I thought I would break down each position of the Jets-Patriots game to see which team has the overall edge. I know this is a Jets website, but I will try to be as objective as possible.

Quarterback Edge: Jets
Brett Favre is clearly better than Matt Cassel, there is no question about that. Favre can’t make stupid mistakes against New England though, or he will pay. If Tom Brady was healthy the Patriots would have a better argument.

Runningback Edge: Jets
This one goes to the Jets too. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington are clearly better than a banged up Sammy Morris or Lamont Jordan or BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Thomas Jones is #5 in the NFL in rushing yards. Don’t forget the Patriots also lost Laurence Maroney for the season too.

Wide Receiver Edge: Patriots
It is possible the Jets have more depth at WR, but the Patriots clearly have the better starters. While Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery pack a great punch, Randy Moss and Wes Welker are just step better. A key to winning this game will be the Jets trying to cover Wes Welker. Revis can handle Moss.

Tight End Edge: Patriots
Dustin Keller had a break out game last week, but I think Ben Watson is one of the best tight ends in the league. Chris Baker and Bubba Franks really have not done much to give the Jets the edge in this category. It is close though.

Offensive Line Edge: Jets
With Ferguson playing good and the addition of Faneca and Woody the Jets offensive line is hard to beat. The anchor and best player on the O-line though is Nick Mangold. I feel he is underrated. He gave me a scare with his back injury on Sunday, luckily he is okay. The Patriots do have a great offensive line though too, don’t get me wrong, but I give the slight edge to the Jets. They are begining to gel. Tony Richardson has really helped with run blocking too, although he isn’t technically part of the O-line.

Defensive Line Edge: Patriots
Sorry Kris Jenkins, but I have to give the edge to the Patriots here. Vince Wilfork, Ty Warren, and Richard Seymour are the best unit the Patriots have in my opinion. The Jets defensive line is much better than it was last year, but it is still one notch below the Patriots.

Linebackers Edge: Jets
Both teams are missing a big part of their linebacking core (Adalius Thomas for the Pats, David Harris for the Jets) but I think Thomas is the bigger loss. Calvin Pace, Bryan Thomas and Eric Barton have played great in recent weeks. And lets not forget David Bowens, who has done a great job filling in for David Harris the last 2 weeks. The Patriots linebackers are still good, but not quite at the Jets’ level with the loss of Thomas.

Secondary Edge: Jets
Neither team’s secondary is great, but the Jets have two Pro Bowl caliber players in Darrelle Revis and Kerry Rhodes. Ellis Hobbs has played well for the Patriots this year, but after that their secondary is average at best. Abram Elam has played very well the last 2 weeks and if that was not enough,the Jets signed Ty Law on Monday.

Special Teams Edge: Draw
Stephen Gostkowski is a better kicker than Jay Feely is, Chris Hanson and Reggie Hodges are average punters really, nothing special. The Jets coverage is great on special teams, New England is good too. I probably should have gave the edge to the Jets with players like Wallace Wright, Ahmod Carroll and of course Leon Washington, but I just can’t. I mean come on, the Patriots have Ray Ventrone.

Coaching Edge: Patriots
This is the game Mangini needs to prove himself and beat Belichick. It would not matter if the Jets had the edge in every player category, a badly coached game can ruin everything. Belichick gets the edge here for his Week 2 win over Mangini. He did it one week after losing his star quarterback for the season. Belichick is the only reason the Patriots are (6-3) right now. It is time for Mangini to show how good he is though, and develop a game plan to beat the Patriots and secure first place in the AFC East.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the position by position breakdown. The game is in less than 2 days and I cannot hardly wait!

From JetsCentral. Please read the complete article and let us know what you think below.