I’ve never been a big fan of seeing divisional rivals meet in the playoffs. We’ve seen this matchup twice already and personally, I don’t need to see it again. Nonetheless, that’s what we have here. The AFC East’s best collide on Saturday (1:00 EST, CBS) with the 10-6 Jets facing the 11-5 Patriots for the third time

Everyone knows about the job Eric Mangini has done with the Jets this year. He’s gone from ball boy to film editor to defensive backs coach to defensive coordinator, all of this under Bill Belichick. He’s now running the show in New York/New Jersey/Meadowlands/Tri State Area, and having great results. He’s taken a team ranked just 25th in total offense and 20th in total defense to the playoffs with a 10-6 record. How in the hell has he done it? I’m still figuring that out myself.

The Jets were just 5-5 with a month and a half left in the season. They finished out the year winning 5 of their last 6, thanks in part to a soft late-season schedule. This has been accomplished up front, thanks to the Jets’ first round selections of D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold, two guys that have been very good in solidifying the Jets in the trenches. It’s also obvious that the Jets have benefitted from a healthy Chad Pennington. His numbers don’t wow anyone (17 TDs, 16 INT) but compared to the comedy act the Jets had at quarterback last year (Vinny Testaverde, Brooks Bollinger), it’s a definite improvement. Mangini has found himself with a RB by committee approach, something that his mentor Belichick has employed quite often in New England. Leon Washington has made a huge impact both on and off the field, while Cedric Houston and Kevan Barlow have also gotten into the act.

If you could classify the Jets defense, the ideal word would be “balanced.” Jonathan Vilma is probably the best player on the unit but three other players have exceeded 100 tackles this year. Erik Coleman, Eric Barton, and Victor Hobson have all reached that milestone. The Jets’ pass rush isn’t elite but it has a lot of balance. Five players have exceeded 4.5 sacks, making it tough to key in on a certain player that rushes the passer. On special teams, look out for second year guy Justin Miller, whose ran back two kickoffs for scores this year. Few things change the momentum of a game more than a special teams touchdown. The Jets have an ideal guy to alter field position and even find the endzone.

Then there’s the Patriots. They finished a ho-hum 12-4 and didn’t break much of a sweat in the process, winning the AFC East. We know about the three Super Bowl wins but it’s miraculous to see this team continually rotate new players effectively. Tom Brady’s receiving corps is far from good but he’s managed okay, throwing 24 touchdown passes, 12 interceptions, while building a creepy relationship with his backup, Matt Cassel. The Pats’ strength this year is their running game. Everybody thought Corey Dillon was done but he’s rebounded nicely from a disappointing ‘05 season. He rushed for 800+ yards and 13 touchdowns, while splitting carries with impressive rookie Laurence Maroney. Maroney scored 6 touchdowns and ran for over 700 yards. When Reche Caldwell leads your team in catches, you may have some issues at wide receiver. Getting rid of Deion Branch and David Givens definitely hurts. They were guys that always came up huge in the playoffs.

In this matchup, I have no choice but to go with the experience. Much like last year, New England is playing in the first round of the playoffs against a team that has far less playoff experience. Last year, they played Jacksonville and won easily. This year, they face the Jets, a team that made the playoffs two years ago. But that team had Curtis Martin and a very different strategy because of Herm Edwards patrolling the sidelines. These teams split the season series, losing on the home and winning on the road. Two of my big factors in the playoffs are experience and running game. New England has far more of both.

Prediction: Patriots 24 Jets 10