Both the New England Patriots and New York Jets sit at 3-3 on the year, but the matchup on Sunday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough serves as more than the usual regional rivalry.
The Patriots will use the game to take their fingers off the panic button after a one-point loss to the Seattle Seahawks last week. Meanwhile, a Jets' victory would validate last week's 35-9 win over the Indianapolis Colts as more than another win over a bad team.
The picks and prediction experts, however, are probably thinking New England gets back on track and in a big way.
All 12 of ESPN's NFL experts picked the Pats to pull out the home victory.
At Sports Illustrated, Peter King sees New York being on the losing end of a blowout. King doesn't know how the Jets can stop Tom Brady and the New England no-huddle offense, but a bigger concern could be in the run game, where New England ranks fourth in the NFL. The Jets are 28th in rush yards allowed per game.
King predicts a 34-16 score. The odd part about that is over at CBS Boston, Michael Hurley discovered that the Patriots, who will be wearing their red throwback jerseys, are 6-0 while doing so. The average points in those six games by New England is 34.5 while the Patriots defense gives up 16.5.