The Boston Globe from Boston, Massachusetts • 63

63 There's no debate that today is a payoff game THE BOSTON SUNDAY GLOBE DECEMBER 4, 1994 mm S2K ii mm Sal going On Mow SKIWEAR Sl SKI EQUIPMENT 10 to 20 OFF AH major brands of Skis, Boots and Ski Outerwear By cart Approximately 45 minutes south ot Boston. From Boston, follow Route 93 South to Route 95 South, Exit 1. Take Exit 9 (Wrentham) onto Route 1 South. Stadium Is approximately 3 miles. From Providence, take Route 95 North to Route 495 North.

Take Exit 14A (Wrentham) onto Route 1 North. Stadium is approximately 4 miles. General parking is In lots P-l, P-6 and P-9. By public trantportttkxi: Train tickets are $7 and can be purchased at North, South and Back Bay stations (cash fares only). Trains depart at the following times: 1 1 a.m.

(from South Station); 11:05 (Back Bay); 11:17 (Route 128) and 11:30 (Mansfield). Arrival is at noon. Trains leave Foxborough 30 minutes after game ends. Bus tickets are $5 and can be purchased at Quincy Adams, Alewlfe, Riverside and Forest Hills stations, where there will be free parking. Buses depart at 11 a.m.

and arrive at 12:20 p.m. Buses will leave 30 minutes after game ends. "i with the recent resurgence of erratic tight end Johnny Mitchell, who after catching just 11 passes in the previous five games caught 11 against Minnesota and has 20 in the past three weeks. All of that production has come at the right time for the Jets because there has been a commensurate dropoff in the production of running back Johnny Johnson. Johnson is the AFC's fifth-leading rusher but he has been bothered with turf toe, a sore shoulder and a hamstring problem in recent weeks, gaining just 190 yards in the past five games.

Fortunately for New England, its defense has improved in the area most important in controlling such a remodeled attack. "Certainly we are doing a little better job pressuring the quarterback," Parcells said. "Defensively, we're making some plays." That is what they'll need to do mnir? Ski Tune-Up Special 1 Q95 New Sute-Of-The-Art Equipment JEL jf Rez. '24" Limited Time Z-. Only IN III PATRIOTS Continued from Page 57 "That is basically what I told my team.

They just have to play well Sunday and concentrate on that. People say it's a playoff game. It's not a playoff game. It's nothing like a playoff game. They are separate and distinct.

That is why they call them the playoffs. At the end of the season, when everybody is watching and you're still playing, that's when you have a playoff game." Got that, Pete? Regardless of who is right, both the Jets and Patriots had best approach this as if it's a playoff game, because if they don't, they'll be the ones sitting home at the end of the season watching somebody else play. That is especially true for New England, whether Parcells cares to comment on it or not. With six conference losses, four division losses and no way to get by the Dolphins in a tie-breaker, another conference defeat would be virtually fatal to hopes of postseason play. That being the case, maybe Pete has a point, no? Parcells might not want to remind his young team of this, especially after having publicly made the first game with the Jets a key one, only to see his players wilt.

But the fact is that they have one more division loss than Buffalo and New York and two more conference losses, all key tie-breaker elements in determining playoff teams. More important, if the Jets were to win today, Your Family's Ski Equipment Source 1 uchilici's Ski Shops Ifrmill I A Mai i 8 VajIi SALEM, NH RT. 2 PLAISTOW, NH HAVERHILL, MA 640 PRIMROSE ST. (508)373-1114 today, whether it's a playoff game or just a game to get you there. 340 SO.

BROADWAYJR J-SHAWS PLAZA (603)893-5534 they too would hold a sweep in head-to-head play, as Miami does, and that being the first tie-breaker, it is something that could come back to haunt New England around Christmas the way Marley's ghost did Scrooge. So, regardless of what you call it, this is a B-I-G game, one that New England needs to win to have something to play for the rest of the way. "The more games you win late in the year, the more important the games become," Parcells conceded. "That is part of playing pressure and being successful in this league. If you can learn to do it, it can be a lot of fun in the NFL.

If you can't, it can be a lot of frustration. People are judged by different things. In my business, you're judged by your jewelry." That means NFL coaches and players are judged by their rings -their Super Bowl rings, of which Parcells has two and the Patriots (603) 382-6147 have zero. If either intends to change that this year, both must find a way to beat the Jets. Despite limiting Jets quarterback Boomer Esiason to 70 net passing yards in their first meeting, the Patriots lost, 24-17, because they made the kind of critical errors they are not yet good enough to overcome.

They turned the ball over four times, which wiped out the advantage of sacking Esiason six times. On that point, Carroll and Parcells were in agreement. "This has been a real season of up-and-down plays for a lot of people," Carroll said. "It's been very difficult for anybody to sustain any kind of momentum at all. They will be stronger.

We're expecting a more fit team and also a team that is on a roll. "Their defense has been very productive in terms of creating big plays with sacks and turnovers. We take a lot of pride in creating turnovers also. Sometimes rankings are misleading. Their defense is doing good stuff.

They've given their offense a lot of chances on opportunities to go back on the field and move the ball. What we don't want to happen again is those six sacks. We will have a terrible day if they're able to do that again." Conversely, Parcells knows the Patriots will have a terrible day if they repeat the four turnovers of Oct. 16. "We did not have either of our starting receivers in that game," said Parcells, recalling that Michael Timpson was out with a groin injury and Vincent Brisby suffered a thigh injury very early in the game.

"Hopefully we can avoid turning it over. Hopefully we will have a full deck to play with. Hopefully we'll play better than we did down there. It's as simple as that." What will not be as simple is coping with Esiason, who has suddenly gotten hot after a slow start. Last Sunday he threw for 382 yards, his most productive day since 1989, and the past seven weeks Esiason has carried the Jets' offense.

During that stretch, he has thrown 12 touchdown passes and only five interceptions, two of which came in the fourth quarter of a heartbreaking loss to Miami a week ago. Esiason's play has been coupled PlteSS TTIHE I BFCoodrlch DIFFERENCE LIFESAVER AW 70,000 Mil NTW Warranty All Saason Whltewall SOLUTION 60,000 Mil NTW Warranty All Saason Whltawall ECONOMY LX 35,000 Mil NTW Warranty All Season Whltewall Though the Patriots could still win the AFC East, to do rt they would have to win all four remaining games and Miami would have to lose three of its final four, since Miami beat New England twice and would win a head-to-head tie-breaker. The Patriots' best chance for the playoffs is to be one of the three wild-card teams. To simplify matters, let's assume that Miami (8-4) and San Diego (9-3) will be AFC East and West champions, respectively, and that Pittsburgh (9-3) and Cleveland (9-3) will both be in the playoffs, one as Central champ and one as a wild card. That leaves the eight teams listed below fighting for the final two wild-card spots.

However, it would be safe to say that the Colts and Seahawks are long shots (in fact, one almost certainly will be eliminated when they play each other today). Also keep in mind that the Patriots with a conference mark of 3-6, divisional record of 1-4, and head-to-head losses already to the Jets, Bills and Raiders are not In an advantageous tie-breaker situation. So what do the Patriots need? the Patriot finish 10-6: Chances are very good they would be in. New England would have dealt a seventh loss to both Buffalo and the Jets along the way, and either the Broncos or Raiders would lose their seventh when they play each other. For the Patriots to be left out at 10-6, Kansas City would have to win three of its last four, and the Denver-LA winner would have to win all of its remaining games.

That's a tough combination to pull off, since both Denver and LA play KC, as well as having a game each against a likely division champ. if the Patriots fWsh 9-7: Still possible, but much tougher considering their poor conference record and the tie-breaking possibilities. Obviously, if the other 6-6 teams all lose two games, or if Kansas City loses three out of four and all but one of the 6-6 teams loses two, the Patriots are in by virtue of better overall record. But if there's a tie Involved, the Patriots' best bet would be to have their one loss come against the NFC Bears. Even then, with a 6-6 AFC mark, they would be alive only in a tie with Denver, and then only if the Broncos lose to the Raiders, creating a tie In conference and record vs.

common opponents, bringing it down to average net points in conference games. the Patriot fWk 8-8: Possible but very unlikely. They would need all of the 6-6 teams to lose three out of four, unless the Chiefs lose four straight, in which case they would need all but one of the 6-6 teams to lose three out of four. Team Ree. Conf.

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