The primary reason that the New York Jets (7-2) remain Super Bowl contenders in the AFC has been their uncanny ability to rescue victory from the grasp of defeat on the road this season.

Twice already, the Jets could have, and probably should have, lost away from home.

On Sunday, New York had its closest call yet, pulling out yet another dramatic road win just seconds before settling for what would have been a tie in Cleveland.

This time, the heroes were cornerback Drew Coleman (who forced a huge fumble) and the duo of quarterback Mark Sanchez and wide receiver Santonio Holmes, when the two connected on a game-winning touchdown with just 16 seconds left in overtime to give the Jets a thrilling 26-20 victory over the Cleveland Browns (3-6).

Instead of a mediocre 4-4-1 season, the Jets, who got help from the Broncos during the final moments in Denver, and who had the Lions gift wrap an overtime game for them in Detroit last week, moved to a perfect 5-0 on the road to stay in the hunt for AFC’s top playoff seed, holding a tiebreaker edge for the moment, over New England (7-2), which lost in Cleveland last week.

Such is the fine line sometimes, between success and either mediocrity or failure in the National Football League.

It’s a line that the Jets have been walking all season, partly because they’ve been playing from behind early in road games.

Once again, that was the case on Sunday, as the Browns, led by former head coach Eric Mangini and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan (the brother of Jets’ head coach Rex Ryan), took first-half leads of 3-0, 10-3, and 13-10 before the Jets battled back each time.

For the fifth time this year, the Jets — whose defense has been good, yet not nearly as dominant as the league’s top defense it was last season — won despite allowing at least 20 points, thanks to their own resilience.

Cleveland got on the board first, taking the opening kickoff 69 yards on 11 plays in 5:01, settling for a 3-0 lead on 34-yard field goal by the Browns’ franchise-leading kicker in Phil Dawson.

New York immediately answered on the ensuing drive, going 33 yards on 9 plays in 3:59, to tie the game, 3-3, on a 27-yard field goal by kicker Nick Folk.

The Jets were then unable to capitalize on the first of two Browns’ turnovers. Running back Peyton Hillis (19 carries, 82 yards, 1 TD, 1 fumble) coughed the ball up, but New York could gain only a yard before Folk missed a 48-yard field goal.

The teams then traded scoring drives, with the Browns marching 62 yards in just 5 plays, to score on 12-yard touchdown run by Hillis in the first quarter, and the Jets answering with Sanchez (27-44, 299 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 2 sacks) capping a 9-play, 76-yard drive on a 25-yard touchdown strike to wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery (3 catches, 43 yards, 1 TD) in the second quarter.

Each team only touched the ball once more before halftime, with each scoring. The Browns took a 17-13 lead on a Dawson 23-yard field goal after 10-play 66-yard drive stalled at the Jets’ 5 yard-line. New York came right back with a nice 11-play, 80-yard drive in 4:50, to take a 17-13 halftime lead on a one-yard plunge by Sanchez with 23 seconds left in the first half.

The Jets held the Browns in check during a scoreless third quarter, limiting Cleveland to just 11 yards on 7 plays on two drives.

New York meanwhile, punted on one drive in the quarter after an earlier a long, methodical drive which yielded nothing. The Jets took the opening kickoff of the second half and traveled 60 yards on 10 plays in 9:58, only to have Folk miss a chip shot 24-yard field goal attempt.

In the fourth quarter, the Jets were able to sustain another long drive, going 56 yards on 13 plays in 7:45, with Folk redeeming himself by making a 25-yard kick to push New York’s lead to 20-13 with 2:42 left.

The Jets’ defense was unable to get the stop it needed to put the game away though, as Browns’ rookie quarterback Colt McCoy (18-31, 205 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 3 sacks) directed 10-play, 59-yard drive in 1:51, tying the game, 20-20, on a 3-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi with 44 seconds left in regulation.

New York got won the coin toss to begin overtime, but punted quickly.

The Browns then appeared to be in great position to win after moving 28 yards on 6 plays and close to field goal range, but former Jets wide receiver Chansi Stuckey, after already picking up a first down, was stripped by Coleman while fighting for a few extra yards. The fumble was recovered by Jets’ cornerback Antonio Cromartie.

While the Jets couldn’t turn that into victory just yet, it prevented a good chance for the Browns to end the game, especially with a good kicker like Dawson on the sidelines.

Speaking of a kicker ending things, Folk got another opportunity, but missed his third kick of the game, pushing a 47-yard attempt wide right after the Jets took Stuckey’s fumble and went 35 yards on 9 plays in 5:13.

The Jets then forced a three-and-out but were pinned back at their own 9 yard-line with 3:06 left in the game, but Sanchez moved the Jets into Cleveland territory.

A holding penalty moved New York back to its own 46 yard-line, however, and on 3rd-and-14, Sanchez went for the win, but he was intercepted at the Browns’ 3 yard-line with 1:35 left by rookie first-round pick, cornerback Joe Haden, who made a game-high tackles while producing the Jets’ only turnover.

While not satisfied with a tie yet not wanting to risk a loss, the Browns weren’t in a position to be aggressive at that point. McCoy attempted a short pass to move the ball, but it fell incomplete. The Browns then rushed Hillis for two yards, before McCoy gladly took a sack after escaping a near game-ending safety in the end zone.

The Jets then took over at Cleveland 37 yard-line with 24 seconds left after an 18-yard return by Jim Leonhard.

They only needed one more play from there, which was a good thing for them, with time running out and Folk having already missed three field goals.

For the second straight week in overtime, Sanchez and Holmes made a late play to finish off a big win, as Sanchez hit Holmes (5 catches, game-high 76 yards, 1 TD) on a crossing route and the speedy receiver did the rest, blowing by the Browns’ defense and into the end zone on a 37-yard touchdown.

Giving Sanchez and the Jets’ passing game some nice balance, was a rushing game that outgained the Browns 172-107, while helping New York dominate the ball for 47:08 to Cleveland’s 27:36. The Jets were led by running backs Shonn Green (20-72), LaDanian Tomlinson (18-57), and out of the wildcat, Brad Smith (5 -39).

“You talk about how resilient this team is, that’s two road games in a row in overtime,” Rex Ryan said. What Ryan didn’t know at the time he uttered those words, was that the Jets had become the first team in NFL history to win consecutive overtime games on the road.

Once again, pulling out an improbable win.

The Jets will try to make things easier on themselves next week, when they host Houston (4-5) which has lost three straight.

In addition to NYSD, Jon Wagner contributes at Pro Football NYC (www.profootballnyc.com) and Giants Football Blog (www.giantsfootballblog.com)

The Jets are riding this playoff push on a wing and a prayer.  The right wing of turbulent and resilient rookie QB Mark Sanchez. And the prayers and preaching of head coach Rex Ryan, who needs the blessings of the football Gods to do the improbable these playoffs.

Oh. Don’t forget the mouth of The Jets boisterous, blunt and vocal coach, who after sneaking into the playoffs at 9-7, declared his wild-card Jets should be favored to win it all. Despite the roller coaster season, the Jets seem to be gelling at the right time. And their prayers are being answered.

Jets owner Woody Johnson, though deeply saddened by the sudden death of his daughter, couldn’t be happier about the progression of his rookie coach and rookie QB.

Johnson made it clear he wanted to inject some energy, excitement, confidence into a Jets franchise that had become vanilla, pedestrian and evasive to the media under the emotionless Eric Mangini.

By hiring two novices to lead his organization, Johnson also hoped for some back page burn in the local newspapers. NFL coverage in NY has been a Giants-fest the past decade. He also needed to mask the ridiculously priced tickets and PSL’s with a new enthusiasm about a new Jets team, with new leadership and moving in a new direction. Up.

Thanks to Johnson’s two main off season imports — the great pontificator and rebel rouser Ryan, and swagalicious, pretty-boy Sanchez, who seems as built for Broadway as any Jets QB since Joe Namath — the Jets are the only team getting headlines right now. Sanchez is slowly quieting his naysayers and looking like a future stud.

The comparisons to Namath, which seemed premature during the season, don’t seem as farfetched now. And we know what Namath did for NY. He single-handedly helped make pro football in NY a huge deal, by brashly guaranteeing and then pulling off one of the greatest upsets in history, leading his underdog AFL Jets to a victory over what everyone felt was a superior and unbeatable Colts team, led by the greatest pure passer in NFL history, Johnny Unitas.

Sanchez already came packaged with the superstar looks and attitude. The dark hair. The height. The million dollar smile. The fearless play. His confidence and the way you can obviously see the team believes in him, contributes to his burgeoning reputation as well.

Sanchez and Ryan are equal factors in the Jets surprising playoff run. The similarities between the two are obvious, and each man’s legacy will largely depend on the success of the other. Sanchez has had an up and down season. So has Ryan. Sanchez was drafted after just one season as a starter at USC. Rex, the son of Buddy, a former NFL coach and great defensive coordinator credited with inventing the vaunted 46 defense, never had a head coaching job before the Jets made him top dog.

Both came out the shoot this season like gangbusters, going 3-0 and showing veteran –like savvy. That was the worst possible thing that could have happened to them. The fans got spoiled. Then the Jets predictably hit the rough patch of the schedule, losing three in a row, culminated by Sanchez throwing five picks in an OT loss to Buffalo.

At the same time, Ryan seemed to be losing his team, even breaking down and crying in a press conference. All of a sudden the magic they seemed to have was fizzling. The reality of having a rookie head coach and quarterback was settling in. Sanchez got an early and first-hand view of the pressure and finicky attitudes of NY sports followers. The fans and media began screaming for backup Kellen Clemens to save the season. Ryan even took a shot at Sanchez, blasting him in the media for not being smart and playing recklessly. The coaching staff lost faith in the rooks decision-making as the season and interceptions progressed, and cut half of his playbook Ryan, who rarely holds his tongue, went so far as to concede any chance at the playoffs after a disheartening 10-7 loss to Atlanta dropped the team under .500 [6-7].  I’m sure the absence of leading offensive weapon Leon Johnson didn’t exactly add to Ryan’s confidence that his team could turn it around.

But just as it seemed the first year of the Ryan-Sanchez experience would end with more question marks than answers, the Jets won their last three games and made the postseason. What was supposed to be a symbolic playoff appearance and a step in the right direction for a new Jets team, has become much more after upsetting the Cincinnati Bengals in the wild-card game.  Now the Jets are showing more similarities to that 1969 team, than the choke artists they had been the last two decades.

The Jets boast the league’s No. 1 defense and rushing attack. While they may have been able to get away with limiting Sanchez’s touches during the season, for the Jets to go deeper in these playoffs, Sanchez’s arm will be the key. Sanchez has the tools to throw downfield, avoid defenders and create big plays.

I always had confidence that given a chance Sanchez could reign in his mistakes and make positive contributions throwing the ball. The Jets are not going to beat teams like the Colts and Chargers just running the ball. Sanchez, as he did last week in Cincy will have to throw. Throw deep. Throw accurate. And hopefully throw his team into The AFC Championship Game and possibly even…should I say it?  The Jets first Super Bowl appearance in over 40 years. Most veteran observers of football give the Jets no shot. Ryan and Sanchez think they can go all the way. What do they know any way? They are just rookies, living on a wing and a prayer.