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This is purely statistical and has nothing to do with quality of the yards. A yard gained in the fourth quarter is valued just as much as a yard gained in the first. I'll go over the Football Outside stats after the jump.
| Stat | Jets | Patriots |
| Points/Game | 24.0 | 30.4 |
| Yards/Game | 361.6 | 349.2 |
| 3rd Down Offense | 39.6 | 45.2 |
| 3rd Down Defense | 35.9 | 50.7 |
| Offensive Rushing Yards/Game | 148.1 | 112.5 |
| Offensive Passing Yards/Game | 213.5 | 236.7 |
| Defensive Rushing Yards/Game | 86.3 | 110.6 |
| Defensive Passing Yards/Game | 210.6 | 288.5 |
| Turnover Differential | +7 | +11 |
Just looking at these numbers, it seems that the Patriots and Jets are matched pretty evenly. The Jets have a better defense, but the Patriots defense has been more opportunistic. The Patriots offense functions the same way- it makes the most out of what it's given and scores, while the Jets collect more yards. This game will be a clear battle. The Patriots are more proficient on offense, the Jets are stronger on defense. Should be a great match-up.
Let's look at the Football Outsiders DVOA comparisons after the jump!
DVOA is a way of measuring a player's added value over the league average, per play. A player with a value of 0 is regarded as an average player. Any additional points shows value, any negative points show a loss of value. I'll show the league rank for the player because DVOA numbers won't mean much alone. A high ranked player adds a lot of value per play.
| Jets | Patriots | |
| Quarterback | Mark Sanchez - #25 | Tom Brady - #1, by a LOT. |
| Running Backs |
LaDainian Tomlinson - #6 Shonn Greene - #19 |
BenJarvus Green-Ellis - #3 Danny Woodhead - Does not qualify, would be #1, by a LOT. |
| Wide Receivers |
Santonio Holmes -#20 Braylon Edwards - #40 |
Deion Branch - #37 Wes Welker - #53 |
| Tight Ends | Dustin Keller - #26 |
Rob Gronkowski - #4 Aaron Hernandez - #11 |
| Offensive Line |
Run Blocking -#3 Pass Protection - #10 |
Run Blocking - #1 Pass Protection - #6 |
| Defensive Line |
Run Defense - #3 Pass Pressure - #17 |
Run Defense - #23 Pass Pressure - #20 |
| Special Teams | Overall - #6 | Overall - #10 |
| Team Offense |
Overall - #19 Passing - #21 Rushing - #4 |
Overall - #1 Passing - #1 Rushing - #3 |
| Team Defense |
Overall - #10 Passing - #17 Rushing - #2 |
Overall - #26 Passing - #26 Rushing - #26 |
| Team Efficiency | Team Overall Rank - #10 | Team Overall Rank - #3 |
What does the DVOA tell us? Nothing really new. The Patriots have a defense that can't be considered elite, but the offense is the class of the league. The Jets have a mediocre offense- bad passing, solid running- and a stop defense. Again- nothing new. This will be a battle between the Patriots offense and the Jets defense.
Should be a good one.