NFL Week 14: New York Jets vs. San Francisco 49ers

Brett Favre and the New York Jets try to continue their playoff push against the rising AFC West San Francisco 49ers.

NY Jets vs. SF 49ers Overview:
The New York Jets have taken every opportunity given to them and have charged to the top of the AFC East thanks to a great offense and a powerful defense. The San Francisco 49ers are turning their season around by installing hardnosed head coach Mike Singletary and making many key roster moves. At 4-8, the San Francisco 49ers are out of the playoffs, but they can play spoiler to the 8-4 New York Jets with a clutch win at home. Fans with New York Jets tickets are sure to take over Candlestick Park like a Green & White army.

New York Jets Offense:
Quarterback Brett Favre gets all the media attention, but fans with New York Jets tickets appreciate the balanced offense of their team. It all starts up front with the excellent left side of the New York Jets offensive line, anchored by veteran G Alan Faneca. RB Thomas Jones is over the 1,000-yard mark and has 12 touchdowns on the year, giving Brett Favre plenty of opportunities off the play action. New York Jets tickets feature rookie TE Dustin Keller, who is becoming a superstar and is perhaps the favorite target of Brett Favre. WR Laveranues Coles leads a good young unit of pass catchers.

New York Jets Defense:
The 3-4 defense of the New York Jets ranks No. 4 in the NFL against the run, and much of this is thanks to NT Kris Jenkins, who could be an NFL Defensive Player of the Year candidate. With Kris Jenkins collapsing the pocket, it enables DE Shawn Ellis to make plays on the run or against the passer. New York Jets tickets will showcase OLB Calvin Pace, who is having the best year of his career and comes off the edge with a devastating burst. ILB David Harris returns from injury and should terrorize RB Frank Gore. Fans with New York Jets tickets think CB Darrelle Revis is becoming one of the best in football.

San Francisco 49ers Offense:
Head coach Mike Singletary has been all over his offensive players and coordinator Mike Martz to perform better. QB Shaun Hill has only a few starts but is already over 1,000 yards and makes few mistakes with the football. RB Frank Gore is the center of the San Francisco 49ers’ attack, and his ability to catch passes from the backfield gives them a dynamic wild card to call upon in pressure situations. WR Isaac Bruce is not a spring chicken, but he is still dominating on the outside while TE Vernon Davis is playing up to his draft status.

San Francisco 49ers Defense:
With an NFL Hall of Fame linebacker as their head coach, the San Francisco 49ers defense is also starting to play well. MLB Patrick Willis will play through his injury, and he will show the New York Jets why he is considered one of the best defenders in the NFL. With the speed of a DB, Patrick Willis can chase WRs and RBs down from behind or fly to open gaps. OLB/DE Manny Lawson is another speed demon on defense. Veteran LB Takeo Spikes leads the young guys and is still a playmaker. CB Nate Clements is a true shutdown corner and cuts the field in half.

New York Jets Keys to Victory:
Fans with New York Jets tickets are glad Patrick Willis is not 100 percent because anything that slows him down will do the offense a favor. RB Thomas Jones needs to getting going early to open up the play action, but it will be on Brett Favre to win the game. The San Francisco 49ers are one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL, and a gunslinger like Brett Favre can pick them apart if given time. Nate Clements will take a WR away, but Brett Favre should be able to find guys like Dustin Keller and Jerricho Cotchery against inferior coverage.

The New York Jets defense has also struggled against the pass, and letting play action be a factor would only make it worse. Keeping that in mind, the New York Jets need to focus on stopping Frank Gore early so they can focus strictly on the pass. Fans with New York Jets tickets know that the play up front by NT Kris Jenkins and DE Shawn Ellis will be key. The return of ILB David Harris should curtail the play of Frank Gore. OLBs Vernon Gholston, Calvin Pace, and Bryan Thomas need to provide a consistent pass rush to force some turnovers for an inexperienced Shaun Hill.

SF 49ers Keys to Victory:
The San Francisco 49ers have to find a way to get RB Frank Gore the ball more, but the powerful front three of the New York Jets will make it difficult. The toss and the screen are usually not effective against the drop cover-2 schemes of the New York Jets, but the speed of the San Francisco 49ers offensive line could find good success. TE Vernon Davis has the raw skills to wreck the scheme by himself, but he has to put it together. Rookie CB Dwight Lowery should be glowing bright in the eyes of QB Shaun Hill and WR Isaac Bruce on the deep ball.

The San Francisco 49ers need to get to Brett Favre in order to protect their poor secondary. To do so they must first slow down the chugging engine that is RB Thomas Jones. MLB Patrick Willis will be on the hunt and should be all over Thomas Jones on every touch. CB Nate Clements should be fine on an island, but TE Dustin Keller will be the match-up problem. Takeo Spikes may draw coverage of the young star, and he has to jam the TE at the line. DE Justin Smith has a giant motor and his constant pursuit of Brett Favre could be the key play of the day.

NY Jets vs. SF 49ers Outlook:
The AFC has gone from the dictatorship of the Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, and San Diego Chargers to absolute anarchy with a ton of teams vying for every playoff spot. Amidst the bedlam, fans with New York Jets tickets have seen their team take the lead in the AFC East. The genius of New York Jets head coach Eric Mangini is really starting to show as his game plan is finally coming to full realization. A recent win over the 11-1 Tennessee Titans has given the New York Jets a ton of tiebreakers and good momentum in the AFC.

Mike Singletary has proven that he belongs at the top of an NFL team, but the New York Jets will be too much for his gelling team. The injury to Patrick Willis will not remove the monster LB, but it will slow him down enough to open up the center of the field. Shaun Hill’s little experience against the 3-4, zone-heavy New York Jets defense will also spell a few turnovers. San Francisco 49ers fans will be rocking Candlestick Park, but it will be the fans with New York Jets tickets that will be cheering at the end of the day.