It may be now or never for Favre, Jets in Week 11 rematch with Pats

The Jets are already 0-1 against the Patriots in the Brett Favre era. Fred Vuich/SI

This is what it was all about, right? When the New York Jets went out last offseason and spent lavishly to land big-name veteran additions like Alan Faneca and Damien Woody for the offensive line, Kris Jenkins for the defensive interior and Calvin Pace for the linebacking corps, it was with a big-game week like this in mind.

And when the Jets decided to buckle their chinstraps in early August and be a player in one of the biggest sweepstakes in recent memory, rolling the dice that a living legend like Brett Favre could take them where quarterback Chad Pennington never could, it was for just this kind of situation: A first-place, mid-November showdown of AFC East co-leaders, with Bill Belichick and his hated (but envied) New England Patriots providing the competition.

I mean, what could be clearer? The Jets, after last season, had a 12-game gap to close on the division-champion Patriots. But now, thanks to fate, a bit of fortuity and the spending of a small fortune, here they are tied with New England at 6-3, and in prime position to grab sole possession of first place in the AFC East for the first time all year. All they've got to do to make all their high-profile and risky moves pay off is to follow through and beat the Patriots tonight at Gillette Stadium. Then it will have all been worth it, and New York will be a huge step closer to both the playoffs and winning its first division title since 2002.

Favre gets it. He knows it's a case of if not now, when for these Jets? He's 39 and playing year to year (as you might have heard something about). He didn't agree to come to New York to restore the team to respectability or spend three years chasing down the Patriots.

The Jets are already 0-1 against New England in the Favre era, thanks to that 19-10 Week 2 loss at the Meadowlands, and he's quick enough on the uptake to realize that a sweep would give the Patriots what amounts to a two-game lead (thanks to the head-to-head tiebreaker) with six games to play. But with a win, the advantage shifts New York's way. A Patriots loss proves their vulnerability and opens the door for the Jets to build some belief in themselves.

"I know exactly what this game means and the weight it carries,'' Favre said Tuesday. "I'm well aware of what New England has done over the past decade or so. I'm well aware of what this game means.''

How could anyone not be? Favre tried to partially dodge the question of whether he was brought to New York for exactly this type of game, to beat the Patriots with first place on the line, but he didn't sound too convincing. The reason is obvious: Of course, he was. Not saying doesn't it make it any less so.

"That may be true,'' Favre allowed. "Then again, it may not be. That may have been why we brought Kris Jenkins in. Let's put it off on Kris.''

Let's not. Let's get real instead. Acquiring Jenkins was certainly considered part of the puzzle. But Favre was seen as the final, crucial piece. And this week is when all his years of experience, all his winning track record and all his ability to rise to the moment on the biggest of stages means the most. This is what the Jets paid for and gambled on -- for Brett Favre to add another chapter to his legacy, and produce the best game of his brief 10-game Jets career tonight at Foxboro. Nothing less than the Full Favre is required.