Unbeatens battle in Foxboro

It has been 31 years since two unbeaten teams met this late in a season — the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams started 6-0 in 1973 — but that doesn’t mean New York Jets coach Herman Edwards is going to hype today’s road game against the New England Patriots, who also are 5-0.

Maybe it’s because the Jets are an underdog, or maybe because they’ll have to face the defending Super Bowl champions in nine weeks at the Meadowlands. Edwards must have his reasons.

“This isn’t the game of all games,” said Edwards, whose team’s five victims are a combined 6-22. “It’s our sixth game. It just so happens to they’re undefeated and we’re undefeated. [We’re] two division teams, [and] they’re the best team in football.”

The Jets were the last visitors to win at Foxboro’s Gillette Stadium, 30-17 on Dec.22, 2002. New York’s Chad Pennington was masterful in that game, completing 23 of 33 passes for 285 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and a quarterback rating of 126.5. However, the last time the teams met, on Dec.20, 2003, the Patriots picked off Pennington five times and held him without a touchdown pass as he posted a career-worst 31.7 rating in a 21-16 loss.

Pennington and Patriots quarterback Tom Brady are having fine seasons. But while Pennington can hand off to AFC rushing leader Curtis Martin, Brady could be hamstrung by injuries to receivers Troy Brown and Deion Branch.

It doesn’t help the Patriots’ cause that the Jets’ defense ranked 11th overall and eighth against the run, its highest in four years. With an 18th straight regular-season victory, New England would break the record held by the 1933 and 1934 Chicago Bears.

Jaguars-Colts — It’s just Week 7, but Indianapolis would be sitting pretty in the AFC South with a home victory over Jacksonville today.

The Colts (4-1), who lead the Jaguars (4-2) by half a game, would sweep the series and have a two-game lead in the loss column with a repeat of their 24-17 triumph in Jacksonville three weeks ago. Indianapolis also would have a two-game lead over idle Houston (3-3). Tennessee (2-4) is already in deep trouble after losing its three division home games.

Strangely, for the eighth straight year, the Colts get to play at home after their bye while the Jaguars will play the second of three consecutive opponents coming off byes. However, those apparent advantages might not help Indianapolis, which is just 3-4 in those previous post-bye games. Jacksonville, meanwhile, beat Kansas City 22-16 last week although the Chiefs had an extra week of preparation.

“It’s a double-dip game,” said Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, the AFC’s leading passer. “If you win, you’re 2 games up. If you lose the game, you’re a half-game back. So there’s a lot on the line.”

Jacksonville’s Byron Leftwich raises his play with the game on the line. The second-year quarterback already has brought the Jaguars from behind to win three times in the last 45 seconds this year. Their other victory came when Denver, trailing 7-6, fumbled in field goal range with 37 seconds left.

Lions-Giants — Seven weeks ago, no one would have thought this game would be significant. However, New York has won four straight since an opening loss at unbeaten Philadelphia, and Detroit (3-2) is pushing Minnesota in the NFC North thanks to a 2-0 road mark. The Lions’ surge comes after an NFL-record 24-game losing streak away from home.

The Giants are rested after their bye and boast running back Tiki Barber, who tops the NFL with 817 yards from scrimmage and is the NFC’s No.2 rusher with 577 yards. The Lions, however, are coming off an embarrassing 38-10 home loss to previously reeling Green Bay in which they managed just five first downs and 125 yards. The Lions are improved, but with first-round pick Kevin Jones ailing, they again have the NFC’s worst running game (76.4 yards a game). That won’t get it done even against the Giants’ mediocre run defense.

“We will never abandon [the run],” said Lions coach Steve Mariucci, who called consecutive runs just twice against the Packers and used to direct the NFC’s top ground attack in San Francisco. “I’d like to be rushing the ball for 120, 130, 140 yards. We haven’t had enough running attempts [119, second fewest in the league] to wear a team down.”