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Players to Watch: Patriots vs. Jets
Patriots Football Weekly's Andy Hart gives you 10 Patriots players to watch during Thursday night's Week 2 matchup with the New York Jets.
No. 12 is always worth watching. He showed minimal frustration with the offense's struggles at times in Buffalo and will likely be working with a couple new faces on a more regular basis in Week 2.
With Danny Amendola's status in doubt, Edelman is pretty much the only known commodity that Tom Brady has to work with. Look for the versatile receiver to be a focal point of the passing attack.
The second-year linebacker talked this summer about being much more comfortable in the defense. He said he needs to play much better, could build on a somewhat quiet opening day effort.
The former top pick's second season got off to a quiet start in Buffalo. Hopes are high for Jones in Year 2, so it would be nice to see him become a more active presence against Geno Smith and the Jets.
The offensive coordinator is tasked with dealing with injuries to his top two playmakers from Week 1 during a short week to prepare for the Jets. McDaniels usage of personnel groupings and play calling could be a key to the new-look Patriots offense finding some momentum.
Putting the ball on the ground twice in the first half in Buffalo - although only one was technically a fumble - saw Ridley benched the rest of the way. But with Shane Vereen on IR and Brandon Bolden nursing a knee injury the Patriots may need Ridley to quickly redeem himself Thursday night.
The fourth-year linebacker had to be treated for dehydration during the first half in Buffalo. He didn't see a lot of playing time due to that and the fact that the Patriots played a lot of sub packages. But keep an eye on No. 55 moving forward.
New England's No. 1 corner gave up a touchdown over the top on what seemed to be a communication issues in Buffalo. Talib could see a lot of Jets youngster Stephen Hill in this one and needs to make sure the speedy target doesn't get behind him.
The undrafted rookie receiver just never looked right in his NFL debut in Buffalo, catching a mere four passes on 14 targets. With injuries elsewhere on the offense, Thompkins can't afford a repeat performance like Week 1.
The center rarely gets much attention, and when he does it's usually for the wrong reason. That's the case here, as he had a few shot-gun snaps that seemed a bit low in Buffalo. Just one of the many areas of minor mistakes the offense needs to clean up.
