The New England Patriots, WagerWeb.com's Super Bowl favorites, kick off their quest to win a fourth Super Bowl this decade against the New York Jets on Sunday at 1 p.m. in the Meadowlands.
That Pats, -6.5 for this game (over/under: 41) are the overwhelming favorites to win the AFC East Division for the sixth time in seven years. And star quarterback Tom Brady has a lot more weapons than he has ever had this year. New England added receivers Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth, Wes Welker and Kelley Washington for Brady to throw to. And second-year back Laurence Maroney will carry the load in the backfield now that Corey Dillon is gone. Moss has been hampered by a lingering hamstring injury but is expected to play Sunday.
So the offense appears set, but the Pats' defense, which added top free-agent Adalius Thomas in the offseason, will be missing a few key pieces in defensive end Richard Seymour and strong safety Rodney Harrison. In addition, safety Rashad Baker and defensive end Mike Wright may not play as well with assorted injuries.
Star cornerback Asante Samuel missed most of camp while trying to get a new contract. He doesn't know if he will suit up. "I guess we'll have to wait and see on Sunday," Samuel said Friday. "I'm just going out and practicing and working hard." Expect him to lay.
For the Jets, the preseason hasn't been good. Running back Thomas Jones, who was acquired via trade with the Bears to be the Jets' featured back this season, strained his calf and has barely seen any action. Jones was listed as questionable on the team's injury report Friday, but practiced all week without a wrap on his calf. He was injured during drills on Aug. 12 and hadn't practiced again until this week.
"I'm feeling a lot better," Jones said Friday. So expect him to play, although Leon Washington could see a lot of action as a change-of-pace back for New York.
Cornerbacks Justin Miller (thigh) and Andre Dyson (foot), safety Eric Smith (thigh) and guard Brandon Moore (shoulder) were also listed Friday as questionable along with Jones.
Meanwhile, QB Chad Pennington is healthy but was ineffective in the preseason. If he struggles early, backup Kellen Clemens could see some actions. Expect the New York faithful to get on Pennington when he bounces his first throw.
The Jets and Pats split their regular-season meetings last year, although New England then routed New York in the playoffs. Expect the Jets to keep this game close for a while as the teams and coaching staffs know each other very well, but for the Pats to pull away in the fourth quarter.
Information from other news sources was used in this report
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