The AFC East lead will be up for grabs this week when two of the NFL's three undefeated teams meet at Gillette Stadium for one of the most highly anticipated matchups in the league this season. The Patriots come into the game with a chance to not only take sole possession of first place in the division for the first time this season, but also with a chance to establish the NFL's all-time record for consecutive regular-season victories. New England has won 20 consecutive games overall, but the Patriots have a chance this week to move ahead of the 1933-34 Chicago Bears with their 18th consecutive regular-season victory.
In order to do what no team has done in NFL history, the Patriots will have to do something that no team has done yet this season ââ'¬" beat the Jets. New York has rolled to the best start in its franchise's history with a 5-0 record, just as New England has matched its own best start with an identical mark. With the AFC East lead, winning streaks and undefeated marks on the line, this week's clash between divisional rivals promises to be another memorable chapter in the Patriots-Jets series.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TELEVISION: This week's game will be broadcast on CBS. The game can be seen in Boston on WBZ-TV Channel 4. Jim Nantz will handle the play-by-play duties and Phil Simms will provide analysis. Bonnie Bernstein will contribute reports from the sidelines.
RADIO: WBCN 104.1 FM is the flagship station for the Patriots Rock Radio Network. Play-by-play broadcaster Gil Santos is in his 28th 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 21st season as a broadcast tandem.
NATIONAL RADIO: This week's game will be broadcast to a nationwide radio audience by Sports USA Radio Network. Eli Gold will call play-by-play and will be joined by analyst Gino Torretta.
STARTING STRONG
The Patriots have started the season with a 5-0 record, matching the best start to a season in franchise history. New England is 5-0 for the second time in franchise history and for the first time in 30 years. The only other time the Patriots started a season with five consecutive wins was in 1974. In addition to this season, the Patriots jumped out to a 4-0 start in 1999, 1997, 1974 and 1964. New England has never started a season with a 6-0 record.
THE LAST TIME...
The New York Jets were the last team to defeat the Patriots at Gillette Stadium, coming away with a 30-17 win on Dec. 22, 2002. Since then, New England has won 14 consecutive regular-season and postseason games in Foxborough, and has compiled an overall record of 23-2 including the postseason. That game two seasons ago marked the last time the Patriots lost to a team with a winning record, as the Jets finished the 2002 season with a 9-7 mark and won the AFC East crown by virtue of a tiebreaker. Since that game, the Patriots have won all 12 of their games against teams that either finished that season with a mark above .500 or currently possess a winning 2004 mark.
