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NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (1-0) atNEW YORK JETS (1-0)**
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Giants Stadium (80,062)
4:15 p.m. EDT

The Patriots and Jets will meet on Sunday at the Meadowlands with control of the AFC East division at stake. With both teams coming off of season-opening victories, the winner will claim possession of the top spot in the division and begin the season by taking an early lead in the standings.

New England has had the better of recent meetings between the two teams, owning a six-game winning streak in the series. Additionally, the Patriots are 25-5 in their last 30 divisional games.

Next week, the Patriots will play their first of two straight games against defending division champions when the defending AFC West champion Denver Broncos come to Foxborough for a Sunday night clash. The following week, New England will play the defending AFC North champions, the Cincinnati Bengals.

TWO IS TOUGH

The Patriots will aim to start the season with back-to-back victories, a feat that has historically proven quite difficult to achieve. New England has opened the season with a 2-0 record just seven times in the franchise's 46 previous seasons. This decade, New England has begun the season with back-to-back wins on two occasions (2002 and 2004). New England is opening the 2006 season with two straight division games for the first time since 1999 and for the 15th time in team history, and has won back-to-back division games to open the season just twice (1999 and 1986). In both 2004 and 2005, only seven of the NFL's 32 clubs opened the season with a 2-0 record.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

TELEVISION: This week's game will be broadcast by CBS. The game can be seen in Boston on WBZ-TV Channel 4. Dick Enberg will handle play-by-play duties and Randy Cross will provide analysis.

RADIO: WBCN 104.1 FM is the flagship station for the Patriots Rock Radio Network. A complete listing of the network's stations can be found here. Play-by-play broadcaster Gil Santos is in his 30th season as the voice of the Patriots and will call the action along with Patriots Hall of Famer Gino Cappelletti. Santos and Cappelletti are celebrating their 23rd season as a broadcast tandem.

SERIES HISTORY

The Patriots and Jets will meet for the 93rd time since the series between the AFC East rivals began in 1960. The Patriots have won six straight and eight of the last nine games between the teams, including sweeps in each of the last three years. The Jets hold a slight overall edge in the series, but the Patriots lead the series 15-9 since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994. With their 93rd meeting this week, the Jets tie the Buffalo Bills as the most frequent opponent in Patriots history. New England's 44 victories over the Jets (including one playoff win) are tied for the second most over any single opponent, trailing only Buffalo (52 all-time wins). Including one playoff victory, the Patriots are 14-9 against the Jets at the Meadowlands. New England has been victorious in each of its last five road games against the Jets. The last time the Patriots lost to the Jets at Giants Stadium was on Oct. 15, 2000, when New York took a 34-17 win.

PATRIOTS-JETS QUICK HITS

• The Patriots have held the Jets to seven points or less in three of the last four meetings between the teams, holding New York to an average of 9.5 points over that span.

• During the Patriots' six-game winning streak over New York, they have intercepted Jets quarterbacks 10 times.

• New England has held the Jets to less than 50 total rushing yards in each of the last three meetings.

• The Patriots are 8-2 against the Jets since 2001.

BEAST OF THE EAST

New England has the best record among AFC East teams in division games since the beginning of the 2001 season (26-7). The Patriots have won 16 of their last 18 divisional contests and are 25-5 in their last 30 divisional contests. The Patriots have won three straight division titles and have won four AFC East championships in the last five years.

PASSING PERFORMANCES

Tom Brady owns an 8-1 record against the Jets as a starting quarterback, including a 5-0 record against the Jets at the Meadowlands. In road games against the Jets, Brady has completed 66.4 percent of his passes (99-164) for 1,069 yards and eight touchdowns with just two interceptions. The Patriots defense has performed well when matched up against New York's Chad Pennington, holding the Jets signal caller to just one touchdown and seven interceptions in games played at the Meadowlands.

TOM ON TURF

This week's Patriots-Jets game will be played on an artificial surface, a condition under which Tom Brady has been successful throughout his career.

• Brady has compiled a career record of 15-1 as a starter in games played on artificial surfaces, including regular season and playoff games. His only loss came on Sept. 7, 2003 at Buffalo's Ralph Wilson Stadium.

• In his 16 previous starts on artificial surfaces, Brady has thrown 30 touchdowns and just 13 interceptions.

• On turf, Brady has completed 65.5 percent of his passes (329-503), while completing 60.9 percent of his passes on natural grass (1484-2436).

• On turf, Brady has compiled a career passer rating of 97.4, compared to a 86.7 career rating on grass.

CONNECTIONS

FORMER PATRIOTS/JETS CONNECTIONS

• Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was the Jets' assistant head coach/secondary for three seasons (1997-99).

• Jets head coach Eric Mangini was a member of the Patriots coaching staff for six seasons from 2000-05, serving as the secondary coach for the first five seasons and as New England's defensive coordinator in 2005.

• Defensive line coach Pepper Johnson played for two seasons with the Jets before retiring in 1999. In his first season with the Jets, he was voted captain before the start of the regular season.

• Special teams coach Brad Seely held the same position with the Jets in 1994.

• Patriots Vice President of Player Personnel Scott Pioli was the director of pro personnel for the Jets from 1997-1999.

• Jets strength and conditioning coach Markus Paul was the Patriots' assistant strength and conditioning coach from 2000-04.

• Jets defensive backs coach Corwin Brown played safety for the Patriots from 1993-96.

• Jets assistant defensive line coach Bryan Cox was a linebacker on the Patriots' 2001 Super Bowl championship team.

• Jets assistant running backs/assistant special teams coach Sam Gash played fullback for the Patriots from 1992-97.

• Jets assistant strength and conditioning coach Rick Lyle was a defensive lineman for the Patriots from 2002-03.

• Jets running backs coach Jimmy Raye was the Patriots' offensive coordinator on head coach Rod Rust's staff in 1990.

• Jets quality control/defense coach Andy Dickerson was a member of the Patriots' football operations department from 2004-05.

• Patriots linebacker Don Davis originally signed with the Jets as a rookie free agent in the spring of 1995.

• Jets wide receiver Tim Dwight played for the Patriots in 2005, appearing in all 16 games and recording 19 catches for 332 yards and three touchdowns.

• Jets linebacker Matt Chatham played for the Patriots for six seasons from 2000-05. He played in 66 games with four starts and recorded 69 special teams tackles for New England.

• Jets defensive end Bobby Hamilton played for the Patriots for four seasons from 2000-03. In his four seasons in New England, Hamilton did not miss a game, starting 62 of 64 regular-season contests and all six playoff games. He led the team with seven sacks in 2001. FORMER COLLEGE CONNECTIONS

• Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork and Jets linebacker Jonathan Vilma were four-year teammates on the University of Miami defense from 2000-03.

• Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, Jets fullback B.J. Askew and Jets linebacker Victor Hobson were teammates at the University of Michigan in 1999.

• Patriots safety Eugene Wilson and Jets guard Brandon Moore were four-year teammates at the University of Illinois from 1999-2002.

• Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel and Jets center Norm Katnik were four-year teammates at Southern Cal.

• Patriots wide receiver Bam Childress and Jets kicker Mike Nugent were four-year teammates at Ohio State from 2001-04. Jets center Nick Mangold was also Childress' teammate from 2002-04. and Jets linebacker Anthony Schlegel was a teammate in 2004. FORMER NFL CONNECTIONS

• As head coach of the Cleveland Browns in 1995, Belichick hired Mike Tannenbaum as a personnel intern and Eric Mangini as a coaches assistant. Tannenbaum is now the Jets' general manager and Mangini is the Jets' head coach.

• Patriots special teams captain Larry Izzo played for the Miami Dolphins from 1996-2000, during which time Jets assistant head coach/special teams coordinator Mike Westhoff was the Dolphins' special teams coach. Izzo earned his first Pro Bowl berth under Westhoff's tutelage in 2000.

• Patriots running backs coach Ivan Fears and Jets offensive line coach Tony Wise were both members of the Chicago Bears coaching staff on the offensive side of the ball from 1993-98 under head coach Dave Wannstedt.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

BRADY'S RECORD PERFORMANCE

8-1Tom Brady's career record as a starter against the New York Jets

5-0Brady's record as a starter in games played against the Jets at the Meadowlands.

15-1Brady's career record in games he has started on artificial surfaces.

26-6Brady's record as a starter against divisional opponents.

NY-NE CONNECTION

7The number of coaches on the New York Jets staff who have either coached for the Patriots or played for the Patriots (Eric Mangini, Corwin Brown, Bryan Cox, Sam Gash, Rick Lyle, Jimmy Raye and Andy Dickerson).

3The number of current Jets players who have also played for the Patriots (Matt Chatham, Tim Dwight and Bobby Hamilton).

3The number coaches on the Patriots staff who have either coached for the Jets or played for the Jets (Bill Belichick, Pepper Johnson and Brad Seely).

0The number of Patriots players who have also played for the Jets (Don Davis was signed by the Jets as a rookie free agent in 1995 but did not play for the team).

THE DILLON FACTOR

10,502Corey Dillon's career rushing yardage total, the highest total among any player on a current 53-man active roster.

142The number of yards Dillon needs to pass Ricky Watters and claim 15th place on the NFL's all-time rushing list.

24-4The Patriots' record in games in which Dillon has played since joining the Patriots prior to the 2004 season.

1-4The Patriots record in games Dillon has missed during his Patriots tenure.

4.3Corey Dillon's average yards per carry since joining the Patriots (2,441 yards on 570 rushes).

MR. PATRIOT

6,000The number of career receiving yards for Troy Brown, making him the second player in franchise history to reach the mark (Stanley Morgan, 10,352).

19The number of receptions Brown needs to pass Stanley Morgan (534 career receptions) to become the Patriots' all-time leader.

14The number of seasons in which Brown has donned a Patriots uniform, tying Bruce Armstrong and Steve Nelson for the second longest Patriots tenure, trailing only Steve Grogan (16 seasons).

2The number of current NFL players who have been with their respective teams for more than the 14 seasons Brown has been a Patriot (Brett Favre, GB, and Jason Hanson, DET;15 seasons).

STREAKING

50The number of consecutive games the Patriots have played since they last lost back-to-back games, dating back to December 2002. The NFL record is 60 games by the San Francisco 49ers from 1995-99. The next longest active streak in the NFL is the Denver Broncos with 21.

5The number of consecutive 9 win seasons for the Patriots, the longest current streak in the NFL.

8The number of consecutive Patriots overtime victories, the longest current streak in the NFL.

8The number of career receptions by Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel (including playoffs). All eight receptions have been for touchdowns. Last season against the Jets, Vrabel grabbed a career-high two touchdown passes.

90The number of consecutive games, including playoffs, that Tom Brady has started at quarterback.

129The number of consecutive home games that the Patriots have sold out. The streak includes preseason, regular-season and playoff games and dates back to the 1994 regular-season opener.

THE HEAD COACH

32The number of years Bill Belichick has been an NFL coach, making him the longest tenured coach among the NFL's 32 head coaches.

9The number of head coaches who have won three or more NFL championships since the postseason era began in 1933. Belichick joined that elite club with a victory in Super Bowl XXXIX.

7The number of head coaches in the NFL or college who were once assistant coaches under Belichick (Romeo Crennel, Eric Mangini, Nick Saban, Charlie Weis, Kirk Ferentz, Pat Hill and Al Groh).

37-2Belichick's record in New England when the Patriots score 25 points or more.

57-5Belichick's record in New England when the Patriots score 21 points or more.

THE KRAFT ERA

4The number of times the Patriots have appeared in the Super Bowl since Robert Kraft bought the team in 1994. No other team has made more than two Super Bowl appearances in that span.

13The number of playoff victories for the Patriots since 1994, more than any other team in the NFL during that span.

131-80The Patriots' overall record since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994 (including postseason), a .621 winning percentage.

75-30The Patriots' record at home since 1994, including regular-season and postseason games, a winning percentage of .714.

31-6
The Patriots' record at Gillette Stadium, including regular-season and postseason games (.838 win pct).