The cornerback played an outstanding game, largely shutting down whatever receiver he lined up against. The problem, however, is that there was only one Revis, and Tom Brady exploited the rest of the Jets' defense all night long in what turned out to be an old-fashioned beatdown.
This time around, head coach Rex Ryan and defensive coordinator Mike Pettine are going to have to draw up something a little more complex if they want a different result.
In that December game, Revis spent most of the night on Wes Welker. When that was the case, Brady rarely even looked in Welker's direction. That was partly because he felt Revis could cover No. 83, and it was partly because Antonio Cromartie was getting torched up and down the field by Deion Branch.
Branch was burning Cromartie on posts, curls and comebacks, and once the corner was able to catch up to Branch, the receiver was breaking his tackles and bursting for huge gains.
Despite Revis' excellent coverage, Brady was able to include Welker in the game plan (something Reggie Wayne wishes Peyton Manning knew how to do last weekend). With Welker lined up in the slot to Brady's left, and with Drew Coleman in man coverage on Welker, Brady, whose eyes got as big as watermelons when he saw that matchup, took a shotgun snap and locked in to Welker as he ran an out pattern. Brady waited patiently in the pocket and hit a wide-open Welker, who then beat Coleman to the end zone, making the score 31-3.
The receiving numbers that night were a bit gaudy. Welker had seven catches (only one while covered by Revis, though) for 80 yards and a score, Branch had three catches for 64 yards and a touchdown, Aaron Hernandez had three catches for 51 yards and a touchdown and Danny Woodhead topped 100 receiving yards with four catches of his own. Even Brandon Tate chipped in, with Cromartie (in man coverage) losing track of the second-year receiver in the end zone when Brady scrambled, resulting in a second-quarter touchdown for the Patriots.
The fact that the Patriots have Hernandez and Woodhead only complicates matters for the Jets, as they don't have linebackers quick enough or skilled enough to stay with the shifty receiving options. That, however, is a whole different story.
While it'd be easy to look at that game and figure the Patriots will be just fine if they do the same thing, you have to at least assume the Jets kept that tape around and just might watch it this week. They'll see Cromartie getting burned all game, and they'll likely try to do something about it.
The problem, though, is that Cromartie is the team's second-best cornerback, and no matter where he plays, the Jets can't hide him. That might mean the Jets have to get a little more creative, whether it be running more zone defenses, switching defenders late in the play clock or sending defensive backs on blitzes. Simply put, if the Jets rely on Revis to shut down one receiver and hope the rest of the defense can pick up the slack, they won't be stopping Brady and the Patriots.
From the very get-go of Sunday afternoon's game, if Revis lines up on Welker and Cromartie on Branch, expect much of the same results. Given how well the Jets' game plan against Manning worked last week, though, it's safe to assume they'll mix it up this time around. How quickly Brady and the Patriots recognize those new schemes will determine whether this one is a three-point nail-biter or a 40-point laugher.
