Joe Benigno will accept nothing less than a victory from the New York Jets this Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
Robert Saleh’s team is on the rise, sitting at 5-2 following their 16-9 win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday. For the first time in years, the Jets seem like they’re putting it all together and, at the absolute least, should compete for a wild card spot this season.
Regardless of how the Patriots fare on Monday Night Football against the Bears, they’ll roll into the Meadowlands in Week 8 looking up at the Jets in the standings. And after the Patriots thumped the Jets at Gillette Stadium 54-13 last season, Benigno said in his weekly appearance on “Tiki and Tierney” that he's out for blood.
“This is a good team, and they have to beat New England," Benigno said. "If you lose at home to New England you just took three steps backward.
“This team has been you-know-what by the Patriots for years. (The Jets) are a better team than them, I don’t want to hear it anymore. You cannot lose to the Patriots at home. I’m tired of being the you-know-what on the floor to the freakin’ Patriots.
“The homecoming game, last year with Richard Seymour (getting inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame), they put 55 on them last year, they haven’t beaten them for 10 damn years. I don’t want to hear it, they’ve got to beat New England next week.
And if I’m Robert Saleh, man, I am putting it all over the place: ‘Homecoming, 55 points last year.’ I want blood against New England. … It’s time to beat the crap out of the Patriots, OK?”
The Patriots got off to a slow start, but began putting things together once Bailey Zappe took over as Mac Jones, who reportedly is healthy and expected to start Monday, rehabbed from an ankle injury.
Losing to the Patriots might not necessarily mean the Jets are taking three steps back, but it’s a good measuring stick game for them regardless.
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