The last time the New England Patriots played the New York Jets, quarterback Tom Brady was the team's leading rusher.
Brady picked up 15 yards and a touchdown on four carries and he was miles above and beyond his teammates. James White had two carries for four yards. LeGarrette Blount had three carries for -3 yards.
That's not a typo. Blount averaged negative one yards per carry.
The two teams will meet again on Sunday and you can be certain that the Jets will be prepared if Brady and the offense slings the ball around. The big difference is the availability of the Patriots receivers.
Week 7 was the first time the Patriots had Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, Rob Gronkowski, Brandon LaFell, and Scott Chandler active. Heck, Brady was also throwing to Aaron Dobson, Michael Williams, and James White (Dion Lewis had an abdominal injury). The Patriots wanted to sling the ball.
"I'd say [the Patriots wanted to throw] quite a bit," head coach Bill Belichick said about the week 7 offense. "Even a couple of the runs that Tom [Brady] had were really called pass plays, so obviously quite a bit."
This week will be very different. Edelman and Amendola probably won't be available. Dobson definitely won't play (he's on the injured reserve). Chandler has played just one snap over the past two weeks.
Can the Patriots throw the ball the entire day if Brady just has Gronkowski, LaFell, White, and Keshawn Martin? Well, technically, yes. But after dialing up 60 passing plays in the first game, would the Patriots really use the same plan in the rematch?
We'll find out tomorrow.