The 1-6 New England Patriots will go up against the 2-5 New York Jets at Gillette Stadium at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Both AFC East teams have been struggling throughout this season but for different reasons. The Jets have gotten Davante Adams midseason through a trade and have fired their head coach but still can’t get it together. The Patriots have had a quarterback change midseason with Drake Maye, and their first-year head coach Jerod Mayo called his team ‘soft’. For both teams, this game will set the tone for the rest of the season.

The Jets have somewhat of a shot in making the playoffs, although it’s a long shot. The Buffalo Bills are the clear favorites with the Miami Dolphins’ season in limbo as well. Aaron Rodgers has been having glimpses of his old self with accurate throws and moving his team down the field. However, New York has also not been able to protect Rodgers long enough to really get things going consistently.

As for the Patriots, they’ve been struggling in almost every phase in the game of football. Thankfully, Maye has been appearing to show promise with his throwing ability and be able to use his feet to gain yardage. But the special teams has given up big plays, and so has the defense. The defensive line last week against the Jaguars got abused for the entire second half. The ‘soft’ label has been fairly accurate up to this point. The Patriots aren’t making the playoffs, but this Sunday will tell whether they’re heading in the right direction for years to come.