The Jets have had another roller-coaster losing year, but they hope to finish the season on a high note.
But the final game against the Patriots won't happen without a huge amount of respect for head coach Bill Belichick.
There has been much speculation as to whether Sunday's game will be Belichick's last after coming off the worst season of his career, going 4-12.
He has faced criticism throughout the season and is scheduled to meet with owner Robert Kraft and team president Jonathan Kraft on Monday after the game.
But it's not the season mark that comes to mind for the Jets.
Belichick's accomplishments are paramount.
“Obviously a legend in the game and one of the greatest coaches of all time,” Garrett Wilson said after Friday's practice. “I didn't know that. Are you saying that was his last game?
“That's really sad.”
But his formidable defensive threat isn't that far off.
The Jets will face a legend who won six Super Bowls and had a career record of 302-164 over a nearly 29-year managerial career (24 in New England, five in Cleveland).
Wilson and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett view Belichick's defense as a multiple threat.
“he [Belichick] There are so many people that he finds the right guy. There's more than one guy, like Jabrill Peppers. they can do anything. You can put them in the box, you can put them at the back, you can come up and play on the line,” Wilson said. “It's a really multi-man defense, and they're doing a really good job. When you have multiple guys like this, you have a lot to worry about as a crime. Considering all of these looks, we tried every look that week. If you do that, you may be compromising what you really want to be good at: the fundamentals.
“And I think that's probably their mindset and there's a lot to worry about. As far as how they play, they're playing with their hair on fire and it's going to be a great game. They play great defense and it’s a great matchup every time we play them.”
Hackett agreed Wednesday, saying there are “many” things that could go wrong for Belichick.
“We all know he's a great coach in this league. One of the best, if not the best, of all time. I have a lot of respect for him and everything he's accomplished.” Hackett said. “He's done a great job of getting players to do the same thing, but just created a lot of confusion with different personnel groups. … Sometimes players play as DBs, sometimes they play linebackers. If you have one, you’ll be playing on the defensive line at times, so I think it’s just something we all have to communicate well throughout this game.”
The Patriots are sixth in the league in yards allowed at 304.6, behind only the Jets (303.1).
Peppers had a career-high two interceptions for 34 yards, one forced fumble, two quarterback hits and 76 total tackles.
Belichick has worn the Jets' jersey number for the past 15 games, with the Jets' most recent victory in the series coming on Dec. 27, 2015, a 26-20 overtime victory in Week 16.
The Jets have not won in Foxborough, Massachusetts since January 16, 2011, when they played in the AFC divisional round.
If Belichick leads the Patriots to a victory, it will be the team's longest winning streak against an opponent.
“We're going to come out there and try to win the game. Period. I want to give them some respect for what they did as far as what happened after the game and stuff like that. I don't know. But we're going to do something. I'm going to come out with something to prove,” Wilson said. “It doesn't matter who's across from us. It happens to be the Patriots and they've won most of their games against us. So we need to end the dry period and if this is his last If it comes to coaching in the game, like I said, it's a legend leaving the game, so I'm excited to be in the game with him.”
