Week 17: New York Jets at New England Patriots
Despite everything that was written about the AFC East regarding the other matchup in Week 17, Bill Belichick might still get the final word.
Sure, many are looking at the 2020 version of the New England Patriots and writing them off. Their schedule – at least on paper – is the toughest in the league. They face multiple trips to the West Coast. Their offense struggled a season ago and yes, they lost Tom Brady.
But they still have Belichick, and return many pieces to one of the league’s top defense from a season ago. If they can get competent quarterback play from Jarrett Stidham, they could start a post-Brady Era looking very much like the teams that started the Patriots’ run: A team dominated by their defense with a ball-control passing game. Could Belichick recapture some of that 2001 magic?
Standing in his way could be the New York Jets. Adam Gase and company have made a number of additions this season, most notably along the offensive line, in an attempt to protect their young quarterback Sam Darnold.