They do. Already this week, Jets defensive tackle Kris Jenkins has said New York is preparing to play this game “like it’s the Super Bowl.”

“We expect to win here with the Jets,” said Ryan. “I don’t care if we’re playing New England or a Pro Bowl team, we expect to win here with the Jets. I have a lot of respect for Bill Belichick. My twin brother (Rob, a former Patriots assistant coach) won two Super Bowl rings under Bill Belichick but I’m not his friend on Sunday. I’m going to compete against him. We’re in the win business and we’re gonna go out and try to win.”

Honestly, the timing for the Jets couldn’t be better. Last Sunday, they embarrassed the high-powered Houston Texans on the road, winning 24-7 while allowing Houston to cross the 50-yard line just twice. Their defense was cutthroat, which was to be expected given Ryan’s history as the Baltimore Ravens’ defensive coordinator and his proclamations since taking over. The Jets have oodles of veteran talent on both sides of the ball and now — under Ryan — they have been cut loose.

The Patriots, on the other hand, looked weak defensively against the Bills Monday night. They needed Tom Brady to save them from the embarrassment of a nationally-televised upset, and he did with two touchdown passes in the final 130 seconds of play. But New England looks a little vulnerable right now.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do and that’s what we’re doing,” said Belichick. “We’re putting our time and energy and effort into going down there and playing well against a team that probably had the best game of the week last week against Houston. That’s what I’m trying to do: prepare our team to go down there and play well.”

So the noise from New York, to Belichick, is just buzz. And his players are at least outwardly attempting to take the same approach.

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“(The Jets) can treat it however they want to treat it,” Brady said. “We’re going to treat it like we treat every game and we’re going to put everything we have into it. It’s an important game for us, there’s no doubt because it’s a division game, the second one in a row, playing on the road. It’s a tough place to play, but it’s not the Super Bowl. It’s not. That doesn’t get played until February. But it’s as important as they come, in terms of our division and what that means in our place in our division.”

So what’s Belichick’s message to his team in terms of dealing with the windstorm of words sweeping up the Eastern Seaboard?

“Not anything different than he’s said before,” said Patriots running back Kevin Faulk. “If you want to say something, do it on the field with your play. Not with your mouth. And when your boss gives you rules to follow, you follow those rules. Go about your business. This team is not about talking, this team is about playing.”

By 5 p.m. Sunday, this game will be over. But the Border War? It’s been rejoined.

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