Monday night marks the end of 10 days of hype that began as soon as the Jets beat the Bengals Thanksgiving night. New England and New York, the AFC's two best teams (both with 9-2 records), meet in Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, with the winner taking a one-game lead in the AFC East and putting themselves in great position for the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.
It will be cold Monday night, with temperatures in the upper 20s and winds at 15-20 mph, with gusts up to 30 mph, that will make it feel brutally frigid.
In addition to the Jets-Patriots matchup, it's Tedy Bruschi Night at Gillette. At halftime, the Patriots will honor the former linebacker.
"I'm very excited about it...I'm not sure what emotions I'm going to experience (that night); it's a whole new setting for me having my family on field with me, and not having a helmet and shoulder pads on," Bruschi said. "I'm very appreciative of Mr. Kraft setting this up for me. I'm very proud to say that I only played for one team...I look forward to the opportunity to thank the fans for all of the support they gave me throughout my career.
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