuable special teams player, recording 19 special teams tackles in 37 games with New York.
Former NFL Teammates
- Patriots S Steve Gregory played in the defensive backfield with Jets CB Antonio Cromartie for three seasons from 2006-2009 on the San Diego Chargers.
- Jets LB Antwan Barnes was also teammates with Patriots S Steve Gregory for two seasons (2010-2011) in San Diego.
- Patriots WR Danny Amendola and Jets DL Leger Douzable were teammates during the 2009 season on the St. Louis Rams. Amendola was also teammates with Jets K Nick Folk in Dallas during Amendola's stint on the Cowboys' practice squad in 2008.
Former College Teammates
Patriots DT Vince Wilfork and Jets TE Kellen Winslow were teammates for three seasons at the University of Miami (FL) from 2001-2003 and won a National Championship during their first season together in 2001. * Patriots LB Dont'a Hightower and Jets CB Dee Milliner spent two years as defensive teammates at Alabama from 2010-2011 and won a National Championship during their second year together in 2011. * Jets TE Jeff Cumberland teamed up with Patriots TE Michael Hoomanawanui for four seasons at the University of Illinois (2006-2009). Cumberland also joined Patriots DB Tavon Wilson for two seasons (2008-2009) and DE Michael Buchanan for one season (2009) on the Fighting Illini. * Patriots OL Ryan Wendell was teammates with Jets P Robert Malone for two seasons from 2006-2007 at Fresno State. * Patriots G Logan Mankins and Jets LB Garrett McIntyre also teamed up together at Fresno State for three seasons from 2002-2004. * Jets WR Jeremy Kerley was teammates with Patriots OL Marcus Cannon for two seasons (2007-2008) and WR Josh Boyce for one seasons (2010) at TCU.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR THIS WEEK VS. JETS
TOM BRADY
- Tom Brady needs one touchdown pass against the Jets to extend his streak to 50 straight games with at least one touchdown pass. It is the second longest streak of all time, behind Drew Brees (54).
- Brady tied Drew Brees with his ninth NFL game with four touchdowns, 300 yards and no interceptions against St. Louis (10/28/12) and needs one more such game to be alone in first place.
- Brady has the fifth most 300-yard games in NFL history with 53, behind Peyton Manning (73), Drew Brees (68), Dan Marino (63) and Brett Favre (62).
- Brady (336) needs six touchdowns against the Jets to move into a tie with Fran Tarkenton (342) for fourth place all-time.
- Brady needs 13 completions to move past Drew Bledsoe into seventh place on the NFL's all-time completion list.
JULIAN EDELMAN
Julian Edelman to keep his punt return average at 13.0. He has the highest punt return average in NFL history at 13.0 (75-975) and is one of seven NFL players with a punt return average of 12.0 or above. * Edelman needs one more punt return for a touchdown to set the team mark with his fourth punt returned for a touchdown. He is tied with Irving Fryar and Troy Brown with three returns for a touchdown.
JEROD MAYO
- Jerod Mayo to have his third straight 10-plus tackle game and his sixth 10-plus tackle game against the New York Jets overall. Mayo had a career-best 23 total tackles vs. the New York Jets on Nov. 13, 2008 in a Thursday Night game. He has had two 20-plus tackle games against the Jets with the 23 in 2008 and 20 total tackles on Oct. 21, 2012.
ROB NINKOVICH
- Rob Ninkovich has the most fumble recoveries of any NFL player over the last four years (2010-13) with 10 and can add on to that total with a fumble recovery against the Jets.
TEAM
- The Patriots have forced a turnover in 28 straight games dating back to 2011, and including all 16 regular season games of 2012 and the 2013 season opener. The NFL record for most consecutive games with a turnover since the merger in 1970 is 71 by Philadelphia from 1985-1990. The last time the Patriots did not register at least one turnover was on Oct. 9, 2011 vs. the New York Jets.
- A win over Jets will extend the Patriots record to 12 straight wins over AFC East opponents. After losing at Buffalo, 34-31 in 2011, the Patriots won their remaining four AFC East games that year and then finished a perfect 6-0 against AFC East opponents in 2012. The Patriots extended the streak to 11 with a win at Buffalo in the 2013 season opener. The Patriots previous longest winning streak against AFC East opponents was nine games, starting on Sept. 21, 2003 with a 23-16 win vs. NY Jets and ending on Dec. 20, 2004 with a 29- 28 loss at Miami.
KRAFT PRODUCES MORE WINS THAN EVERY OTHER PATRIOT OWNER COMBINED
The win over Buffalo was the 226th victory overall under Robert Kraft. He has now produced more victories than every other Patriots owner combined. Under Kraft, the Patriots are 226-110 overall since he purchased the team in 1994. Kraft's predecessors in the owner's office went 225- 276-9 in the 34 years prior to his purchase of the team.
PATRIOTS WIN 10TH STRAIGHT SEASON OPENER
The Patriots earned their 10th straight season opening win and joined Dallas (17, 1965-1981), Miami (11, 1992-2002) and Portsmouth/Detroit (10, 1930-1939) as the only teams with 10 straight opening day wins. The Patriots ten opening day wins is the longest streak in the NFL. Of the 10 wins, four of the have been on the road including todays' win over Buffalo . The Patriots won at the Jets in 2007, at Miami in 2011 and at Tennessee in 2012.
PATRIOTS FORCE A TUNROVER FOR IN THE 28TH STRAIGHT GAME
The Patriots have forced a turnover in 28 straight games dating back to 2011, and including all 16 regular season games of 2012 after CB Kyle Arrington forced a fumble that was recovered by DL Tommy Kelly in the first quarter. The NFL record for most consecutive games with a turnover since the merger in 1970 is 71 by Philadelphia from 1985- 1990. The last time the Patriots did not register at least one turnover was on Oct. 9, 2011 vs. the New York Jets.
PATRIOTS 2013 TEAM CAPTAINS
The Patriots team captains were elected by their teammates. Quarterback Tom Brady and G Logan Mankins are the offensive captains. Nose tackle Vince Wilfork and LB Jerod Mayo are the defensive captains. Wide receiver Matthew Slater is the special teams captain. Brady has been chosen as a captain for the 12th straight season. Wilfork is a captain for the sixth straight season, while Mayo, is in his fifth season serving as a captain. Mankins, and Slater are captains for a third time.
