Jets (2-6) at Patriots (6-2)
9 p.m. ET, ABC
Line: Patriots by 5½
Preview | Baxter's Bits | War Room Preview
Ron Jaworski's Monday night breakdown

Why to watch:
Throw out the records. It's Tuna Bowl VI. It's another chapter in the sports rivalry between New York and Boston. And it's in prime time for the third consecutive season.

Bill Parcells is 3-2 against New England since leaving for the Jets in 1997. That includes a 24-14 victory at Foxboro in front of a Monday Night Football audience last season. But this game represents a chance for a little payback for the Patriots, who might be able to finally end the belief that Parcells has some type of hex on his former team. Despite an ugly win over Arizona last week, the Jets are struggling mightily and in the midst of another quarterback change.

The Pats, meanwhile, have won two in a row and are well rested as they come out of their bye week. New England began the Jets' misery with a 30-28 victory at the Meadowlands in Week 1. That was the game in which New York lost quarterback Vinny Testaverde, and Gang Green hasn't been the same since. A frenzied crowd at Foxboro will be more than happy to kick Parcells while he's down. On the other hand, Pete Carroll and company will be feeling mighty miserable if they lose this one.

	MORE COVERAGE
	ABC MNF Online MNF Scouting Report

Who to watch:
Jets QB Ray Lucas, who has made only one career start, replaces the struggling Rick Mirer. That decision is based a lot on attitude because Parcells clearly prefers the enthusiastic Lucas over the laid-back Mirer. No matter the QB, the Jets' game plan will revolve around handing the ball to RB Curtis Martin, who ranks fifth in the NFL with 184 carries through eight games. Martin is averaging 4.1 yards per carry and has topped the 120-yard mark in three consecutive games. Jets WR Keyshawn Johnson will match up with Patriots CB Ty Law in a battle of Pro Bowlers. Jets WR Wayne Chrebet has just nine catches for 119 yards in his three games since returning from a foot injury.

Patriots QB Drew Bledsoe is a solid MVP candidate at midseason after throwing 13 TD passes and only four interceptions in the first half. Bledsoe tossed four TD passes in his last start at Arizona. He will look to get the ball to WR Terry Glenn, who ranks second in the NFL with 779 receiving yards on 43 catches. Glenn likely will be covered by CB Aaron Glenn. Pats TE Ben Coates, who didn't catch a pass in the win over the Cardinals, has complained loudly about his role in the offense. Look to see if Bledsoe will try to get his former favorite target involved early. Pats RB Terry Allen might find some room to run against a Jets defense that will blitz Bledsoe often.

Jets' numbers to know:
New York's pass defense is the worst in the AFC, allowing an average of 230.4 yards per game. That could be big trouble against the Patriots, who have the AFC's best passing offense and are averaging 270.9 yards per game through the air.

	INJURY REPORT
	Jets: OUT: TE Eric Green (knee). PROBABLE: S Steve Atwater (hamstring). Patriots: OUT: LB Ted Johnson (biceps). QUESTIONABLE: LB Vernon Crawford (knee); LB Marty Moore (knee); RB Harold Shaw (quadricep).

Patriots' numbers to know:
In this decade, the Pats trail the Jets 10-9 in this heated rivalry. New England will try to even things up in the final meeting of the '90s. However, the Patriots do not have a good recent history on Monday Night Football. New England has won only two of its last six MNF games.

What it means:
The Patriots can move into a three-way tie for first place with the Dolphins and Colts. Miami (7-2) lost Sunday at Buffalo (7-3), while the Colts (7-2) beat the Giants on the road. In other words, three AFC East teams have seven wins already, so New England must keep pace. The Jets are the only team in the division out of the playoff race.

But this one is more about mind games. If Parcells can win in Foxboro with Lucas at QB and injuries everywhere on his roster, the Pats might never hear the end of it. On the other hand, an easy win for New England might mean the Pats can quit hearing about the Tuna for awhile.

Sean Salisbury's breakdown
Jets' game plan:
The Jets are playing on the road and haven't received much production from the passing game. Parcells will heap the offensive load onto Martin's shoulders. Their game plan is to wear out Martin on the ground. The Jets can't get into an offensive shootout with New England.

Lucas cannot keep up with Bledsoe in an aerial matchup. The Jets need to win time of possession, which means Martin will carry the ball 35 times. They have to pound the ball and hope the game is low-scoring. They can't play from behind. Parcells will strive for four yards a carry from Martin and hope to methodically move the chains.

On defense, the Jets have an ominous task, trying to slow down Bledsoe and the Patriots' high-powered offense. Good luck. Coordinator Bill Belichick will have his defense ready to go, but very few teams have a third and fourth cornerback who can play with four good receivers, plus a dangerous tight end. Belichick needs to find a way to free up a linebacker to get into Bledsoe's face before he delivers the ball. Either that, or the defensive line needs to get penetration and not allow Bledsoe time to find any one of his receivers.

Patriots' game plan:
Offensive coordinator Ernie Zampese will try to spread out the Jets defense and throw out of the shotgun on first down. The Patriots throw to set up the run, not the reverse. Bledsoe will use all of his receivers and Coates at tight end.

The Patriots are getting great production from Glenn, Shawn Jefferson, Tony Simmons, Troy Brown and Vincent Brisby, one of the deepest receiving corps in football. If New England throws the ball 40 times, that is like other teams running the ball 35 times. The Patriots will make the Jets play the entire field, taking them away from playing aggressive defense. The Patriots will motion, pick and run away to the open spots. Bledsoe isn't afraid to take shots downfield. That's what the Patriots do best. They will try to get an early lead because they know the Jets can't play catch-up.

New England is playing very good defense. The Patriots will press and play in-your-face coverage on the outside, trying to make Martin average around 2.8 yards a carry, as opposed to 4.1 yards. The defensive approach all starts with Martin. That could mean putting a safety in the box to make a eight- or nine-man front. If they stop Martin, they will make Lucas throw to win the game. Johnson can't hurt the Patriots if Lucas is ineffective throwing the ball. With Law on one corner, the Patriots are good enough in the secondary to play man-to-man coverage, and they are stout enough up front to play the run.

Pivotal Players:
Everyone in the Jets secondary. The nickel and dime cornerbacks need to match up with the Patriots' receivers. How well can they cover Simmons, Brown and Brisby? In addition, the Jets need a big play from someone like Glenn, their best cornerback, to give their offense a short field and an opportunity to score.