A little more focus

Even on a Sunday in which the Patriots didn't take the field, they still got good news regarding the AFC East race.

Buffalo shocked Miami at Orchard Park, 31-14, sending the Dolphins to 5-6. At this point, the Patriots lead the division with a 7-3 record, while Miami and New York are two-and-a-half games back at 5-6, while the Bills bring up the rear at 4-7.

The surprising result takes some of the importance off of the Saints matchup tomorrow night. Had Miami done what was expected and won, New England would have had to give New Orleans its first defeat in order to avoid having the Dec. 6 rematch in South Florida be for first place in the division.

Now, even if New England loses at New Orleans, they'll still have a comfortable lead (two games) with five games left. The Patriots could clinch the division with an 11-5 mark, which would allow for two losses to a group of opponents including the Saints (10-0), Dolphins (5-6), Bills (4-7), Jaguars (6-5) and Texans (6-5).

Of course, that doesn't make a victory in the Superdome any less attractive.

Tale of two halves

The New England Patriots are 7-3. As always, there are many ways to look at that.

One is the popular take endorsed by Tom Brady. New England has lost three games, all as a result of playing essentially three halves (out of 20) of bad football.

Three halves? That's 1.5 losses, right? So the Patriots are really 8.5-1.5, and only a game-and-a-half behind Indianapolis, correct? That's not so bad!

Well, the problem is, those three halves are all the second half. The end game. It's a disturbing pattern, a worrisome trend.

Against the Jets in the Meadowlands, the Patriots had the lead at halftime, and allowed Mark Sanchez to bring New York back. At Denver, against a then-undefeated Broncos team, New England had a 17-7 lead before watching Kyle Orton save the day in overtime.

And of course, 10 days ago, the Patriots led the Colts by 10 at halftime, and 17 in the fourth quarter, before...

...I won't finish that sentence. The point is, Tom, you're mathematically right and logically incorrect. The Patriots, two years after being the ultimate go-for-the-jugular team, simply aren't going for the kill when they've achieved the stun.

If you're ready to dismiss that, maybe a history lesson will convince you otherwise. The 2002-2008 Patriots were 66-1 when leading at halftime. Sixty-six. And one.

This year? Six-and-3. And of those wins, games against Baltimore, Miami and the rematch with the Jets came oh-so-close to going in the loss column.

Cue the Vince Lombardi tape: "What the hell's going on out here?"

Of course, you can't expect teams losing at halftime to throw in the towel. They're NFL teams. They find out why they've been getting stomped on for 30 minutes and they correct it. They adjust. And they play harder and better in the next half.

But that's not always what happens with the Patriots. Take last Sunday's game. The Jets were emotionally and physically finished. They didn't show up. And yet, they were a few Sanchez implosions away from pulling off a comeback that would have - this is not exaggeration - crippled the Patriots' season.

Bright spots? The Patriots are 7-3, and notice the 6-3 record mentioned above. The Patriots often come out of the gates hard, and it's easier for a coach to teach his team to keep the foot on the gas than teach his team to climb out of a hole.

And with a matchup with the Saints coming up, the Patriots have a golden opportunity to enforce themselves as a power, even despite these shortcomings.

As Bill Belichick has said, the season starts after Thanksgiving. And the Patriots will have to improve their own second halves to make noise in the second half of the season.

Trade rumors abound

The Patriots just played their best game of the season, but they could be about to undergo some changes.

The trade deadline (Tuesday) is approaching fast, and - don't let yesterday's 59-0 romp over the winless Tennessee Titans fool you - this is a team that can use some personnel adjustments.

For starters, the weak pass rush, lack of a versatile third receiver and the unclear running back scenario have been targets for criticism during the up-and-down start to the Patriots' season.

New England may have heard some of the questioning. Linebacker Tully Banta-Cain was released, linebacker Adalius Thomas was inactive against the Titans, and wide receiver Joey Galloway - surprise, surprise - was also inactive.

What does this mean? Galloway's days have been numbered for the past few weeks, and he could be on his way to Baltimore. Thomas's benching has led way to rumors as well, and Banta-Cain's release opens a roster spot - perhaps for an upgrade to the pass rush.

Remember the Julius Peppers talk? Nothing that drastic may be up Nick Caserio's sleeve, but if the Patriots make a move, it'll be soon.

Stay tuned.

No go on Welker

Disregard the last post - Wes Welker will miss another game.

Welker was declared inactive for the game against the Atlanta Falcons, putting him on the bench for the second straight game.

Fortunately, Randy Moss (also declared questionable due to a back ailment) was activated, and will suit up.

Wild Wild Wes

After struggling to find a rhythm last Sunday in a loss to the Jets, the New England Patriots offense appears to be catching a break.

According to various sources, Wes Welker is on track to start Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons at Gillette Stadium, one week after missing the first game of his career.

The news isn't too surprising, considering that Welker was testing his banged-up knee on the field before the Jets game, and the decision to declare him inactive was unexpected.

Nonetheless, the decision is reassuring. Welker is Tom Brady's favorite target, and he is instrumental in the short-pass and screen game that converts first downs and keeps the offense on the field. With Welker out of the mix last Sunday, the offense visibly suffered.

Ugly

Well, cancel the order for another "16-0" banner.

The New York Jets backed up their talk on Sunday, defeating the New England Patriots, 16-9, at the Meadowlands. It was the first loss for New England (1-1), while New York improved to 2-0.

It was a tough game all-around for the Patriots - just like the Jets said they were aiming for. The offense reverted back to its form from the first half of the Monday Night game against Buffalo, showing little chemistry and often appearing lost at the hands of Rex Ryan's aggressive, pressuring scheme.

On the other side of the ball, it wasn't too much better. It's not often that you can complain about a defense that allows 16 points, but in this case, it's warranted. The Patriots were stout in the first half, holding rookie Mark Sanchez to three completions in five attempts for 15 yards, and the Jets as a whole to only a field goal.

It was a whole new ballgame in the second half. Sanchez threw for 148 yards and a touchdown, and a steady running attack led by Leon Washington and Thomas Jones kept the Patriots on the field. Tom Brady had limited opportunities to figure out the difficulties with his receivers because the Jets dominated the time of possession.

The result was a game that, despite the one-score decision, was frustrating due to the large amount of things that went wrong. Brady looked out-of-synch, the defense faltered late (before finding enough resolve to stymie the Jets on their last two possessions, giving the offense a chance), and with 11 penalties, New England could not get out of its own way when it appeared to be nearing a breakthrough.

The game was the opposite of a standard Bill Belichick operation. He's a stickler for preparation and mental awareness, and instead, the Patriots came out without an answer to the Ryan defense, and made penalties that came often and at bad times.

In the first quarter, the Patriots were looking for the game's first score and had a first down at the Jets 17. Brady completed a pass to Julian Edelman for 10 yards and a first down, but a holding penalty on Stephen Neal brought the ball back to the 27. Another holding call, this time on tight end Chris Baker, put the ball back on the 37 and forced New England to settle for a field goal.

In the third quarter, down 13-9 but driving to the Jets 36, the Patriots' chances at a field goal or better were lost when Brady was called for consecutive delay of game penalties. Two scoring situations resulted in a meager three points for New England, a potential 11-point swing that, given the final score, could have changed the game drastically.

In the end, there just wasn't enough from New England. Brady completed only 23 of 47 passes for 216 yards and no touchdowns, Randy Moss caught only four passes for 24 yards, and Joey Galloway hauled in five catches for 53 yards while dropping several passes.

Rookie Julian Edelman caught eight passes for 98 yards in place of the irreplaceable Wes Welker, but given the overall inconsistency, it wasn't enough. It was the merely the highlight of a game that was, to put it nicely, ugly.

Just the way the Jets wanted it.

Let's get it on

All right, enough talk. The Jets and Pats are ready to settle things on the field.

New York has made it clear what they expect to do to New England. The Patriots, as is always the case, have said nothing.

But whether they've stated their cases to the media or not, it's clear that both are expecting another physical game to add to the rivalry. Tom Brady said it'll be a "heavyweight fight". Kris Jenkins labeled it the Jets' "Super Bowl".

The matchup does have all the makings of being a close game. The Jets showed last week that their offense, led by rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez, isn't lacking in firepower, and their defense, led by defensive tackle Jenkins and linebacker David Harris, is always stout.

The Patriots come into the Meadowlands fueled by a dramatic victory against Buffalo, but showing some bruises from it. Jerod Mayo, nursing a sprained MCL, was ruled out for a few games in the middle of the week, while slot receiver extraordinaire Wes Welker was a last-minute scratch.

The two injuries will have a big impact on both units. Mayo was the playcaller and leader on the defense, and Welker was Brady's go-to guy for short receptions and first downs. To pick up the slack, the Patriots might look to preseason fan favorite Julian Edelman, the former college quarterback who surprised with his offensive and special teams work in a victory over the Eagles. Joey Galloway and Sam Aiken will also be in the mix.

Despite the injuries, this should still be a game the Patriots can control. Bill Belichick has earned a reputation as a nightmare for rookie quarterbacks to go up against (they're 1-5 against him since 2000, throwing five touchdowns against 12 interceptions), and he has undoubtedly been hard at work at a scheme to stop the talented Sanchez, who started only one season in his USC career.

This is also a familiar situation for Tom Brady. Before 2007, Brady consistently had to make the most out of a receiving corps that dealt with injuries and didn't feature superstar talent. Brady was successful, and with Randy Moss at his side for this game, he should still be able to keep the offense moving today.

It'll be a close game, but if New England plays its game, it should still be able to pull out a victory. But this will be another tough AFC East matchup to start the season.