Law and order

Belichick will be in an especially vengeful frame of mind tomorrow night, and that should result in the coach coming up with one of his patented deviously effective game plans. And he'd better. The Jets, coming off a 47-3 demolition of the Rams Sunday, appear to be a far superior team to the one the Patriots defeated in the Meadowlands in Week 2, particularly on defense, where nose tackle Kris Jenkins has again become an immovable object and cornerback Darrelle Revis has emerged as . . . well, perhaps a young Ty Law. It is a tremendous credit to Matt Cassel that he seems to make noticeable improvements each week, but tomorrow might bring his the most difficult challenge yet.

It's impossible to exaggerate how much this game means to the Jets, not only in terms of the standings -- a loss would effectively put them two games back in the division with six to play -- but in terms of perception. They bolstered their roster in the offseason with several expensive and high-profile moves, signing Jenkins, Alan Faneca, and Damien Woody and trading for Calvin Pace and Mr. Wranglers. They've hungered to take down the Patriots for years, believed they had finally constructed the team capable of doing so . . . and then their chances became even more realistic when Tom Brady crumbled in Week 1.

Yet there they were in Week 2, losing sluggishly to Cassel and a Patriots team that had somehow overcome the shock and tumult of losing their MVP quarterback; you almost got the sense the Jets came into that game among the oblivious masses who believed the Patriots were down for the count. They should have known better, and they must consider it a blessing and a golden opportunity to have a second chance to prove that they are, at last, the elite team in the AFC East.

But that old familiar obstacle stands in their way: Belichick has done some of the finest work of his brilliant tenure this season, guiding his remarkably determined and disciplined team to a 6-3 record despite the devastating loss of the greatest player in the league, significant injuries to the top three running backs, and season-ending afflictions to two of his most dependable and intelligent defensive players. (It's disappointing to think Adalius Thomas won't get the chance to tackle the entire Jets backfield again this week.)

There is no doubt that in terms of pure talent, the Jets will hold the advantage tomorrow night. That would have been the case even if they had not made the transparent midweek transaction with Law. But the hunch -- no, make that the belief -- here is that the Patriots will hold the advantage on the scoreboard when the final seconds tick off the clock and Belichick and Mangini plod toward midfield for their awkward nanosecond of a handshake.

For the second time this season, the lesson will be a hard one for Mangini and the Jets: Money can buy you an aging cornerback, countless other famous names and fancy baubles, and even a good-sized helping of hope. But what the Patriots have . . . once again, that will prove priceless.