Bill Belichick doesn't give any credence to how the previous two games his New England Patriots have played against the New York Jets will affect the next.
But he views the third meeting as poetic.
"We split with them this year," Belichick said on a conference call Sunday afternoon. "So now it will be best two out of three. It's probably the way it should be."
The Jets will return to Gillette Stadium to play the Patriots next Sunday in the divisional round of the playoffs. The winner will advance to the AFC Championship Game against the winner of next week's trilogy showdown between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field.
The Jets beat the Patriots 28-14 at the Meadowlands in Week 2, but few remember that result as vividly as the Patriots' 45-3 annihilation of the Jets five weeks ago in Gillette Stadium.
"I don’t think the last game or even the first game, either one of those games, is going to mean a whole lot," Belichick said. "Both teams know each other well. We're ready for a whole new week of preparation.
"Even though we're familiar with them and they're familiar with us, it feels like every time you play a team games go a lot differently."