The New England Patriots are 5-0 and one of the five remaining unbeaten teams in the NFL, but the toughest test for the defending Super Bowl champions might be coming up in Week 7.
According to ESPN’s Tedy Bruschi, a former Patriots linebacker, the New York Jets—who travel to New England on Sunday—represent the best team on the Patriots’ schedule through seven weeks.
“I’m telling you right now, this is the best team the Patriots have played this year—better than an opening-night Pittsburgh team that had a young defense which hadn’t figured it out yet. Better than Buffalo. Much better than the Jaguars. And I’ll take them over the Cowboys and Colts,” Bruschi wrote during a chat on ESPN Boston.
The Jets are 4-1, while the five teams New England has played this season are a combined 13-16 overall. Only the Pittsburgh Steelers, who the Patriots beat back in Week 1, have a winning record.
Meanwhile, Todd Bowles’ club have won four games by a combined 54 points. Bruschi credits the change at head coach, where the Jets have gone from the boisterous Rex Ryan to the level-headed Bowles.
“This is a different Jets team,” Bruschi said. “The Jets you have been used to now play in Buffalo. The brash, trash-talking, public bulletin-board material—I assume you won’t see much of that this week. I say that because of their leader, Todd Bowles.”
Through five games, the Jets have the top-ranked scoring defense (15.0 points per game) and the NFL’s third-leading rusher in Chris Ivory (460 yards). Veteran receiver Brandon Marshall has four straight games with at least 100 yards, while former Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis has intercepted three passes.
The Jets have only beat the Patriots once since 2011. New England swept the series last season, winning at home by two points in October before beating the Jets in New York by one in late December.