The bigger they are

Monday night. The 9-2 Pats host the 9-2 Jets. Belichick. Brady. Mt. Ryan. Sanchez. Boston vs. New York. Hated rivals playing for the regular season gold ring ... the #1 playoff seed.

BILL & REX: Excellent adventure.

It's the biggest regular season game in the franchise's history. Since the franchise is only about a year or two older than me, I know what I'm talking about because I've seen a lot of those games. The Pats have had some huge battles through the years, but none like this. A victory and the Pats have an excellent chance to skip the first week of the playoffs (the one they got killed in last year) and settle in at Gillette for a playoff run. Lose, and even if they finish 13-3, they would likely find themselves on the road in round one at very unfriendly places like Kansas City or Jacksonville or Indy. The stakes have never been higher.

And the rivalry with the Jets has never been hotter. Jets' coach Mt. Ryan has brought a whole new swagger to the Jets and so far it is working. Although Gang Green has pulled a few wins out by the rather large seat of their coach's pants, they are unbeaten on the road entering December. In the NFL, that just doesn't happen that often. Lucky or not, the Jets are G-O-O-D, good, good, good. And they may be getting better. Suspended WR Santonio Holmes has had a few games to get in the flow so the Jets offense should start to click. The defense remains the league's best, playing an aggressive, loud style that reflects their coach.

On the other side is Bill Belichick. Always focused, always thinking ahead. Two traits that his team seems to be embracing more and more each week. The Pats have responded to their loss in Cleveland with three huge wins, two on the road. Tom Brady may be playing the best football of his career. Which is actually not surprising since he is now -- right now -- in the prime of his career. With distractions like Adalius Thomas and Randy Moss now gone, the Pats are locked in.

So the question is which team is ready for the next step? Is the Jets offense on the verge of putting it all together to carry the team to the top of the AFC? Or is the Pats young defense ready to build on their strong second half on Thanksgiving and start shutting teams down for an entire game? The answers will determine which team is sitting pretty come January.

But December comes first. The forecast is for temps in the low 20s and a biting wind. Time to find those extra layers. Lots of them. Winter football is here.