Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Crossover: Patriots vs Jets - A.J. Brown, Christian Gonzalez Returning?

Episode Date: October 15, 2026

New England Patriots eye a third straight win as injury returns and key matchups set the stage for a pivotal clash with the New York Jets. Can Drake Maye and a potential A.J. Brown comeback supercharge the Patriots’ explosive offense, or will the Jets’ resilient secondary and surging rookies find a way to spoil the streak at Gillette?Nick Cattles and John Butchko break down top storylines, including Christian Gonzalez’s All-Pro form, the strategic chess match between Garrett Wilson and Gonzalez, and the impact of injuries on both lineups. Discussions spotlight David Bailey’s pass-rushing threat against veteran Morgan Moses, Caleb Lomu’s possible trial by fire at left tackle, and how third-down and red zone efficiency could decide the outcome. Will the Jets’ turnover-starved defense flip the script—or can the Patriots keep their red zone hot streak alive? Don’t miss this essential preview of a classic AFC East rivalry.Photo Credit: Eric Canha - IMAGN IMAGES Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-patriots/Locked On NFL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft, & More🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/leagues/nfl/#patriots #newenglandpatriotsSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Gameday Men's HealthBook your complimentary test and consult at https://join.gamedaymenshealth.com/reasons_to_choose_gameday-1201?utm_source=lockedon&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=NFL&utm_network=lockedon&utm_adgroup=corp&ghl_tag=national,corpOdooGreat organizations win because operations matter. And that’s why you should get Odoo. Try for free today at https://Odoo.com/lockedon.Butcher BoxIf you're looking for an easier way to get great meals on the table, give ButcherBox a try. Go to https://ButcherBox.com/LOCKEDONNFL to get $20 off your first box, plus your choice of free ribeye, new york strip, or filet mignon in every box for a year — with free shipping always.AppleYou can earn up to 3% unlimited Daily Cash back on every purchase you make with Apple Card using Apple Pay. Apply in the Wallet app on your iPhone today. Subject to credit approval. Apple Card issued by Goldman Sachs Bank, USA. Salt Lake City Branch. Terms and more at apple-card-dot-com.https://learn.applecard.apple/unlimited-daily-cash?cid=apy-318-2000008800000-400000000000039&itscg=2030032&itsct=srvs-crd-P3004756-C3004897&mttnagencyid=c1a&mttnsiteid=133087&mttnpid=LockedOn%20%28Audio%29&mttnsubad=srvs-crd-P3004756-C3004897&mttnsubplmnt=&mttncc=USPrizePicksVisit https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LOCKEDONNFL and use code LOCKEDONNFL and get $150 if you win your first $5 lineup!KALSHIToday's episode is brought to you by Kalshi. For a limited time, Download Kalshi and use code Locked On to get $25 when you trade $25. Kalshi. Trade what’s next.GametimeToday's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase.FanDuelGet three hundred fifty dollars in Bonus Bets — GUARANTEED — when you bet five dollars every day for seven days. Join all the action at https://FANDUEL.COMFANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The surprising two and three jets traveled to Gillette while the paths go for their third win in a row. It's a crossover edition of Lockdown Patriots and Locked on Jets. You are Locked on NFL crossover. Part of the Locked on podcast network. Your team every day. What's happening? I am you're a host of Lockdown Patriots, Nick Cattels, alongside the host of Lockdown Jets,

John Buchko. And on today's crossover, each team has a path to. victory on Sunday, and we will reveal that path from each side. In the second segment, marquee matchups that will define this game. But first, our top stories. John Buchko, always great to catch up with you, my man. The Jets, of course, as I said in the open, a surprising two and three. What is the biggest story this week for the Jets?

Nick, I think the biggest story is that the Jets got to win. They absolutely had to have Sunday against Cleveland. they were coming off a three-game losing streak, and they were coming off a game against the Chicago Bears where they just did not show up on either side of the ball. And as I'm sure most Patriots fans know, and all Jets fans know, this is a team that has not made the playoffs since 2011.

It has not had a winning record since 2015. It felt like we might be on the path to another one of those jet seasons that just fell apart early. Typically in New York, we're looking to the draft this time of year. Sometimes we're asking who's going to be the coach next year. And I don't know that beating the Cleveland Browns necessarily saved the jet season, but it at least put that discussion off for one week.

Now we'll see what the Jets can do going forward. And in many ways, this has been an improved team through the first five weeks. You know, the team is two and three. They've looked much better than they did a year ago. But as we know, the most important part of progress is getting wins. and the Jets were able to get in the wind column last week. John, let me ask you this. I call it a surprising two and three team.

What's the most surprising aspect to you about this football team five weeks through the season? I think it's been the lack of turnovers. You know, the Jets were a little sloppy on Sunday against Cleveland. A lot of fumbles, both, you know, their top two running backs fumbled the ball. Kenyansadik rookie tight end had a fumble. Gino Smith had a fumble. But it was a day where there was bad weather. Gino Smith is well known as a quarterback who can make the big play, but also puts the ball into harm's way.

But he's actually protected the ball really well so far this season. A couple fumbles, but he hasn't really made a lot of high danger throws at this point. And I think that's one of the reasons the offense has generally been able to stay on track for this team. Yeah, I think the biggest story for New England is a pretty clear story. And that is the return to practice by A.J. Brown and Christian Gonzalez. I'm sure you've been all over this. John, AJ Brown has been on the IR the past four weeks. The Patriots officially opened up his 21-day window on Wednesday. He was back on the practice field. Saw some video, you know, running straight. He looked pretty comfortable, but we haven't seen him cut. We haven't seen him open it up just yet. So I think there's still a question of whether or not he's going to play. And if Brown,

does play, how much does he play? I think, you know, fans want to see him, but I imagine that some of those fans are saying manage his snaps because the Patriots, of course, after Sunday, you can't look too far forward, but they have a quick turnaround. They play in Chicago on Thursday night. So how much will Brown play if he plays? And obviously, the impact on Drake May and this offense, if Brown is out there, the gravity of a true number one wide receiver, which they haven't had since the first half in Seattle could change this offense in the look of this passing game. Let me ask you as we look towards Sunday and wonder if A.J. Brown's going to play. How do the Jets feel about their secondary? How have they performed, John?

They've punched above their weight class so far. This is a team that doesn't have a true number one corner. Of course, they traded Soss Gardner to the Colts at the deadline last year. Heading into the season, it was a giant question mark. But they've gotten pretty effective play. Iserier Thomas is a second year guy. He was a third round pick a year ago. He's looked really good so far. Now, he hasn't really been tested yet. So that's the question.

And he doesn't have great long speed. I think there's questions about how well he's going to hold up against speedier deep threats. But he's played well so far. You look across the field. Brandon Stevens was a free agent signing a year ago from Baltimore. And many people questioned it. I questioned it. Nick, I don't think I've ever seen a jet signing where we do a crossover show.

and so many of the other hosts through the last year and change have said to me, I didn't understand when the Jets signed Brandon Stevens. But he's played better than expected. At the safety position, Dane Belton looked like a really solid under the radar free agent signing. They got him from the Giants, just a sure tackler and has played pretty well in coverage, which is supposed to be his weakness. And then you have Minka Fitzpatrick back there, the veteran who spent his career with Miami, then Pittsburgh, then Miami again, I think a stabilizing presence in the back of the defense.

But I do think Brown status is really important from this standpoint is the Jets really lack that eraser-type number one corner like they had during Sauce Gardner's early years. And I always laugh at like coaches who treats injuries like there are some sort of like national security-esque secrets. At times out of 10, like who really care. Like it's not going to make it that big of an impact. But I do think A.J. Brown's kind of an exception because the way the Jets play defense changes whether he's in the lineup or not. And even if he's out there less than 100%. There's a present you have to account for. I don't know that the Jets can hold up one-on-one against Brown.

So I think in playing does change the approach. I think it changes the game a lot. And I think you're right. You have to balance the short term this week with, let's be honest, the Patriots are the more talented team. Patriots probably should win this game, whether they have Brown or not with the long run. But putting Brown in there, even if he's like not 100%,

I don't want to use the term decoy because he was out there. He's going to be a threat. But even if he's not himself, I think makes a big difference in this game for the Patriots. And you talk about a big difference. And somebody who can make a big difference is Christian Gonzalez. I mentioned him a couple of minutes ago. He was also back on the practice field Wednesday. He told the media he's ready to go.

So there is some mystery about Brown, whether or not he's going to play. It does sound like Gonzalez is absolutely going to play on Sunday. And, you know, John, you look at Gonzalez's play in his level of play before the shoulder injury. He was playing all pro level, man. I mean, he looked like one of, if not the best corner in football the first few weeks. And that includes going against some pretty tough challenges like Jackson Smith and Jigba week one. So Gonzalez has been playing elite football. And it'll be interesting to see if he gets back to that level coming right back from the injury.

He missed a couple of games. He will travel with the team's number one receiver. He is certainly capable of shutting down half to feel. I'm sure we'll talk about a certain matchup involving Christian Gonzalez in the next segment. The other part of it, John, is just the injury management by Mike Vrable and this coaching staff. Because, again, it looks like Brown has a possible shot of playing. Gonzalez will be playing. Will Campbell dressed for Wednesday's practice, but he was not seen or spotted by the media when that practice began.

He told the media he was going to do some things on Wednesday. So we'll see how involved he is as the week goes along. at practice. So you get the left tackle question. Carlton Davis is still out with a neck. Marcus Jones did not practice on Wednesday. So if Marcus Jones can't go, the pads again could be down two of their top corners. So how do you handle that secondary? And of course, from Andre Stevenson, how will the Patriots utilize him on Sunday with Trayvion Henderson out multiple weeks with a high ankle sprain? So a lot of injury management stuff to go along with the headliners of Brown and Gonzalez.

Anything else stand out to you about this game as far as stories go before we get to these marquee matchups? You know, no, we've talked a lot about Patriots injuries. Jets also have a lot of key players who are dealing with injuries, especially on the offense. It sounds like starting left guard, Dylan Parham's going to miss another game. He's been out the last couple of weeks. So Jordan Meredith's likely to start at left guard for the Jets.

Sounds like Breeze Hall's going to be out. Jets top running back. Adonai Mitchell is starting outside receiver. The one piece of good injury news, the Jets got. is Omar Cooper first round pick has been elevated to practice. His 21-day window has opened. So we may get Omar Cooper back in the lineup for the Jets on Sunday, but they're banged up on the offensive side of the ball,

and they're dealing with their own injuries. And it sounds like based on the injury reports, you hear a lot of week-to-week with a lot of these guys, and week-to-week usually means this week's not happening. So Jets are going to be shorthanded on the offensive side of the ball this Sunday. All right. We'll break down Sunday's top matchups next in this crossover episode of Lockdown Patriots and Lockdown Jets.

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He is John Buchko, host of Locked on Jets. All right, let's get to the Marquis matchups, John. What is Marquis matchup number one for you? We teased it a little bit in the first segment. Garrett Wilson versus Christian Gonzalez. Garrett Wilson is off to the best start of his career. He's playing at a very high level. you know what's been different this year is his ability to win balls in the air now he's put together a nice highlight real through his career i mean there was an incredible catch he had against buffalo opening game 2023 that was the night erin rogers got injured he caught a touchdown pass from zach wilson to tie that game in the fourth quarter there was a crazy catch on holline in 2024 but his ability to track this year to win ball to win the ball in the air it's been incredible and you know you add that to a guy who

has kind of an unconventional route running style, but always able to shake his defenders. You mentioned it earlier. Christian Gandal is one of the top corners in the NFL. I think that with the injuries the Jets have on the offensive side of the ball, particularly at receiver, again, maybe we'll get Omar Cooper back. One guy I did not mention Kenyon Sadiq was in the concussion protocol. He's an explosive rookie tight end out of Oregon.

He's back at practice in a limited capacity to start the week, so it's not clear whether he's going to be ready. We do know the Jets are probably going to be short. handed at receiver. So that means Garrett Wilson is going to have to have another big game. He went for over 100 yards, had a touchdown against Cleveland. And I say this often, probably in part because the Jets are always underdogs, but if you're the lesser of the two teams, you're the less talented and you're going on the road, your stars need to show up. So the Jets need Garrett Wilson to deliver a big game in this one. Yeah, it was one of my marquee matchups. As you said, it's a pretty clear

marquee matchup with Gonzalez being back. And I would anticipate the Patriots saying Christian Gonzalez against Garrett Wilson is plan A for their defense. I think they will likely use Gonzalez a ton against Wilson and help maybe the other cornerbacks if they need to help the other cornerbacks. You know, Charles Woods got dinged up this past weekend. He's been their third corner. He would be pressed into action again without Carlton Davis and especially without Marcus Jones if he can't go. So I would imagine the Patriots feel pretty comfortable with Charles Woods against the other receivers of the Jets. And they will say, hey, not just on bigger impact downs. but a decent amount of this game will have Gonzalez against Wilson.

That will be a lot of fun as a matchup because if the Pats can limit Garrett Wilson, I don't know what they do in that passing game. I don't know how they help Gino Smith out enough. Markey matchup number one for me, your guy David Bailey against Morgan Moses and old friend Morgan Moses. You know, Moses has been, I would say, on balance pretty steady this year. He was really steady last season. He got dinged up against the Jaguars a couple of weeks. ago. He hurt his left foot on the second snap of that game. And he hasn't really been the same guy.

I think he's had down performances in two of the last three weeks. I thought he was really bad against Jacksonville. I did not think he was very good last weekend against Vegas. And of course, you know, David Bailey's been pretty much a monster in his rookie season. And you know, I know, John, two or three impact plays from Bailey could make Drake May uncomfortable rather quickly in this game. And May has looked so much more comfortable the last couple of weeks, but if you get him off his spot, you get him thinking a little bit too much about that offensive line in front of him and whether or not they can pass protect, then some bad habits might pop up. So I look at Morgan Moses against David Bailey and I say, if the Patriots can win that matchup, then I feel like

Drake May will have a much, much better day than if they can't win that matchup consistently. I think you're absolutely spot on. My number one matchup was Garrett Will. Wilson versus Christian Gonzalez. My number two matchup was David Bailey versus Morgan Moses. And I think there's a really interesting dynamic in this one. So last week, there was a lot of discourse in New York about David Bailey not living up to his draft status.

And I actually spoke about this on Locked on Jets. I felt like it was kind of unfair. If you looked at the stats heading into last week's game against Cleveland, he was right at the top of every pass rushing stat among rookies. I think he was doing what you needed him to do. But I was happy he had that breakout game against Cleveland because I think that put the debate to rest. Now, if anything, maybe we're going a little bit too far

because he's got five sacks in five games. Look, David Bailey is not going to have 17 sacks this season. He's not going to have a sack of game. But he's right where he needs to be. I think with Bailey, you see the raw talents. You see the play strength. You see the first step. For the first four weeks,

I don't know that he had that explosive first step that we saw at Texas Tech, but we saw that against Cleveland. And I think that that's going to determine this matchup because Bailey's still kind of unrefined when it comes to his counter moves with his hands. You see, and that's normal for a rookie. You know, most rookies don't develop, don't develop those until they're in the NFL for a year or two. Because in college, you could just be physically better than your opponent most weeks and dominate. So I think Bailey's first step is going to be the key against Moses, because, you know, as you mentioned, Moses, even like in his younger days,

Moses was not the most fleet of foot guy protecting the edge. So I think if Bailey can win on that first step and turn the corner, then he could have a big game. If Moses is able to get onto him, then it's going to be tough for the Jets. And I would even go, I'd flip things on the other side in the trenches. I think just as a whole, the Jets offensive line versus the Patriots defensive line is important. Last two weeks, Gino Smith has not been as good as he was in the first three weeks. And I think a lot of it comes down to the pass rush of opposing teams,

giving him trouble. And Smith is the sort of quarterback where if you put him in a good situation, if you give him time, he can find the right target and he can move the ball. But he's a guy who doesn't have a ton of mobility left, you know, at 36 years of age. And, you know, it's one thing to not have mobility. And, you know, Patriots fans know this well. You can make up for a lack of mobility just by moving effectively in the pocket. As, of course, you know, I'm not comparing Geno Smith to Tom Brady because.

they're not comparable. But Tom Brady was one of the least mobile quarterbacks conventionally in the NFL, but Brady always was able to maneuver within the pocket by himself time. Gino Smith can't do. Gino Smith's the opposite. Gino Smith just does not maneuver well within the pocket. So it's up to the Jets' offensive line to protect him. The Jets' offensive line came into the season with a lot of fanfare.

I don't think it's been terrible. I think it's been a decent line, but it hasn't quite hit the expectations people had for it. You know, you have two young bookend tackles, Olu Fashton, and Armand Membou. I think Jets fans were looking for both of them to take a big step forward this year. And neither of them have been bad, but I don't think they've like taken that step. Either of them is taking the step to become an upper echelon tackle. So I think there's a lot on the Jets offensive line in this game. And for the Jets, you'd like to see these guys take a step forward against the quality defense.

You talk about young tackles. I'll wrap it up with another young tackle and Caleb Lomu. Again, earlier we talked about this in the last segment, Will Campbell, he dressed for practice. He spoke with the media, which is usually a good sign for a player's possible playing that weekend. But he wasn't spotted by the media at the very beginning of the practice. So how much work is he getting done? He tweaked his right knee last week. It's clear that that tweak was not nearly as bad as the grade three MCL sprain that he had last year,

which is just tearing the MCL pretty much, which made him miss four or five games. And then he was a shell of himself when he came back. So will, will Campbell play? If Campbell doesn't play, it's Caleb Lomu time, you know, rookie left tackle. And he looked okay last week from time to time, John, but he also had some struggles, considering what he was dealing with, you know, getting thrown into the deep end. I would say he played fairly well. But I also saw Josh McDaniels help him a lot and pass protection when he got in there with chips and stuff like that.

So, you know, if Caleb Lomu was out there, he's going to hold the fort. because if the Patriots, if David Bailey gives Morgan Moses some problems on the right side, the paths are going to have to devote some extra help for Morgan Moses, which means you might be leaving Lomu on an island, which I'm not sure they want to do. If Lomu starts getting leaky and Moses is having issues, that's when we talk about the bad habits of Drake May and some of the turnover stuff that can pop up. So, you know, Lomu, he's going to lose some reps. There's no doubt about that.

He's going to lose a few reps on Sunday if he does start. but he just can't be an all-out liability. If he is that, then, you know, things kind of trickle down the hill and anything can happen. The good news is it's a home game, so he doesn't have to worry about the communication and all that stuff and the snap count and things that might actually rattle a rookie. So that's good. But yeah, if Will Campbell can't go, I think a lot of people will be paying close attention to Caleb Lomo. What has to go right for each side to walk away with the dub? Our answer's coming up.

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each side's path to victory this Sunday and because I'm a gracious host, John, I let you begin. What has to go right for the Jets to win against the Pats at Jolet on Sunday? See, these teams are better rivals, but we can be civil, we can get along. That's right.

It's a very inspiring message. I think for the Jets, they need a better plan for Kenya and Sadiq. Sadiq's 16th overall pick, he's a rookie out of Oregon. And week three against Detroit, he had a day. He went over 100 yards, made a spectacular touchdown catch with a defender draped all over him. He looked explosive after the catch.

I mean, this is a guy who set records at the NFL scouting combine. Jets were banged up at tight end heading into that game. They were missing Mason Taylor, who was the second round pick last year. So it felt like Sadiq had kind of taken over the number one tight end role. Then last week, Taylor comes back. And nothing against Mason Taylor, but he's nowhere near the explosion. explosive playmaker Sadieke is. Sadiq did leave the game and got put into the concussion protocol after his hit he took

in the third quarter. But up to that point, Taylor was out snapping him. And not only was Taylor out snapping him, Sidique had as many plays, had as many snaps as Jeremy Rucker, the number three tight end. So I really don't understand what Jets plan was at tight end. You know, Taylor's an NFL caliber player. Rucker, it's a depth tight ends. Sadiq's a guy who just went over 100 yards and you drafted him 16th over.

all. So they need a better plan for him. And, you know, I've heard the argument that, you know, he's a developing player. He's not run a super sophisticated offense in Oregon. So, you know, there are questions about, you know, receivers in the NFL sometimes need to read coverages and adjust their routes. Well, you know, an athlete like this, you just simplify things for him. You let him work the intermediate parts of the field. You know, you don't necessarily need a huge route tree when you've got the tool Sadiqa. So I think Jets have to come up with a much better plan for him because as I mentioned earlier. This receiver group is banged up. They're going to be short-handed and you can't just limit Sadiq snaps when you're already running behind at that spot. You know, it's interesting that you

bring up the tight end position because a couple weeks ago, we talked a lot about in New England about Dalton Kincaid and how will the Patriots defend Dalton Kincaid. They did a really good job. He had one catch for seven yards. They were physical with him at the line of scrimmage. They threw different guys at him in coverage. They threw zone out there as well. But you could look at that. Bill's game plan and wonder what Joe Brady was doing because Kincaid didn't seem to be a big part of the game plan that week. And then last week, you go into the game saying you've got to shut down Brock Bowers and Brock Bowers gave the Patriots some issues.

And Brock Bowers gives pretty much every team in the NFL issues. But you get the point where the patch tried to put Marcus Jones on Bowers because he was their best corner that was active that day. And the size mismatch was just way too much for Jones. So the Patriots had to quickly change course. and they threw the kitchen sink at Bowers, and then they were relatively okay as the game went on. So I am interested to see if Sadiq is out there,

how will they defend him, how will they approach things? To me, you know, some of the old cliches, they exist, John, we know, because they're true. There's a reason why people say the same things a lot, right? And so to me, when I look at this game, if the Patriots win on third down, I think the Jets are going to have a tough time. that the Jets have the eighth best defense on third down.

Meanwhile, the Patriots have the 20th ranked offense on third down in the NFL. But the Patriots have actually moved the ball really well. So how is that happening? Well, it stands to reason. If you're not good on third down, but you're still moving the ball consistently, it means you have explosive plays. And Warren Sharp has the Patriots listed as the sixth most explosive offense in football. So if the explosives aren't there,

If the Jets go with a too high safety, which I saw some against the Bears for sure, if they play too high safety and try to take away those explosive plays from Drake May, which the Raiders did not do last weekend, then the Pats are going to have to win on third down consistently to move the football and get points, which brings me to my final point. Again, this might sound silly, but the Pats have to score touchdowns to win. Wow, thanks, Captain, obvious. Well, you can win a game kick and field goals.

But in this game, this specific game, score. touchdowns. The Jets offense in the red zone has been pretty deplorable. They're 28th in the NFL. And when you look at the red zone defense from the Jets, it's the exact opposite. You know, I'm watching the Bears tape right now before, you know, doing this episode with you. And they have that impressive goal line stand on the first drive against Chicago where they just shut it down. They don't bite on the play action. They're good against the run. You know, so six best defense in the red zone, the Patriots, the last two weeks, they had been bad in the red zone offensively. But the last two weeks, John, they are seven for eight in the red zone.

So if they can continue that and score touchdowns, I'm not sure how confident you are that the Jets can match those touchdowns on the scoreboard. Yeah, I'll tell you something that I'm not going to say as a key for the Jets. I don't have to say it anymore. I'm sure if you went back to our two crossover Thursdays last year, one was a Thursday night game in November. The other was a week 17 game in the Meadowlands. I probably said it every crossover Thursday last year,

how the Jets didn't have an interception. That streak is over now. The Jets got their first interception in that game against Chicago two weeks ago, the first interception since 2024. But I do think it's important to try and steal a possession somewhere along the lines. I think that the Jets need to force turnovers. And I'm going to lead this into my last key for the Jets is I think they're going to have to scale back their blitzing a little bit.

Aaron Glenn's known as a coach who likes to get after the quarterback. He likes to be aggressive. Last week against Cleveland, there was a 47% blitz rate. I think part of that, Nick, was Cleveland was not really built to beat the Jets on big plays through the air. There were a couple aspects of this case. He Concepcion, early draft that got knocked out of the game early on a hit by Mika Fitzpatrick. It was a rainy day at the Meadowlands, which makes the deep passing game a little bit tricky. And Deshawn Watson doesn't really have much of an arm left from what I saw in that game.

I mean, he was never a guy who had the biggest arm, but he was struggling to push the ball down the field. Against New England, you have a quarterback who can beat the Blitz in Drake May. And, you know, he's pretty, you know, he's got the mobility to buy himself extra time. In the last two years, he's been excellent against the Blitz. I mean, I always think a game plan is half, what do I do well, half, how do we scheme for the opponent's weaknesses and strengths? You know, I'm not saying the Jets are going to completely swear off the blitz in this one, but I think they have to lower it a little bit because if they blitz all day, they're going to give up big plays. And that's particularly true if AJ Brown plays.

I don't think the Jets can match up with A.J. Brown one on one. And that's going back to what we said in the first segment, that's one of the reasons that I would imagine he's going to see the field in some sort of capacity. Even if he's not 100 percent, you put him on the field on those third downs because he's going to draw attention. He's going to force the jets to change the way that they play. So I think the jets are going to have to be a little bit more conservative, a little bit more cautious than they normally are. I said this week three against Detroit that they need to scale back the Blitz. they didn't. Jared Goff torched them in the second half, blitz after blitz after blitz.

So I think you always want to stick with your identity, but sometimes you have to kind of scale things back a little bit. And I think this is one of those weeks for the Jets. All right. We are not going to give you our prediction. You'll have to wait for our ultimate previews on Friday to get the prediction for this football game. So that wraps up this crossover edition of lockdown Patriots and Lockdown Jets.

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