Such is the case with Mark Sanchez, the third-year starter for Gang Green. He has brought the team to two consecutive AFC Championship games and still has to deal with the boo bids in the stands and newspapers alike.

“Of course you hear them,” Sanchez said about the boos coming from the crowd at MetLife Stadium. “You hear a lot of stuff.”

Fortunately for him, there were cheers at the conclusion of the 28-24 victory over the Buffalo Bills. If not for a near-last minute touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes, the story would have been different.

“I felt good,” Sanchez added, referring to the game-winning drive. “We’ve been in this situation before. We rep it all the time in practice. The game’s on the line; we have to win and we made plays to do it.”

By throwing his fourth touchdown pass of the day (to three different receivers), Sanchez now has eight game-winning drives to his credit since becoming a Jet. While his statistics may not always be the envy of fantasy football players everywhere, Sanchez has found his niche in making the big plays when it counts most.

” We always say that he’s at his best in big moments, and you certainly can’t get a bigger moment than we had (then),” said Jets head coach Rex Ryan. “That’s who he is. He’s a stud. Sanchize. He’s done it before. I think he’s had more fourth quarter comebacks than any other quarterback in the league. That speaks enough about Mark.”

By winning against Buffalo, the Jets were able to maintain a possible playoff berth at 6-5. While still far from a slam dunk to make the postseason, it would have been nearly impossible if they had dropped the Bills game.

“You have to win,” Ryan said matter-of-factly. “You have to beat those AFC teams. We have to look forward. Any time that we spend dwelling on what’s happened is not productive.”

Because they have lost both games to the New England Patriots, the Jets only hope of getting into the playoffs is via a Wildcard spot. That means that they will have to once again win on the road to reach their goal of winning the Super Bowl. That will certainly not be an easy task, just as it wasn’t the last two campaigns. But it gets harder each year and the regular season has been an inconsistent struggle for Ryan’s squad.

But they still have a pulse thanks to the late-game heroics by the quarterback. And he isn’t even called Broadway Joe.

 Photo by Bill Menzel

The free agent flurry following the signing of the new CBA changed the landscape of the playoff picture – on paper, at least. Now we get to see who will actually fit in with their new clubs and who will be a bust. The haves and have-nots are all on equal footing heading into Week 1 and at least some of the questions will be answered in the months to follow.

So without further delay, let’s spell it out for you – the only way we know how.

AMERICAN FOOTBALL CONFERENCE

AFC EAST

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS – The class of the conference has had their difficulties in the last few postseasons, but that will change come January. Bill Belichick picked up two veterans in Chad Johnson (we refuse to call him Ochocinco) and Albert Hayensworth that have a lot to prove. Who better than Belichick to squeeze everything out of them? Tom Brady is the best QB in the league and gets ring number 3.

12-4, division winner, Super Bowl champions

NEW YORK JETS – Rex Ryan’s bunch has been able to win road playoff games, but expecting Mark Sanchez to do it again and then some may be too much. This team needs a home playoff game to advance any further than they have the past two seasons, but have a big hurdle in the Pats to overcome. Sure, they beat them last January, but it’s not only a head-to-head issue.

10-6, Wild Card entry

MIAMI DOLPHINS – The quarterback carousel continues for the Fins, as it has since Dan marino retired. Chad Henne is not the answer and Reggie Bush’s exciting play will only mask the losing so much.

7-9

BUFFALO BILLS – Tyler Thigpen will eventually take Ryan Fitzpatrick’s job but is it really going to make much of a difference?

4-12

AFC NORTH

BALTIMORE RAVENS – The bruising Ravens will go at it tooth and nail with the Steelers again, but this time they will get passed them in the playoffs. Ray Rice is on the verge of stardom and that defense will lead the way again. Lee Evans was a good pick-up from the Bills and should be an improvement over TJ ‘Who’s-your-momma.’

12-4, division winner

PITTSBURGH STEELERS – An unexpected Super Bowl run nearly resulted in a third championship in six years for Pittsburgh, who made one too many mistakes against the Pack. They won’t have to deal with losing Big Ben for the first four games this time around, but an offseason marred with some controversy surrounding Rashad Mendenhall’s tweets and James Harrison’s opinions will have enough of a ripple effect to make them take a small step back.

11-5, Wild Card entry

CLEVELAND BROWNS – A team on the rise, the Brownies seemed to have found a franchise QB in Colt McCoy and a truck of a back in Peyton Hillis. A tough division will take its toll on them, though. Four games against the Steelers and Ravens will hurt their overall record.

7-9

CINCINNATI BENGALS – A rookie starting QB, a shaky head coach and not much talent spell disaster.

3-13

AFC SOUTH

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS – Peyton Manning’s health will dictate whether the Horseshoes are contenders or pretenders. But either way, they will finish on top of a weak division. Kerry Collins is good enough to win with for a short period of time, but not once the playoffs begin.

10-6, division winner

HOUSTON TEXANS – Is this finally their year? No.

9-7

 TENNESSEE TITANS – A rebuilding year, but one with a proven veteran QB who has a bunch of wins under his belt.

7-9

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS – Those last minute wins have ran out.

6-10

AFC WEST

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS – Phillip Rivers needs to have a deep playoff run to be considered a big time QB and he finally delivers. The Bolts need to prove that last season was a fluke and come out of the box strong.

10-6, division winner

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS – Will the real Chiefs please stand up? Are they the strong team that won the West, or a club that overachieved and came crashing down in the playoffs? We say the latter.

9-7

DENVER BRONCOS – Kyle Orton is not a flashy QB, but he can be more than pedestrian if given half the chance.

7-9

OAKLAND RAIDERS – When they went 8-8 a year ago, the Silver & Black seemed to be moving up. But they lost some key players in the offseason and will again finish out of the money.

7-9

NATIONAL FOOTBALL CONFERENCE

NFC EAST

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES – They have put together a hell of team but now must prove it on the field. Michael Vick is a dangerous weapon and they have added enough to an already talented team to come out on top in what used to be the NFL’s toughest division.

12-4, division winner

NEW YORK GIANTS – The G-Men have blown two potential playoff spots in a row and have enough question marks heading into the season to not disappoint this time around. With a thin receiving corps, they won’t be in the mix that late.

10-6

DALLAS COWBOYS – America’s Team is improving and will do better with a full year of Jason Garrett.

9-7

WASHINGTON REDSKINS – Mike Shanahan got his way. The ‘Skins dumped Donovan McNabb and Albert Haynesworth. They would have sucked either way.

6-10

NFC NORTH

GREEN BAY PACKERS – The Pack snuck into the postseason and went all the way. Aaron Rodgers put himself into that ‘elite QB’ conversation by getting a ring and will have another big year. It just won’t end with confetti.

11-5, division winner

MINNESOTA VIKINGS – Can they rebound after a miserable 2010 with Donovan McNabb at the helm? Enough to sneak in as the last Wild Card team in the conference.

10-6, Wild Card entry

CHICAGO BEARS – The year ended dreadfully for the them and Jay Cutler had to redeem himself by actually having a legitimate knee injury. They will be a competitive team, but miss out on the playoffs.

9-7

DETROIT LIONS – Yes, they are getting better. But these things take time, you know.

7-9

NFC SOUTH

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS – Drew Brees is the difference maker and the loss of Reggie Bush will not be that big of a deal. They will recover from that ridiculous playoff loss to the Seahawks and be a contender again. A return to the Big Game is certainly possible, but not another surprise win there.

11-5, division winner, NFC representative in the Super Bowl

ATLANTA FALCONS – Losing at home to the Packers in the playoffs didn’t look so bad once Green Bay won the Super Bowl, did it? But you still have to consider how bad the Falcons looked that night. They will take a step back but still make it to the ‘second season’ because of the talent they possess.

10-6, Wild Card entry

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS – They won’t sneak up on anyone this year and that will be their downfall. Josh Freeman looks like a player and will be tough to beat one day – just not today.

8-8

CAROLINA PANTHERS – Cam Newton starting will make them a team to watch. But get used to the losing.

4-12

NFC WEST

ST. LOUIS RAMS – A team that made some big strides a year ago makes another and wins the league’s most pitiful division by default. Sam Bradford had a good rookie season and will again be the focal point of this team’s success.

9-7, division winner

ARIZONA CARDINALS – They will find out the hard way that Kevin Kolb is not the second coming of Kurt Warner.

7-9

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS – A Cinderella story last season when they won the division with a sub-.500 mark and knocked off the defending Super Bowl champs in the playoffs. Too bad Pete Carroll won’t be smiling like that this year with Tavaris Jackson at QB.

6-10

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS – You know things are bad when Alex Smith wins the starting QB job again.

4-12

Photo by Bill Menzel

In the divisional round against the Baltimore Ravens, Roethlisberger played less than stellar in the first half and had to lead his charges back in the second. The Steelers pulled out the game and two big dropped passes by Ravens wideouts largely played into the 31-25 outcome. Roethlisberger’s line ended up 19 for 32 for 226 yards and two touchdowns.

A week and a day later, the Steelers hosted the AFC Championship Game against the New York Jets and stormed out to a 24-0 second quarter lead. Rex Ryan’s crew seemed lost and a young Mark Sanchez looked overmatched. A late field goal put Gang Green on the board before the break and they looked like a different team in the second half. Two touchdown passes by Sanchez and a safety by Mike DeVito (who sacked Roethisberger in the end zone) put the Steelers on the brink of an epic collapse.

The Jets defense perplexed Big Ben and shut the Steelers out in the second half, but the deficit was too much to overcome. Even with an ineffective Roethlisberger the last two quarters, Pittsburgh held on by a 24-19 score and earned the Lamar Hunt Trophy, setting up a classic match-up in Super Bowl XLV with the Green Bay Packers.

Similar to the Baltimore game, the Pack started fast and had a 21-3 second quarter advantage, which included a 37-yard interception return off a wounded duck floater by Roethlisberger. Of course the Steelers rebounded and made this a very interesting game that came down to Green Bay needing a late stop to hold on for the 31-25 victory.

“They did a great job of taking away deep things and taking away the outside,” Roethlisberger said of the final offensive series. “You’re kind of stuck with very limited options there with that much time and no timeouts left. We just had to try to do what we could do.”

Roelisberger (25 for 40, 263 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions) was unable to do what Aaron Rodgers did. The Packers quarterback won the MVP Award with a memorable performance that included over 300 yards, three touchdowns and no picks.

Perhaps Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin summed it up best when asked to elaborate on his quarterback’s performance. “It was a losing one, just like mine.”

Photo by William J. Hauser

These teams will need the extra week off between the conference championship games and Super Sunday. The NFC will be decided by the rubber match of the season pitting the North Division champion Chicago Bears and their division and long time rival Green Bay Packers. These teams hate each other and will go at it in the early game at Soldier Field.

The AFC is up next and the Cinderella New York Jets hope to keep the glass slipper on when they visit Heinz Field for the second time since December to take on the Steelers. The Week 15, 22-17 victory by Gang Green may be in the past, but it came at a crucial time for Rex Ryan and his bunch after they dropped two straight.

Just for shits and giggles, let’s take a look towards February 6 in North Texas at what might be:

PACKERS VS. JETS – Back on Halloween, Green Bay came into the New Meadowlands Stadium and shut out the Jets, 9-0. The home team was soundly booed and rightfully so, playing an atrocious game versus a quality opponent. The Pack didn’t exactly light it up, but their defense was on point.

That shouldn’t be the case if they meet again next month. The Jets will score more points, as will the Packers. This would be a great match-up and could go either way. What would be the main thing to watch here is how the Jets can exploit the Packers’ lack of a running game. Ryan can blitz all night long and still have Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie blanketing the receivers.

PACKERS VS. STEELERS – With Pittsburgh going for their second ring in three years, it would be a shock if they were beat by Green Bay in this potential contest. The Steelers, like the Jets, would be able to put a lot of pressure on Aaron Rodgers and the one-dimensional offense.

BEARS VS. JETS - When the Jets visited Chicago late in the season, they allowed way too many yards and points. Jay Cutler had all day to find his receiving corps and didn’t disappoint. Mark Sanchez had a decent game but the defense didn’t get the job done. For anything to turn out differently at Cowboys Stadium, a pass rush must be more like it was in the Divisional round versus New England.

Cutler is the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of the NFL. If he is having a good game and gets protection, he can light up the scoreboard. But if is hurried and banged around, the sacks and interceptions will be a plenty. This game would be decided by that factor.

BEARS VS. STEELERS - Pittsburgh would have the best chance to stitch Mr. Hyde on the back of Cutler’s jersey and would in all likelihood be able to handle Chicago without much of a problem.

Photo: William J. Hauser

The brash talk that has been a constant for Rex Ryan and his wards was mocked throughout the season by all the critics, but he (and they) have backed everything up. What’s wrong with having the balls to say that you expect to win the Super Bowl? Any head coach that breaks training camp and tells even his closest friends that his team is mediocre and will not win anything has given up before the coin toss. Give Ryan credit for being so forthcoming, even when it seemed to be blowing up in his face.

That would have been Week 13 and 14, when the Jets dropped two divisional games in a row and looked abysmal in doing so. The 45-3 Monday Night dismantling at Foxboro was followed up by a 10-6 home loss to the Miami Dolphins that had ‘hangover’ written all over it. Things could have gone south but the Jets went into Pittsburgh and came away with a improbable 22-17 victory over the favored Steelers. They clinched a wild card playoff berth a week later, even though they dropped a road game to the Bears.

The second season has been good to the Ryan-led Jets, with them making it to the AFC Championship game for the second consecutive year. Mark Sanchez has four road playoff wins under his belt already in just two seasons in the NFL and can make it five if he and his teammates can pull off another ‘impossible.’

Surely the Steelers will be the favorites in the game on Sunday and should be. They are playing at home and took care of the big and bad Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional Round. Down by 14 points at halftime, Pittsburgh turned it around and made the Ravens pay for their turnovers.

So why are we finally going to pick the Jets? It seems as if it is destiny for them to continue this crazy ride all the way to the Super Bowl on February 6 in North Texas. Sanchez threw for three touchdowns against the Pats and had zero picks. The Jets defense stifled Tom Brady and the rest of the New England offense, sacking the perennial All-Pro quarterback five times, and the ground attack that was so essential at Indy was once again on track. Shonne Greene put the dagger in with a late rushing score (76 yards on 17 carries in all) and LaDanian Tomlinson added 43 yards on 10 carries and scored the team’s first touchdown on a 7-yard pass from Sanchez.

Defensive end Sean Ellis had two of the five sacks and linebacker David Harris had nine tackles and an interception. Once again, cornerback Darrelle Revis shut down a team’s top wideout, this time it being Deon Branch.

By beating two quality teams in the Colts and number one seeded Patriots, the Jets have proved that they belong. Now the underdogs will spend another week talking about the game to come and more than likely have the skill to back them up.

Photo: Bill Menzel

As far as all the talk about taking the 7-9 Seahawks out and putting the 10-6 Giants in, nothing can be more ridiculous. Divisions are what they are – for good or bad. A sub-.500 team getting a home playoff game is not the usual, so people have to learn to live with it this time around.

The Wild Card round has shaped up to be ripe for the road teams to pull out more than one ‘upset,’ if you will, but they will in reality not be shockers. Here’s out take on the Jets at Colts match-up:

AFC WILD CARD

New York Jets (6) at INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (3)

Rex Ryan has talked a big game but his team has backed him up by qualifying for the playoffs for the second consecutive season under his tutelage and winning (at least) 11 games for only the fourth time in franchise history. The Jets have played inconsistent for much of the regular season and perhaps their only complete games of the year came twice against the hapless Buffalo Bills.

They have struggled at times in all three facets of the game (offense, defense, special teams) so they will need to bring them all together if they hope to get to the next round of the playoffs. With Peyton Manning staring across the line at them, the Jets need to get a good pass rush on Saturday night, something that they had difficulty with of late. Jay Cutler had all the time in the world to find a receiver against the Jets two weeks ago and they paid the price for it.

Mark Sanchez’s shoulder injury should not effect him too much and if the Jets fall behind early, they will need him to hit big play wide receivers Santonio Holmes and Braylon Edwards. Ryan rested the majority of his starters in the season finale, so that should help, especially in the backfield and secondary.

The Colts struggled in 2010 and needed to go almost the full length of the season before clinching a playoff berth. The Jacksonville Jaguars hung around and made what seemed like an automatic annual affair a squeaker. Manning has suffered from the injuries to tight end Dallas Clark and wideout Austin Collie, but he always finds someone down the field and makes a new hero out of him. Don’t be floored if Taj Smith is just that guy.

The Colts’ running attack is far from the league’s best but is more than pedestrian. Joseph Addai has the experience and won a ring with the team before, so he can be the workhorse back for the playoffs without much fanfare or concern.

The defense has had some great moments and some others that were not so great. Robert Mathis and Dwight  will put a scare into any quarterback, especially a second-year pro like Sanchez. You can definitely score on the Colts and the Jets should be able to keep it close with their talented running and passing attack.

If the game comes down to field goals, Adam Vinatieri is an automatic. His late kick gave the Colts the third seed when the Kansas City Chiefs opened the door for them by losing earlier in the day to the Oakland Raiders at home.

PREDICTION

What should be a fun game to watch for fans of both teams will end with the boys in blue smiling when it is all said and done. The Jets will not go easily, mind you, and even hold a slim lead during parts of this contest. But Manning is hard to beat – especially at home under the roof – and the Jets just have had too many question marks over the last five weeks to come into Indy and make hotel arrangements in New England on the way out.

COLTS – 31, Jets – 23

Photo by Bill Menzel

Patrick Chung had some night on Monday with a blaocked punt, blocked FG and pick-six INT return in a rout of Miami. Ex-Jet RB/WR Danny Woodhead put himself on the NFL map with a great all-around game and New England showed why they remain the class of the league. For the Fish, that’s two home loses to division foes after a fast start.

Jets – 38, BILLS – 14

No trap game here for Rex Ryan’s boys. The Jets have won three straight and are 3-0 in the division while Buffalo looks completely lost. Gang Green hosts Favre and the Vikes next Monday night and the Meadowlands boo-birds should be out in full force to ‘welcome’ the former Jet QB.

Bengals – 20, BROWNS – 23

Eric Mangini’s job may have been saved with Cleveland’s first win of the season. The struggles to continue for Chad Johnson and Carson Palmer has not exactly been lighting it up of late either. Both Ohio teams will be home for the holidays.

Broncos – 26, TITANS  -20

A late score gave Denver the road win in a close contest between two potential AFC playoff teams. The Broncos were more desperate for the W and did what they had to do to keep pace.

Ravens – 17, STEELERS – 14

Going 3-1 with your starting QB sitting out a suspension is still pretty good. Pittsburgh nearly went undefeated waiting for Big Ben with the likes of Dennis Dixon and Charlie Batch starting under center and would have if not for a late TD pass from Joe Flacco to TJ. Both teams will be there at the end and their respective defenses are still impressive.

PACKERS – 28, Lions- 26

Detroit is at least losing with dignity, if that is all possible. The Lions play their opponents tough most weeks and Sunday was no exception at Lambeau Field. The Pack bounced back after a tough loss to the Bears last Monday night and are back on track to be the top team in their division.

FALCONS – 16, 49ers – 14

Playing well enough to win doesn’t cut it in the NFL. The Niners are still winless because of stupid plays like Nate Clements fumbling the ball back to the Falcs on a INT return. So what do you think happened? Atlanta goes down the field and hits a late FG to win it and keep pace in their division.

SAINTS – 16, Panthers – 14

The defending Super Bowl champs have not played like what one would expect and have still come away with more wins that they probably should have, but don’t tell them that. Better a win than a loss, even when it is a squeaker at home versus hapless Carolina.

RAMS – 20, Seahawks – 3

Wow. St. Louis has won two in a row and it has come at the expense of Seattle, who had visions of grandeur after a big win in the opener. Both teams are not very good, but at least the Rams are on the up swing in a rebuilding mode with the overall umber one pick at QB playing well.

JAGUARS – 31, Colts – 28

Indy only lost two games all season in 2009 but have matched that after four weeks already. A 59-yard FG at the gun By Josh Scobee gave jacksonville the upset win of the day.

Texans – 31, RAIDERS – 24

Houston is on a playoff hunt and doing fairly well at it while Oakland still sucks really bad. At least the weather is getting cooler for the fans in the Black Hole who wear all that heavy costume gear.

Redskins – 17, EAGLES – 12

Donovan McNabb comes back to Philly, leads the ‘Skins to a win and Michael Vick goes out with a rib injury. Bad day if you’re wearing green, huh?

CHARGERS – 41, Cardinals – 10

San Diego’s inconsistent season took an up swing while Arizona continues to lose to winning teams.

GIANTS-17, Bears – 3

New York saved its season by knocking the shit out of Chicago with 10 sacks. Bears QB Jay Cutler suffered a concussion on one of them but still kept his INT stats up there before getting his bell rung. If you’re in the Windy City, you had to figure that your guys would lose one sooner or later, so it’s good to get that over with. The G-Men somehow reman atop the NFC Least even though they have played mediocre or less in ’10.

Photo by William J. Hauser

In fact, it was reported that the Steelers were ready to release Holmes if they couldn’t work out a trade with anyone. The 2006 first-round pick out of Ohio State fell out of favor with a domestic violence incident his rookie season and his 2008 arrest for marijuana possession. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin benched the 26-year-old wideout but he allowed him back on the field, which eventually paid off for both parties during the postseason.

In March, Holmes was once again in the news for the wrong reason when a woman accused him of throwing a glass at her at an Orlando nightclub, in which she sustained a physical injury. A lawsuit is pending.

Holmes was facing a suspension from the league for violating the substance abuse policy and the Steelers hierarchy had enough. Enter the Jets. “We discussed it as a staff and did some research,” said Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum. “Then obviously we were able to come up with something that hopefully works well for us and Pittsburgh.”

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Holmes for the first four games of the upcoming season, something that the Jets were aware of before making the deal. “We understand that there are risks – significant risks – but at the end of the day we felt the price was reasonable and the risk was reasonable,” added Tannebaum. ”Obviously there’s been some bumps in the road in his past and hopefully he’s learned from that.”

Holmes did not try to avoid the obvious when he first met the New York media via a conference call. “Right now, I’m accountable for what happened and look forward to start a new career here with the Jets,” he said. “I have to be on time to all the meetings, front and center, establishing a great relationship with the players on and off the field so those guys can understand who I am and where I came from.”

What Holmes is right now is as talented as he is troubled. In 2009, he started all 16 games for Pittsburgh and had 79 receptions for 1,248 yards (both carer highs) and five touchdowns. Once his suspension is finished, he will be joining an offense that made it all the way to the AFC Championship Game. Quarterback Mark Sanchez should be better in his second season, the same as running back Shonn Greene. LaDanian Tomlinson was signed to take the place of Thomas Jones to solidify a backfield that led the NFL in rushing last year. The receiving corps includes Braylon Edwards (another player who has made a habit of off-the-field issues), Jericho Cotchery and tight end Dustin Keller.

“I want to be able to help [Sanchez] grow and be able to trust me and know that he has a guy on the field that is capable of making any play that he is willing to throw,” Holmes said.

Entering the final year of his contract, it would behoove Holmes to play well and be on his best behavior. If he fails another drug test, he will be suspended for the entire season. Tannenbaum did not discount the possibility of his newest player receiving a contract extension. “Our hope and expectation is he’ll be here for a long time to come,” he said. “He’s under contract for this year. We’ll go from there.”

Adding such a potent threat to a team who played at such a high level for parts of last season may pay off in a big way. Draft picks are very important for teams to build themselves up, but a fifth rounder is used more for depth rather than a starter, especially one with the talent of Holmes. If he becomes a distraction, the Jets can always cut him and send him on his way. Although Tannenbaum feels confident that the front office did their homework, Holmes did say some troubling things at the end of the conference call.

“I don’t think I’ve made mistakes on my own,” he commented. “I’m not blaming anyone for what I’ve been through, but at the same time, being in certain situations, you have to be accountable for what goes on around you. Sometimes you just have no control over some things that do happen.”

Well, Holmes had better get some control or Ryan will have him for breakfast.

Photo by Joe Pietaro (Super Bowl XLIII)

Sorry, pal. I’ve got some harsh news for you. This is football and you get paid to play the games on your schedule, regardless of what the other head coach decides to do with his personnel. Sure, if Peyton Manning didn’t get pulled in Week 16, we may not be having this conversation right now. But it wasn’t as if the Jets were getting their asses handed to them when the just-named 2009 NFL MVP went to the bench in favor of an overwhelmed Lance Painter.

Rex Ryan’s crew was only trailing by five points when Manning took off his helmet and replaced with a baseball cap and ultimately a frown that was caught by all the cameras. He was seeing the Colts’ undefeated season go up in smoke, but could have he been thinking ahead and that he wanted no part of seeing a hot team with a swarming defense coming back at them in the playoffs?

If The Colts would have put the Jets away, their home loss the week before to Atlanta would have been their legacy. But instead, their pulse was getting better and they had their sights set on a Cincinnati Bengals team who had the opportunity to not only end the Jets’ season, but clinch the third seed in the AFC because of the Patriots’ loss earlier in the day on the final Sunday.

Outside of running back Cedric Benson, the Bengals played their starters into the third quarter and were getting their clocks cleaned. Quarterback Carson Palmer went 1-for-11 for zero yards and the team had 72 yards total offense. Say whatever you want to try to justify that and it is impossible to do. The Jets made the playoffs as the AFC’s fifth seed courtesy of their 37-0 whitewashing on Sunday Night Football.

Momentum at this time of the year can go a long way and by basically shutting it down, both the Bengals and Colts made critical mistakes. We all know that it carried over to Saturday’s AFC Wild Card game, when the Jets ousted Cincinnati by a score of 24-14. Even when the Bengals were up 7-0, the game was being controlled by the Jets. Palmer’s accuracy was horrendous and he overthrew his receivers regularly. If it weren’t for Benson’s performance and a drop in the end zone by Braylon Edwards, the difference would have been even wider.

Now the Jets must travel to San Diego to face the red-hot Chargers, winners of 11 straight. This match-up was the result of the Baltimore Ravens knocking off the higher-seeded Patriots in New England.

It’s been a wild ride for the Jets, but all they need to do is keep playing a tight defense and effectively grind it out on the ground. Rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez has been efficient and has stayed away from throwing the interceptions that were killing him just a few short weeks ago.

Can the Jets beat a team like the Chargers? Well, we didn’t think they would even still be around so let’s not sell them short just yet. Yes, the Bolts do have a very potent offense but their defense leaves a lot to be desired and could be exposed by some shrewd play calling. We already know that the Jets can run the ball, so if they are able to opne things up a bit with not only Sanchez but also Brad Smith (in the Jets formation of the Wildcat, called the “Tiger”), this game may be a close one

If the underdogs prevail again in the AFC this upcoming weekend, the Jets will actually host the conference championship versus Baltimore - perhaps the most unlikely scenario of all.

Photo by William J. Hauser

Although they still have a long way to go, the Jets (5-6) can at least think about the playoffs if not talk about them. But that word didn’t even come up after the game. “This was a great team win,” head coach Rex Ryan said. “It feels good to say that. It’s been a while.”

The team’s much-maligned secondary stepped up on this day with four interceptions and sent 76,381 fans home happy. It all began on the Panthers’ opening drive, one in which they converted three third down plays. Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme then tried to hit Steve Smith on a slant that would have gone for a big gain, but there was apparent miscommunication and the wideout had yet to turn in. The ball caromed off his heel up in the air and right into the hands of Darrelle Revis, who returned it 67 yards for the Jets first defensive touchdown of the season.

“The great ones are lucky,” joked Ryan.

After trading field goals, the Jets capitalized on Delhomme’s third pick of the day when Kerry Rhodes – who was removed from the starting line-up this week in favor of Eric Smith – pulled down the floater and brought it back to the Carolina 38-yard line.

“The message was sent to me by Coach and now I’m moving on,” said Rhodes, who also had another interception and received a game ball. The Jets extended their lead to 14-3 when Thomas Jones (25 carries for 75 yards, 1 touchdown) plunged into the end zone from three yards out.

The big talk all week leading up to this game was that Ryan was going to take a more active role in the offense to try to cut down on the mistakes of his rookie quarterback. A more conservative game plan seem to benefit Mark Sanchez, who completed 13 out of 17 for 154 yards and one interception, but the USC product was not totally satisfied with his performance.

“I was playing smart on offense and we still gave up a couple of turnovers,” he said. “They (the coaches) were telling me in the meetings, ‘If you take a sack, that’s OK. Just don’t lose the ball.’”

Ryan added, “I thought he did a great job. He really managed the game well and had some nice runs. When in doubt, he checked the ball down.”

At one point in the third quarter, Sanchez was shaken up with an apparent knee injury and missed the majority of one series, but returned the next one. “He said he was good to go,” Ryan said. “I was just anxious to get him back in there.” Sanchez had the knee checked out by the team’s medical staff after the game and said that there was nothing abnormal found.

The Jets sealed the win with a 47-yard field goal by Feeley with 3:39 left to make the score 17-6. The big play on the drive was a 16-yard completion to converted running back Danny Woodhead on third down to move the chains.

“Coach put me in a great situation, Mark put the ball on me and the line did a great job so I just had to make the catch,” the wide receiver humbly said.

The Jets do not have much time to enjoy this win due to the Thursday night affair against the Bills in Toronto. “This is a short week for us, so we can enjoy it for about five hours,” said Ryan.

Better to enjoy the victory than wallow in another loss.

Photo by William J. Hauser