It's gonna rain! Patriots/Jets weather implications

Thank you Ollie...

The Patriots have been rolling, while the Jets have been... well the Jets. While rumors of Rex Ryan's job security have flowed like the oddly sad nostalgia Jets fans have for the Mark Sanchez era, the rain could change it all. Here are three areas where the rain could change the game:


Offensive Skill Players

It's much easier to stay on your feet when you know where you are going. Defenders are forced to adjust to the moves and routes offensive players are executing, which obviously makes their potential to slip in rough conditions far higher. While this may sound like an equalizer for the Jets offense, which is putting the 30th best scoring offense in football against the 11th ranked defense, it may in fact be an area which the Patriots are skilled enough in to exploit on offense, while utilizing their skills in the secondary to negate the weather as a factor overall. This could prove largely beneficial to the Patriots chances, though there are other aspects where the Jets will gain a significant advantage.

The Trenches

I could litter this article with the stats and quotes, but we all know at this stage that the Jets have an incredibly skilled defensive line, and the Patriots may end up starting a tuba player. This spot is similar to that of the skill players, but with the advantage going to the defense. The Patriots need to get out to a lead, because if they have to throw the defenders can run delay blitzes and stunts (where players loop around one another to put it in general terms) which could cause a nightmare scenario of Tom Brady on his backside all night. The defenders know the hole which they want to break through to get to the quarterback, and the offensive line has to account. I'd normally say a heavy dose of running will negate this, but I'm not sure the Jets will respect our running game with Stevan Ridley out for the season.

Fan Impact

Credit to the fans in Foxboro for the Bengals game, that was the best Pats crowd in a long time, but it may be hard to match tonight. The rain will drown out some fan noise, and wet fans may not be as excited to watch the home team. That's not a knock on Patriots fans by any stretch, because any fandom would have diminished impact in rainy conditions. If the fans are up like they were for the Bengals, Geno Smith will have a nightmare of a time leading his offense, but could find some limited success if the fans act like it's a rainy Thursday night. Challenge to you fans: chant Brady, get loud, and remind gang green that they may need to amputate a coach before they find success again... (is again appropriate when they live in a constant state of let down?... I guess I'll leave it)

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