MNF Week 13 Preview:

Before kicking off MNF’s Patriots-Jets tilt, we pay tribute to “Dandy” Don Meredith, the former quarterback of the Cowboys and long-time MNF color analyst, who passed away earlier today at the age of 72. Meredith was an original Cowboy who took a ferocious beating in the early days of the ‘60’s before they became “America’s Team”. He became much more well-known through his work on MNF, where he teamed with Howard Cosell and Frank Gifford and entertained television audiences during MNF’s glory days of the ‘70’s. He was Howard’s foil and played his role to the hilt. Much has been said and written about “Monday Night Football” and its greatest lineup of announcers. No matter who the producers brought in to replace this trio, ABC/ESPN never found a combination that brought the same level of humor and entertainment. Meredith was a pro on the field and in the booth and let’s hope he’s now in a place where the party never ends.

At New England -4 NY Jets 44.5

This game has been so over-hyped that it’ll probably be a dud. Both teams come in at 9-2 and well-rested. When these teams last met in Week 2, the Jets overwhelmed New England in the second half. The Jets made successful halftime adjustments and Brady had a particularly lousy second half. The teams are substantially different than the ones that met in September. Randy Moss has left the building and the Pats spread around the ball much more. Danny Woodhead has been a wonder at running back. Looking back at their previous games, the Jets toyed with the Bungles on Thanksgiving night while the Patriots struggled early on in Detroit before gaining momentum and bowling over the Lions.

Patriots’ fans ought to put down the pom-poms and look at this matchup critically. It’ll be cold and windy in Foxboro, conditions not conducive to a wide-open game. That’s not the Jets’ style anyhow. They will pound the rock with Greene and Tomlinson; Sanchez will look for Keller underneath and look to spring Santonio Holmes for big gainers. The Patriots don’t run the ball as well as the Jets and Brady has struggled to read Rex Ryan’s defensive schemes. But the critical difference is the quality of the defenses. The Jets have one of the best defenses in the League. The Patriots’ defense remains a work in process and depends heavily on the offense to carry the team. Against a poor defense like Detroit’s, the Pats’ offense can make hay. Generally, Belichick-coached teams play better against an opponent the second time around in a season. But the Jets have taken two of the last three meetings and this is one instance in which Brady has to prove he can figure out how to beat Ryan’s defense.

Projected Final Score: NY Jets 24, New England 20