“I know from past experience: just because a Belichick defense starts off slow doesn’t mean they’re going to end up that way,” Jets receiver Derrick Mason said. “I can remember playing them years back where their defense was struggling a little bit when we played them, but then they picked it up. You always expect them to play well against you.”

The view espoused by Mason was shared by several teammates, placing Holmes in a vocal minority. Sanchez noted the Patriots’ stinginess in the red zone. According to Football Outsiders, when opponents get inside the 20, the Patriots rank second over all, and first in pass defense, allowing 1.9 yards per play (43 yards on 22 attempts) while grabbing three interceptions. They also stymied the Chargers and the Dolphins on goal-line stands, stopping them on fourth-and-1 plays.

Center Nick Mangold characterized the Patriots’ wobbling as misleading, saying that their statistics did not correspond with what the Jets had watched on videotape, a sentiment echoed by the offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.

“A lot of times, they’re playing with a big lead so teams are having to jump into spread formations and throw it,” Schottenheimer said.

Any way they can, the Jets want to keep New England’s offense off the field. Unless they abduct Brady — and do not think the Jets have not considered it — their approach will center on a more balanced game plan intended to re-establish a commitment to running the ball; Ryan decreed as much during Monday’s team meeting. The Jets have deviated from that strategy in part because they have been forced to play catch-up so often, trailing for almost half their season (117 minutes 49 seconds), which is something they cannot afford to do Sunday.

What encourages them is their rushing output in the last five games against the Patriots, when they exploited favorable matchups to run for at least 104 yards every time, including 152 in their 45-3 loss last December. Matt Slauson posited that the Jets tended to succeed when New England employed a 3-4 defense because the Patriots “always leave big holes in the middle,” relying on their linebackers to fill them. That puts more pressure on the Jets’ guards, Slauson and Brandon Moore, but New England will be playing without Mayo, its superb middle linebacker, who will miss about six weeks with a knee injury.

It can only help the Jets that Mangold is scheduled to return after missing the last two games, re-engaging defensive tackle Vince Wilfork in the middle. His presence will stabilize an offensive line that staggered in pass protection last week in Baltimore, but as the ESPN analyst Damien Woody mentioned on a recent conference call, Mangold hardly dominated the line of scrimmage when he was healthy. In other words, what was once a strength is now a flaw, something that the Patriots, above all, can relate to.