Sooner or later in the young regime of head coach Rex Ryan and quarterback Mark Sanchez, the New York Jets might realize how to put together more than one good half of football in an AFC title game.

And, they might even discover how to reach that game without having to do it the hard way.

For the second straight year however, an end to the Jets’ long Super Bowl drought wasn’t meant to be.

One year after New York surprisingly rode a five seed to the AFC championship game only to get outscored 17-0 in the second half of a 30-17 loss to Indianapolis, the sixth-seeded Jets (13-6) ran out of road miracles in a 24-19 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers (14-4) after falling behind 24-0 late in the first half of this year’s AFC title game at Heinz Field on Sunday.

Several times this season, New York looked like it might be a team of destiny, and for a while, it again appeared that way against the now Super Bowl-bound Steelers.

Six times this year – including five times on the road, once in the playoffs, and once, five weeks ago against Pittsburgh – the Jets had rallied from second-half deficits to pull out unlikely victories.

This time, the hole was just too big for New York to dig out of despite a terrific effort that turned a first-half laugher into a serious situation for the Steelers down the stretch.

The physical Steelers took it to the Jets in the opening half, pushing the New York’s offensive and defensive lines around with ease.

Behind a stout defense and an unstoppable running game, Pittsburgh outgained New York, 231-50 (135-1 on the ground), and held the ball for 21:04 to New York’s 8:56, while getting 16 of the game’s 21 first downs during the first half.

The tone was set early, on the game’s first drive.

Although the Jets began a Week 15 win in Pittsburgh with a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, Ryan decided to defer the opening kick, a decision for which New York would pay by subsequently allowing a long, punishing Pittsburgh drive.

The Steelers consumed 9:06 before the Jets touched the ball, going 66 yards on 15 plays to take a 7-0 lead on a first-down, one-yard touchdown plunge by running back Rashard Mendenhall, who rushed for a game-high 121 yards (95 in the first half) on 27 carries.

Pittsburgh then forced a punt on New York’s first possession and moved 55 yards to the Jets’ 32 yard-line, but a 4th-and-1 pass by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (10-19, 133 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT) deflected off of Mendenhall’s hands and was caught by linebacker Bryan Thomas for the first turnover of the game.

The Jets then had their first of three consecutive three-and-outs, the last of which, ended with what proved to be a decisive fumble return for a touchdown.

Before that, the Steelers would score on two straight possessions.

Pittsburgh went 60 yards on eight plays in 3:41, to lead 10-0, on a field goal by kicker Shaun Suisham with 6:54 left in the half, and traveled 66 yards on seven plays in 3:57 to extend its lead to 17-0 on a two-yard touchdown run by Roethlisberger with 2:05 to go in the half.

The backbreaker came three plays later for the Jets, as Sanchez (20-33, 233 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT) fumbled after being hit from behind on a blitz by cornerback Ike Taylor. The only New York turnover was scooped up by cornerback William Gay, who raced 19 yards into the end zone to give the Steelers what eventually became an insurmountable 24-0 lead with 1:13 remaining before halftime.

Sanchez, who left the field after the play, holding his non-throwing left arm in considerable pain, showed some great toughness, immediately directing the Jets on their first scoring drive of the game.

He completed four passes to move New York 44 yards on seven plays in just 1:04, to set up kicker Nick Folk for a 42-yard field goal attempt which hooked left before fading right, just inside the left upright.

The kick trimmed the Steelers’ lead to 24-3, nine seconds before halftime, and just as importantly, gave the Jets a much-needed emotional boost which they carried into the second half.

Taking the second-half kickoff, New York struck quickly, going 90 yards on five plays in just 2:47, with half of the drive coming on a 45-yard touchdown bomb up the right side to wide receiver Santonio Holmes (2 catches, 61 yards). The former Steeler whose game-winning catch as a Super Bowl MVP won Super Bowl XLIII for Pittsburgh, pulled the Jets to within 24-10, just 2:38 into the third quarter.

The play was just the beginning of a second half that flipped around New York’s disastrous first half and gave the Jets some realistic hope late in the game.

New York outscored Pittsburgh 19-0 and outgained the Steelers 239-56 after halftime.

Roethlisberger moved Pittsburgh 35 yards and into Jets’ territory, but he was intercepted by safety Brodney Pool, and New York took over at its own 14 yard-line.

The teams then traded punts, before the Jets embarked on their longest drive of the game, only to come away empty.

The Jets went 80 yards on 17 plays in 8:06, as Sanchez threw incomplete on second and third down before running back LaDainian Tomlinson (9 carries, 16yards) was stopped on 4th-and-goal with 7:44 left in the game.

However, with starting center Maurkice Pouncey lost to an injury earlier in the game, a bad exchange on the next play led to Roethlisberger covering the ball up in the end zone for a safety in the same end zone in which the Jets had a key safety in the fourth quarter that helped them beat the Steelers in Week 15.

Trailing 24-12, New York drove for another score to get even closer, going 58 yards on ten plays in 4:32, cutting Pittsburgh’s lead to 24-19, on a four-yard touchdown pass from Sanchez to wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery (5 catches, 33 yards) with 3:09 remaining.

The Jets had all of the momentum and needed one more stop to give Sanchez and New York’s offense an opportunity to send the Jets back to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1969.

But, it never came, as Roethlisberger, who hadn’t completed a pass In over 21 minutes, connected on a pair of 14-yard throws to clinch the win for the Steelers.

A completion to tight end Heath Miller (2 catches, team-high 38 yards) gave the Steelers a first down at the Jets’ 44 yard-line, and facing a 3rd-and-6 from the New York 40 yard-line with two minutes left, Roethlisberger completed to rookie wide receiver Antonio Brown (his only catch) for a first down to the Jets’ 26 yard-line.

Three Roethlisberger kneel-downs ran out the clock and ended the Jets’ dreams of once again defying long odds to reach their elusive Super Bowl.

The Steelers’ win marks the eighth straight year that one of this season’s top three AFC seeds, each with Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks – New England, Pittsburgh, and Indianapolis – has represented the AFC in the Super Bowl.

The Jets were trying to finish off beating that trio of teams on Sunday, after playoff wins over Peyton Manning in Indianapolis, and over Tom Brady in New England, to reach Pittsburgh.

Instead, it’s a fairly safe bet that New York Jet fans, some of whom have been waiting as long as 42 years to finally see their team back in the Super Bowl, might be thinking, “If only the Jets could have put together last year’s first half and this year’s second half over the past two AFC title games, we wouldn’t be waiting anymore.”

But, as Sanchez said after the loss, “You can’t play 30 minutes in a game of this magnitude.”

Next, year, the Jets will again try to win the AFC East and avoid the tough road route to the Super Bowl, especially after starting last season 7-7 and winning two road playoff games each of the past two years only to come a game short of the Super Bowl in each year.

Just after Brown’s catch gave the Steelers the final first down they needed, Ryan ripped the headset off his head and threw it to the ground in disgust.

Reflecting later on, he said “I believe in our football team… We’ve got a lot of heart… Our team is resilient… I’m proud of our guys. We played a good half, we just never played a good game… There’s obviously a huge amount of disappointment… [but] our goal for next year won’t change… we’re going to chase that Super Bowl until we get it, and then we’re going to chase it again.”

When asked if he would have toned down the Jets’ brash, trash-talking nature, he responded defiantly, “I’d change the outcome of this game, that’s the only thing I’d change. We’ll be back and you’ll see… this football team’s going to be good for a number of years.”

Quite possibly, as the future for the Jets appears bright. But, for now, the team that very prematurely boasted of winning the Super Bowl since being filmed on HBO during the preseason, ends its season for a second straight year the way It began – with hard knocks, indeed.

In addition to writing for New York Sports Day, Jon Wagner contributes at Pro Football NYC (www.profootballnyc.com) and Giants Football Blog (www.giantsfootballblog.com

The New York Jets don’t just talk trash like some teams. No, for them, it’s done in such a bold and brash manner, it’s more like “brash-talking.”

And, when you do as much “brash-talking” as the New York Jets have done, it sometimes takes shocking the football world to back it up.

The Jets (13-5) did just that on Sunday, with the biggest turnaround (49 points) from the regular season to the postseason, against the same opponent, in the same year, in NFL history.

Making it much bigger?

The Jets’ redemption came in the their biggest game of the season, against their fiercest rival – the New England Patriots (14-3) – who were nine-point favorites at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, after crushing the Jets on Monday Night Football, 45-3, just six weeks prior.

After a week of spewing their usual bluster in the Patriots’ direction, the sixth-seeded, “brash-talking” Jets returned to the same site where they suffered their most lopsided loss in 24 years to eliminate the Super Bowl favorite, top-seeded Patriots in stunning fashion, 28-21, in an AFC divisional playoff showdown.

It was a huge departure from New York’s last trip to Foxborough, Massachusetts, when Jets’ head coach Rex Ryan said after his team was embarrassed by New England in a Week 13 Monday Night Football battle for first place in the AFC East, “It was the game of the year… and the NFL deserved a better game than that, but we weren’t up to the task.”

This time, the Jets were, and then some, with quarterback Mark Sanchez (16-25, 194 yards) throwing three touchdown passes, while New York avoided a turnover and closely blanketed the same New England receivers who torched the Jets in the teams’ last meeting.

Everything about New York’s game on Sunday was different since that night – even the Jets’ uniforms, which included green pants, for a little psychological ploy to help the Jets (who wore white pants their last time in New England) forget all the 42-point drubbing they took the last time they were on the same field.

New England head coach Bill Belichick tried his own mind trick by trying to immediately put pressure on the Jets’ second-year quarterback, when he deferred the opening kickoff despite the Patriots being the highest scoring team in the NFL with 518 points (79 more than the next highest scoring team) this season and the seventh highest scoring team of all-time.

While the Jets punted on their first possession, the move was the first of several for the New England that would fail to make sense.

New York meanwhile, which confounded the Patriots’ offense by showing mixed coverages and a lot more zone looks than the man-to-man defense the Jets played in Week 13, set the tone early, by forcing the game’s only turnover on New England’s opening possession.

The Patriots drove 53 yards to the Jets’ 31 yard-line, but linebacker Calvin Pace (3 tackles, one sack) pressured Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady (29-45, 299 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT) into just his fifth interception of the season, as linebacker David Harris picked Brady’s pass and returned it 58 yards to the New England 12 yard-line.

The Jets failed to capitalize as kicker Nick Folk missed wide left on a 30-yard field goal attempt, but Brady was rattled enough to know that unlike six weeks earlier, the Jets had arrived in New England to compete on Sunday – especially since prior to the interception, the Patriots had set an NFL record with just ten turnovers during the regular season.

New England then moved 63 yards on 11 plays, in 5:44, taking a 3-0 lead in a 34-yards field goal by kicker Shayne Graham, with 1:12 left in the opening quarter.

The Patriots outgained the Jets 104-36 in the period, but only had a slim lead to show for it.

The teams then traded punts before the Jets took their first lead in the second quarter.

After failing to score despite being in New England territory on their first three possessions, the Jets finally broke through on their fourth.

On 3rd-and-6 from the Patriots’ 45 yard-line, Sanchez completed a 37-yard pass to wide receiver Braylon Edwards (2 catches, 52 yards) to the Patriots’ 8 yard-line on the third play of a five-play, 54-yard drive.

That set up a 7-yard touchdown pass to running back LaDainian Tomlinson (10 carries, 43 yards), who on the play, scored his first postseason touchdown of his ten-year career, to put the Jets ahead, 7-3, with 10:24 left in the first half.

Again, the teams traded punts before the usually very composed Belichick gambled and gave New York an absolute gift.

Still trailing just 7-3, with the first half winding down, Belichick opted for a direct snap to Patrick Chung on 4th-and-4 from the Patriots’ 38 yard-line.

Chung fumbled and recovered, but the Jets took over at New England’s 37 yard-line and quickly took advantage of the short field.

Tomlinson ran 16 yards, and then six, to the Patriots’ 15 yard-line. Two plays later, Sanchez completed a short pass to Edwards, who scored on a 15-yard touchdown reception to give the Jets a 14-3 lead with 33 seconds left in the half, causing New England to play catch-up for the remainder of the game.

A Patriots team that finished with NFL’s best record was booed off field at halftime, having failed to score a touchdown in first half for first time since Week 4, when New England trailed 7-6 at the break before using some big special teams plays to win, 41-14, in Miami.

Each team punted twice to begin the third quarter before the Patriots finally scored their first touchdown to get back in the game.

Embarking on the longest drive of the game, New England went 80 yards on eight plays, in 3:51, with Brady throwing a two-yard touchdown pass to tight end Algie Crumpler (3 catches, 39 yards, 1 TD), who dropped a pass in the end zone prior to the Patriots’ earlier field goal.

Fullback Sammy Morris then rushed to convert a two-point conversion to pull New England to within 14-11, with 13 seconds left in the third quarter.

But, the Jets quickly came right back on their longest drive the game, going 75 yards on five plays, in just 2:13, helped by a short pass over the middle that wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery (game highs of 5 catches and 96 yards) took up the right sideline for 58 yards to the Patriots’ 13 yard-line.

Three plays later, Sanchez lofted a ball to the far left side of the end zone, where wide receiver Santonio Holmes (3 catches, 20 yards, 1 TD) made a brilliant catch that was reminiscent of his tip-toeing end zone grab to win Super Bowl XLIII for the Pittsburgh Steelers – ironically the last AFC team in the Jets’ path toward reaching Super Bowl XLV.

Outstretched, Holmes got his right knee down before dragging his left toe in the end zone while falling of bounds, to give the Jets a 21-11 lead with 13 minutes left in the game.

Sanchez, who has taken New York to the AFC title game in each of his first two years in the league, showed remarkable poise and patience for a 24-year-old quarterback who had eight turnovers for a team that was outscored by a combined 76-17 in Sanchez’s previous two visits to New England.

“I needed to be smart and take what [New England] gave me,” Sanchez said. He also added, that he couldn’t worry about hearing that he couldn’t win at Gillette Stadium, saying “When someone says you can’t [accomplish something], you want to do everything you can to prove them wrong.”

New York’s defense felt the same way.

While Sanchez avoided a sack, the Jets’ tight coverage created five sacks of Brady, two by defensive end Shaun Ellis and one each by Pace, defensive tackle Sione Pouha, and cornerback Drew Coleman (who was doubtful earlier in the week).

Shutting New England down was something not many had done this season, although the Jets did beat the Patriots at home, 28-14, in Week 2.

During an eight-game winning streak which the Patriots rode into Sunday’s game, New England allowed just 1.5 sacks per game and scored 37.4 points per game, while scoring no fewer than 31 points during that span.

After Sanchez’s third touchdown pass, the Patriots moved into Jets territory, but puzzlingly took their time doing so with a methodical lack of urgency.

New England went 48 yards on 14 plays, but ran the ball eight times, chewing up 7:45, perhaps in part, in deference to the fact that Brady had trouble finding open receivers all game. The Patriots ended the drive by foregoing a long field goal and instead, failing to convert on a 4th-and-13 pass from the Jets’ 34 yard-line.

The Patriots forced a three-and-out though, and moved 26 yards on seven plays, in just 1:32, for a Graham 35-yard field goal that brought New England to within 21-14, with 1:57 left.

However, once again bad decision making hurt the Patriots at the end of that drive. With just two time outs left, New England needed to kick the field goal prior to the two-minute warning, so the Patriots could use the official time out as a third time out and kick the ball deep on the ensuing kickoff.

Instead, the Patriots completed for one yard, to the right, to wide receiver Wes Welker (7 catches, 57 yards) on third down, on a route that didn’t give Welker a chance to get out of bounds and stop the clock.

New England appeared confused and unorganized in trying to get the kicking team on the field and boot the field goal prior to the two-minute warning.

As a result, the Patriots were forced to try an onside kick, and they paid dearly for it.

Fittingly, Antonio Cromartie, who had some heated, profanity-laced words through the media for Brady and the Patriots earlier in the week, made the play that sealed New England’s fate, by picking up the onside kick and returning it 23 yards to the Patriots’ 25 yard-line.

Just two plays later, running back Shonn Greene (17 carries, game-high 76 yards, 1 TD) scored on a 16-yard run to give the Jets an insurmountable 28-14 advantage, with 1:41 remaining.

Brady quickly drove New England 59 yards n seven plays, in just 1:17, cutting New York’s lead in half, to 28-21, on a 13-yard touchdown throw to wide receiver Deion Branch, with 24 seconds left, but the New Eric Smith recovered the ensuing onside kick and Sanchez took a knee to finish off one the greatest upsets in Jets’ franchise history.

Just after the clock expired, Edwards, who was arrested on a Driving While Intoxicated charge in New York City prior to the Jets’ Week 3 win in Miami, did celebratory back flips on the field.

All that was left then, was for the Jets to do some more talking. But then, after upsetting the NFL’s best to advance to with a game of the Super Bowl, they earned that right.

With a sarcastic dig at those who still compare his team to the Jets of old, Ryan said “So, we’re moving on, same old Jets, moving on to the AFC championship game two years in a row. The only difference is, we plan on winning this one.”

Not that the Jets didn’t try to win when they lost last year’s AFC title game in Indianapolis.

“I’m proud of the way the team played,” Ryan added. “Outstanding effort… we believed… we worked too hard to get back here, and we came here for a reason. We thought we were the better team. Clearly, that Monday night game, they were clearly head and shoulders better than we were. But, I knew that if we applied ourselves and we played the way we were capable of playing, we could beat ‘em, and that’s exactly what happened.”

Ryan, who limped down the sideline to congratulate Greene on his game-icing touchdown run, later added, “We’re trying to win a Super Bowl… we’ve still got a long way to go… but, maybe I’m not always wrong on everything I say.”

Linebacker Bart Scott, who came to the Jets with Ryan from Baltimore last year, angrily said, “Anybody could be beat! We know we’re a much better team than we came up [to New England] and represented ourselves [as in Week 13] and we were pissed off… people gave us no chance… we’re a good football team!”

He added, that the Jets played with anger for “All [of the] non-believers [who] disrespect us… [but] we’re the third best defense in the league! All we hear about is [the Patriots’] defense, 25th in the league, can’t stop a nose bleed, and we get disrespected!”

Looking ahead, the Jets’ link to the second-seeded Steelers (13-4) this season is as ironic as Holmes’ connection to his former team.

New York won in Pittsburgh, 22-17, in a Week 15 game that came down to a Steeler incompletion in the end zone on the game’s final play. It was the Jets’ only win during a four-game stretch that began with the Jets’ aforementioned loss in New England.

Without that win in Pittsburgh, all other results being the same, the Jets would have missed the playoffs.

Now, they get to return to the Steel City with the AFC title on the line.

Holmes warns that the Jets shouldn’t be taken lightly again, saying about his team’s upset over the Patriots, “All week long, we heard, ‘The Jets are going to lose.’ Guess what? We’re moving on to the AFC championship. See you in Pittsburgh.”

Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30pm ET next Sunday, at Heinz Field.

Notes: The loss was the Patriots’ third straight in the postseason… New England became only the fourth team in NFL history to win at least 14 games and lose its first playoff game of the season… The Jets are trying to become the fourth team in NFL history to reach the Super Bowl with three straight playoff road wins in the same season… the last to do it was another New York team – the Giants, who ironically ended the Patriots’ attempt at a achieving a perfect 19-0 season three years ago… A bit more irony: the 2005 Steelers last accomplished the feat prior to the Giants, as a six seed (like the Jets are now)… if the Jets win Super Bowl XLV, they’ll have to beat history: the Steelers have won the most Super Bowls (6) of all time, while the NFC title game features the two teams with the most NFL titles in league history (Green Bay has 12, and Chicago 9).

In addition to writing for New York Sports Day, Jon Wagner contributes at Pro Football NYC (www.profootballnyc.com) and Giants Football Blog (www.giantsfootballblog.com).

Rest or rust?

The playoff-bound New York Jets (11-5) faced that age-old question in their 100th all-time meeting with the last-place Buffalo Bills (4-12) at the New Meadowlands Stadium on Sunday.

Some teams opt for rest and avoiding potential injuries. Others prefer to throw that caution to the wind, in favor of playing their regulars and remaining sharp for the postseason. History suggests either option can be right.

With only a slim chance of moving up from a six seed to a five seed in the AFC playoffs, the Jets chose to rest many of their regulars.

Whether or not that was the right move remains to be seen in next week’s wild-card playoff round, but it certainly didn’t matter against Buffalo, as Gang Green Lite scored the first 17 points, and the final 21 points, to bury the Bills, 38-7, at the New Meadowlands Stadium on Sunday.

Ironically, it was the Indianapolis Colts – the Jets’ playoff opponent next week – who rested players with a perfect season on the line last year, allowing the Jets to win their way into the playoffs, before eventually losing in Indianapolis in last season’s AFC title game.

The Colts’ last-second win over Tennessee, coupled with Kansas City’s loss to Oakland on Sunday, moved Indianapolis (10-6) up to the three seed, and into a playoff rematch with New York.

Benching several key starters for most or all of Sunday’s game against the Bills, the Jets dominated on both sides of the ball to win for just the second time in five games, while reaching eleven regular season wins for the first time in a dozen years.

New York’s offense got three touchdowns from backup quarterbacks Mark Brunell and Kellen Clemens, and a career-high 158 rushing yards from backup, rookie running back Joe McKnight.

Meanwhile, the Bills couldn’t score against the Jets’ defense, which forced six turnovers while allowing just six first downs and 162 total yards.

Quarterback Mark Sanchez played only the Jets’ first possession, without throwing a pass, to protect a slightly injured right throwing shoulder, and key Jet inactives included New York’s top two rushers, running backs Shonn Green and LaDainian Tomlinson, starting cornerback Darrelle Revis, and starting safety Eric Smith (who was previously a second-stringer, replacing the injured, usual starter Jim Leonhard, in recent weeks).

But, the Jets’ backups picked up the slack.

Veteran backup Mark Brunell (6-12, 110 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 1 sack) threw touchdown passes right before, and just after, throwing an interception that was returned for the Bills’ only score.

Later, Brunell’s backup, Kellen Clemens, one of three Jets (along with utility man Brad Smith) to play quarterback on Sunday, added a 10-yard touchdown run.

And, usual reserve, second-year cornerback Marquis Cole, who entered the game with just 17 tackles and no career interceptions or scores, led the Jets with six tackles and two interceptions, the first of which was returned for the game’s initial touchdown.

It was clear early, that it wouldn’t be Buffalo’s day, as the Jets caught a break on the opening drive of the game, when Buffalo wide receiver Stevie Johnson (5 catches, 72 yards) fumbled while trying to add extra yards to the end of a 33-yard reception to the Jets’ 18 yard-line.

The Jets recovered at their own 11 yard-line and keeping the ball solely on the ground, traveled 79 yards on 12 plays, using up exactly half of the first quarter, to take a 3-0 lead on a 28-yard field goal by Nick Folk, with 4:58 left in the first quarter. Utility man Brad Smith carried three times for 62 yards on the drive, including a nice 40-yard gain on an option run.

After the Bills’ first drive (which went for 55 yards, but which ended with Johnson’s fumble), Buffalo could get nothing going offensively for the rest of the game, with their own backups, Brian Brohm (whose only prior NFL start came last year, as a rookie) and rookie Levi Brown at quarterback.

Brohm, who was held to ten completions in 23 attempts, for 106 yards, was sacked three times, and threw three interceptions, while Brown went 2-for-3, for 24 yards, with an interception.

The Jets held the Bills to no more than 23 yards on any of Buffalo’s final twelve possessions, including eight single-yardage drives and five possessions that ended without positive yardage.

Early in the second quarter, linebacker Calvin Pace got in the face of Brohm, who sailed a weak pass that was intercepted by Cole and returned up the left sideline for 35-yard touchdown, to give the Jets a 10-0 lead with 9:07 left in the opening half.

Having completed just one pass (late in the first quarter) by the two-minute warning of the first half, the Jets finally moved the ball through the air with Brunell completing four of five passes during an 8-play, 59-yard drive that culminated with Brunell finding wide receiver Santonio Holmes (his only catch) on a 17-yard touchdown pass to the left, that extended the Jets’ lead to 17-0, with 15 seconds left in the half.

Three plays after halftime, safety Jarius Byrd intercepted a bad pass to the right flat by Brunell, and returned it 37 yards, to pull the Bills to within 17-7, just 1:44 into the second half.

But, Brunell rebounded two possessions later, with a 52-yard strike to wide receiver Braylon Edwards (his only catch), to put the Jets up, 24-7, with 6:41 left in the third quarter.

The Jets added two more scores in the final period, taking advantage of Bills’ interceptions each time (the first of those two picks was the second career interception for Pace).

A short, 5-play 27-yard drive ended with a 10-yard touchdown run by Clemens, and on the next possession, rookie fullback John Conner (8 rushes, 44 yards, 1 TD) closed the scoring by capping a 5-play, 34-yard drive with a 16-yard touchdown run.

Giving McKnight 32 attempts, the Jets rushed 50 times in 66 plays and held a tremendous ground advantage of 276-37 yards.

With their full compliment of starters returning next week, the Jets, who rode a five seed to Indianapolis last year, will seek revenge against the Colts while trying to begin another playoff run as the AFC’s lowest seed at the same venue where New York’s playoff run ended last year.

The Jets will battle the Colts on Saturday night, at 8 pm, in Lucas Oil Stadium, on NBC-TV.

Rest or rust?

The playoff-bound New York Jets (11-5) faced that age-old question in their 100th all-time meeting with the last-place Buffalo Bills (4-12) at the New Meadowlands Stadium on Sunday.

Some teams opt for rest and avoiding potential injuries. Others prefer to throw that caution to the wind, in favor of playing their regulars and remaining sharp for the postseason. History suggests either option can be right.

With only a slim chance of moving up from a six seed to a five seed in the AFC playoffs, the Jets chose to rest many of their regulars.

Whether or not that was the right move remains to be seen in next week’s wild-card playoff round, but it certainly didn’t matter against Buffalo, as Gang Green Lite scored the first 17 points, and the final 21 points, to bury the Bills, 38-7, at the New Meadowlands Stadium on Sunday.

Ironically, it was the Indianapolis Colts – the Jets’ playoff opponent next week – who rested players with a perfect season on the line last year, allowing the Jets to win their way into the playoffs, before eventually losing in Indianapolis in last season’s AFC title game.

The Colts’ last-second win over Tennessee, coupled with Kansas City’s loss to Oakland on Sunday, moved Indianapolis (10-6) up to the three seed, and into a playoff rematch with New York.

Benching several key starters for most or all of Sunday’s game against the Bills, the Jets dominated on both sides of the ball to win for just the second time in five games, while reaching eleven regular season wins for the first time in a dozen years.

New York’s offense got three touchdowns from backup quarterbacks Mark Brunell and Kellen Clemens, and a career-high 158 rushing yards from backup, rookie running back Joe McKnight.

Meanwhile, the Bills couldn’t score against the Jets’ defense, which forced six turnovers while allowing just six first downs and 162 total yards.

Quarterback Mark Sanchez played only the Jets’ first possession, without throwing a pass, to protect a slightly injured right throwing shoulder, and key Jet inactives included New York’s top two rushers, running backs Shonn Green and LaDainian Tomlinson, starting cornerback Darrelle Revis, and starting safety Eric Smith (who was previously a second-stringer, replacing the injured, usual starter Jim Leonhard, in recent weeks).

But, the Jets’ backups picked up the slack.

Veteran backup Mark Brunell (6-12, 110 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 1 sack) threw touchdown passes right before, and just after, throwing an interception that was returned for the Bills’ only score.

Later, Brunell’s backup, Kellen Clemens, one of three Jets (along with utility man Brad Smith) to play quarterback on Sunday, added a 10-yard touchdown run.

And, usual reserve, second-year cornerback Marquis Cole, who entered the game with just 17 tackles and no career interceptions or scores, led the Jets with six tackles and two interceptions, the first of which was returned for the game’s initial touchdown.

It was clear early, that it wouldn’t be Buffalo’s day, as the Jets caught a break on the opening drive of the game, when Buffalo wide receiver Stevie Johnson (5 catches, 72 yards) fumbled while trying to add extra yards to the end of a 33-yard reception to the Jets’ 18 yard-line.

The Jets recovered at their own 11 yard-line and keeping the ball solely on the ground, traveled 79 yards on 12 plays, using up exactly half of the first quarter, to take a 3-0 lead on a 28-yard field goal by Nick Folk, with 4:58 left in the first quarter. Utility man Brad Smith carried three times for 62 yards on the drive, including a nice 40-yard gain on an option run.

After the Bills’ first drive (which went for 55 yards, but which ended with Johnson’s fumble), Buffalo could get nothing going offensively for the rest of the game, with their own backups, Brian Brohm (whose only prior NFL start came last year, as a rookie) and rookie Levi Brown at quarterback.

Brohm, who was held to ten completions in 23 attempts, for 106 yards, was sacked three times, and threw three interceptions, while Brown went 2-for-3, for 24 yards, with an interception.

The Jets held the Bills to no more than 23 yards on any of Buffalo’s final twelve possessions, including eight single-yardage drives and five possessions that ended without positive yardage.

Early in the second quarter, linebacker Calvin Pace got in the face of Brohm, who sailed a weak pass that was intercepted by Cole and returned up the left sideline for 35-yard touchdown, to give the Jets a 10-0 lead with 9:07 left in the opening half.

Having completed just one pass (late in the first quarter) by the two-minute warning of the first half, the Jets finally moved the ball through the air with Brunell completing four of five passes during an 8-play, 59-yard drive that culminated with Brunell finding wide receiver Santonio Holmes (his only catch) on a 17-yard touchdown pass to the left, that extended the Jets’ lead to 17-0, with 15 seconds left in the half.

Three plays after halftime, safety Jarius Byrd intercepted a bad pass to the right flat by Brunell, and returned it 37 yards, to pull the Bills to within 17-7, just 1:44 into the second half.

But, Brunell rebounded two possessions later, with a 52-yard strike to wide receiver Braylon Edwards (his only catch), to put the Jets up, 24-7, with 6:41 left in the third quarter.

The Jets added two more scores in the final period, taking advantage of Bills’ interceptions each time (the first of those two picks was the second career interception for Pace).

A short, 5-play 27-yard drive ended with a 10-yard touchdown run by Clemens, and on the next possession, rookie fullback John Conner (8 rushes, 44 yards, 1 TD) closed the scoring by capping a 5-play, 34-yard drive with a 16-yard touchdown run.

Giving McKnight 32 attempts, the Jets rushed 50 times in 66 plays and held a tremendous ground advantage of 276-37 yards.

With their full compliment of starters returning next week, the Jets, who rode a five seed to Indianapolis last year, will seek revenge against the Colts while trying to begin another playoff run as the AFC’s lowest seed at the same venue where New York’s playoff run ended last year.

The Jets will battle the Colts on Saturday night, at 8 pm, in Lucas Oil Stadium, on NBC-TV.

If the Jets win the Super Bowl then all NFL head coaches and their wives will make fetish videos! Then again, Rex Ryan is more likely to win an Adult Video News Award than the Lombardi Trophy. Hustler, Nugget and Gallery are now assigning reporters to cover the Jets!

Enough with the rimshots. The puritanical family values crowd should be applauding Rex and his wife Michelle for still having the hots for each other after 23 years of marriage and who keep their romantic flame going with some creative role play.

You have to believe that Tom Coughlin would gladly prefer making a bondage video that went public than enduring another humiliating nightmarish loss a la what the Giants suffered at the hands of the Eagles on December 19.

The Knicks have become relevant again even if they are not quite among the NBA’s elite teams just yet. Their games at Madison Square Garden against both the Celtics and the Heat just before Christmas had a playoff-like atmosphere, something that has been missing there for years.

The concern is whether the Knicks will be able to stay healthy. I asked head coach Mike D’Antoni if he was worried about accelerated depreciation (an accounting term for the loss of value through wear and tear) occurring in his players because he plays his starting five for almost the entire game. “These are young men who can play 40 minutes; but yes, I will keep an eye on them,” he said prior to the Knicks’ blowout win over a very good Oklahoma City Thunder team led by Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

I asked backup Thunder point guard, Royal Ivey, who grew up in Bayside and graduated from Cardozo High School, about whether he has adjusted to living in Oklahoma City. “I have gone from the city that never sleeps to the city that sleeps,” he said with a chuckle.

Speaking of Queens hoops stars who played in the NBA, former Knicks and Nets forward Anthony Mason has started a big men’s clothing company called Custom Kings. “I am looking for a distributor and I’ll be at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Lincoln Center in February trying to get a deal done,” Mason told me after the Celtics-Knicks game.

Pat Summerall, John Madden and George Steinbrenner (who started the largest regional sports network in the world, YES) were among the inductees at the fourth annual Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame that is run by the Sports Video Group. The Hall of Fame is looking for a permanent home and there are rumors that it will wind up at the American Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria.

When the Yankees announced that they would be inaugurating a college football bowl game at Yankee Stadium on December 30, few took the event seriously. To their credit though, the Yankees lined up two teams with solid followings, Syracuse and Kansas State; lined up a title sponsor, New Era; signed up a Super Bowl-like halftime show with the cast of “Rock of Ages” performing three numbers; and held numerous press events to bring public awareness. The end result was an advance ticket sale of over 40,000. The Yankees also donated 6,000 tickets to various local kids groups.

“The New Era Pinstripe Bowl is contracted to be at Yankee Stadium for the next three years,” Yankees chief operating officer Lonn Trost said when asked about the rumor that the NHL wanted to have its annual New Year’s Day Winter Classic held there. “If the NHL wants to hold the Winter Classic at another time, we’d be interested,” Trost added in his no-nonsense manner.

The NHL may have to turn to Plan B. Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon has not hidden the fact that he would love for Citi Field, which is dormant after the baseball season ends (some may claim that it is still dormant during the baseball season), to host a Winter Classic with the Rangers as the home team.

Cliff Lee’s CPA must be even more upset than Yankees fans are that the pitcher signed with the Phillies. I am sure that he urged Lee to stay with the Texas Rangers because there is no state income tax in Texas and the real estate taxes in even the poshest Dallas-area neighborhoods are fairly low. Every athlete knows that the Philadelphia tax collector’s office is relentless in getting revenue from them and that Pennsylvania’s income tax structure is similar to that of New York. In addition, the real estate taxes of posh Philly suburbs as the various Main Line towns and ritzy South Jersey locales as Cherry Hill and Marlton are quite high.

SNY Mets analyst, and the greatest first baseman in the team’s history, Keith Hernandez, made a public appearance at Strawberry’s Grill in Douglaston the week before Christmas. I asked Keith if he was surprised about where Cliff Lee wound up. “I don’t think about baseball during the off-season,” he harrumphed. Mets fans would be wise to follow his advice.

It was about time that the Islanders recalled center Josh Bailey from the Bridgeport Sound-Tigers. Why should he play for a minor league team in the American Hockey League when he can play for a minor league team in the NHL?

Speaking of the Isles, when is goalie Rick Di Pietro, who was once again put on the injured reserve list, going to finally announce his retirement? The word is that the arrogant Di Pietro has a degenerative hip condition. That’s not good for anyone, let alone a goaltender.

New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur has been hurt most of the year and that is one reason that the team has stunk this season. Devils GM Lou Lamoriello had the right to engage in one of his favorite activities–firing his head coach. At age 38, Marty is unlikely to regain his all-star form. Lou should look into his farm system and bring up Queens native Dave Caruso who is tending the nets for the Trenton Devils.

Anyone who has spent time in a press box was deeply saddened by the sudden passing of radio producer and East Meadow resident Joel Blumberg. Among those who attended his standing room only funeral at West Babylon’s Star of David Chapel were Knicks’ voice Mike Breen, Rangers’ play-by-play man Kenny Albert, Mets broadcasters Howie Rose and Gary Cohen, Sirius XM hockey guru Ashley Scharge, and veteran local radio sports anchors Ed Ingles, Barry Landers, Todd Ant and Marc Ernay.

Note to MSG College Sports VP Joel Fisher: it’s time to make the Holiday Tournament a local affair. Northwestern and Davidson University drew flies to the Garden although it was fun to watch Davidson forward/center Jake Cohen play. Cohen has NBA potential and would make Jewish hoops fans proud if he were to make it to the pros. Currently the only Jewish player in the league is New Jersey Nets guard Jordan Farmar.

The Holiday Tournament would sell more tickets if local schools as Columbia, LIU, Fordham, St. Francis, Iona, Monmouth, Hofstra could play each other. Currently the only NYC college that always plays in the Holiday Tournament is St. John’s which won this year’s trophy.

Ski season is here and the nearest slopes can be found in the Poconos. The area is home to gaming as the old Mount Airy Lodge has been renovated from top to bottom and is now the Mount Airy Casino. While there is no downhill skiing on the premises, there is snowmobiling.

Mount Airy’s spa is certainly worth a visit.

What I always hated most about the winter was the bundling up. Thanks to 21^st century technology it is now possible to stay warm without having to put on bulky sweaters and jackets. Columbia Sportswear’s Titanium jackets with Omni Heat technology and Lands End’s Squall parkas keep you quite warm on the most frigid days and still make you look and feel as if you are wearing a windbreaker.

It ironically took a visit to a tough place to play, against a first-place team with a good defense, for the New York Jets to finally make a couple of return trips to a place they hadn’t been in a while.

That place was the end zone, which the Jets hadn’t visited since Thanksgiving.

And, it was the same place the Jets had to keep the Pittsburgh Steelers out of, in the final seconds at Heinz Field on Sunday.

Just going to a site where they had never won (0-7 all-time) seemed like one of the last road trips the Jets would want to take while trying to right their season, coming off two bad losses, and a week of dealing with an NFL investigation (over last week’s Sal Alosi “Tripgate” scandal).

But, the Jets (10-4) were able to put a rough couple of weeks behind them, and rallied from a seven-point third-quarter deficit in light snow, to upset the Steelers (10-4), 22-17, at Heinz Field on Sunday, and get back on track toward their playoff push.

Shaking off a 17-for-44 performance in a home loss to Miami last week, Jets’ quarterback Mark Sanchez (19-29, 170 yards, 0TS, 0 INT, 1 sack) led two second-half scoring drives – one to tie the game, and another to put New York ahead to stay – before the Jets’ defense held on to keep the Steelers out of the end zone on the game’s final play.

New York got off to a great start thanks to Brad “Swiss Army Knife” Smith, whose nickname represents the utility player’s ability to do a little bit of everything on the field.

This time, the big-play Smith returned the game’s opening kickoff 97 yards, to put the Jets ahead, 7-0, just twelve seconds into the game.

The score broke a string of 122 minutes and 42 seconds since the Jets’ previous touchdown, also on a kickoff return by Smith, three games ago, during a Thanksgiving night win over Cincinnati.

It would stay that way until the Steelers tied the game, 7-7, with 7:29 left in the first half, on a 9-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (23-44, 264 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 3 sacks – two by cornerback Drew Coleman), to tight end Matt Spaeth (3 catches, 27 yards, 1 TD), who was filling in for injured star tight end Heath Miller. The play capped a long, 16-play, 96-yard drive that consumed 8:12.

The Jets answered, traveling 56 yards, on 9 plays, to take a 10-7 lead on a 25-yard field goal by kicker Nick Folk, with 2:48 left in the half.

The Steelers though, went 53 yards, on 10 plays, to tie the game again, 10-10, on a 42-yard field goal by kicker Shaun Suisham, 33 seconds before halftime.

Pittsburgh then took the opening kickoff of the second half and took its only lead of the game, going 9 plays and 74 yards, in 5:55, to go ahead, 17-10, on two-yard touchdown run by running back Rashard Mendenhall (17 carries for a game-high 100 yards).

The Jets though, scored on each of their next two possessions, to lead for good.

Sanchez capped a 66-yard, 8-play drive with a brilliant fake. Sanchez got the whole Steeler defense to bite on a fake hand-off up the middle. With the defense distracted, Sanchez rolled out to his left, and walked untouched, into the end zone, to tie the game, 17-17, with 5:14 to go in the third quarter.

The trickery pulled off nicely by Sanchez, ended a streak of 185 minutes and 37 seconds since the Jets’ last offensive touchdown, also in the win over Cincinnati.

Then, after the Jets’ defense forced a punt, Sanchez marched New York 50 yards on 13 plays, in 6:47, for a Folk field goal that put the Jets ahead, 20-17, with 10:07 left in the game.

Jets’ punter Steve Weatherford, who had three punts downed inside the Steelers’ 20 yard-line, set up the final points of the game, with a punt to the Pittsburgh 1 yard-line.

On the next play, running back Mewelde Moore was tackled before he could get out of the end zone, by linebacker Jason Taylor, for the Jets’ second safety in four games, to put New York ahead, 22-17, with 2:38 remaining.

The Jets then took the ensuing free kick and went three-and-out, taking just 28 seconds off the clock before punting.

Pittsburgh drove 82 yards to the New York 10 yard-line, with nine seconds left.

But, Roethlisberger threw incomplete over the middle with two seconds left, and then, under pressure, rolled left, and threw incomplete, looking for Spaeth in the left side of the end zone on the game’s final play.

Answering critics who started talk of another late-season Jet collapse after two straight losses, the Jets’ always outspoken head coach, Rex Ryan, sarcastically said after the game, “Same old Jets, we come to Pittsburgh and get a win.”

With emboldened playoff hopes, the Jets will travel to Chicago next week, to face the Bears (9-4), who will first play the Vikings, on Monday night, in the first outdoor game in Minnesota since 1981, after the Vikings’ Metrodome roof imploded under heavy snow and ice last week.

New York would clinch a playoff berth next week under any of the following scenarios: a win or tie in Chicago, a loss or tie by Indianapolis, a loss or tie by Jacksonville, or a Kansas City loss coupled with a San Diego win or tie.

The Jets also remain a longshot for the AFC’s top playoff seed. To earn that, the Jets need to win twice and see two losses by New England along with either a Baltimore loss or two Pittsburgh wins.

In addition to writing for New York Sports Day, Jon Wagner contributes at Pro Football NYC (www.profootballnyc.com) and Giants Football Blog (www.giantsfootballblog.com).

Despite some typical early growing pains, the New York Jets have been very lucky to have had second-year quarterback Mark Sanchez leading their offense.

Sanchez came through as a rookie during a surprising playoff run that had the Jets 28 minutes from Super Bowl XLIV in last year’s AFC title game in Indianapolis.

This year, overcoming some struggles earlier in games, Sanchez repeatedly helped the Jets pull out several dramatic wins in the final moments, helping New York to a 9-2 record.

But after a 45-3 defeat in what was supposed to be a first-place showdown in New England, and a disappointing, rain-soaked, 10-6 loss to division rival Miami (7-6), Jets’ head coach Rex Ryan may not be feeling so lucky to have Sanchez and his signal caller anymore.

Prior to the Jets’ meeting with the Dolphins at the New Meadowlands Stadium on Sunday, Ryan said “I think (the New England) loss was just a bump in the road. We’ll respond really well and we’ll know a lot about our team after these next four weeks.”

That “bump” just became a pretty big hill to climb as Ryan considered benching Sanchez during the third quarter of the Jets’ fourth single-digit offensive output (all losses) of the season.

The Jets’ offense has operated in extremes this year.

With Sanchez and the Jets’ offense clicking, New York (9-4) scored between 23 and 38 points, averaging 27.2 points per game, in their nine wins this season.

The Jets needed Sanchez and the offense to step up and bail out a defense that hasn’t been nearly as dominant as it was last year, when it was the top-ranked defense in the NFL.

In those nine victories, the Jets allowed 20 or more points six times.

The losses however, have been a completely different story, and that seems to have gotten to Ryan after the Jets’ first multiple-game losing streak of the season.

In three of the Jets’ four losses, New York’s defense did look like last year’s version, allowing just 10 points twice and nine points once, but Sanchez and the Jets’ offense was shut out once and never scored more than nine points in any of their four losses.

It’s now been more than nine quarters and over 139 minutes since the Jets last scored an offensive touchdown in the third quarter of a home win against Cincinnati on Thanksgiving night.

Sunday’s inaccurate and mistake-prone performance by Sanchez, affected by a steady rain throughout most of the game, was enough to prevent the Jets from beating the Dolphins even though New York held Miami to just five completed passes, 55 yards passing, and 131 total yards of offense.

It was the second time in as many seasons that Miami – which used two kickoff returns of at least 100 yards and a fumble return for a touchdown last year – beat the Jets on the road while being held to a little more than 100 yards of total offense (Miami beat New York 30-25 at Giants Stadium last November, while gaining just 104 total yards).

On Sunday, the Dolphins took a 10-0 first-quarter lead off of two Sanchez turnovers.

On the Jets’ second possession of the game, Miami converted a Sanchez interception into a 47-yard field goal. Sanchez then fumbled the next time the Jets had the ball, and Miami turned that break into the game’s only touchdown, a 6-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Chad Henne to wide receiver Brandon Marshall.

That would prove to be all the Dolphins would need, with Sanchez and the Jets’ offense sputtering for most of the game.

New York managed only 280 yards of offense themselves, while managing only a field goal in the second quarter and another in the fourth, in fifteen possessions. In addition to committing a couple of turnovers, the Jets punted eight times and turned the ball over on downs three times.

Sanchez finished the game just 17 of 44 for 216 yards, while being sacked six times.

Forty year-old quarterback Mark Brunell, who once enjoyed a successful NFL career for several years with Jacksonville before later having a sixth 3,000-yard passing season with Washington in 2005, doesn’t appear to be a better choice over Sanchez, having thrown just 31 total passes since the 2006 season.

But, that might just be how much Ryan’s level of faith has quickly diminished in his young first-string quarterback.

It would appear that it might not get any easier for Sanchez and the Jets next week, as New York travels to face a tough defense in AFC North-leading Pittsburgh (10-3), the AFC’s only team to allow less than 200 points (15.9 per game) this season.

The Steelers, winners of four straight, mostly shut down the run, however. Against the pass, Pittsburgh ranked 23rd, allowing 239.3 passing yards per game, entering this weekend. So, there may be some opportunities for Sanchez to once again prove to Ryan that he needs to stay on the field to help the Jets return to their earlier winning form.

In addition to writing for New York Sports Day, Jon Wagner contributes at Pro Football NYC (www.profootballnyc.com) and Giants Football Blog (www.giantsfootballblog.com).

It was billed as this season’s NFL  game of the year.

The New York Jets and the New England Patriots.

A pair of 9-2 divisional rivals with a history of hating each other. Each well-rested after ten days off. An AFC East showdown of epic proportions. First place in the division, and the lead for home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs at stake.

It was all on the line, before a national television audience, on ESPN’s Monday Night Football.

There was just one problem… only the home team showed up.

Avenging a 28-14 road loss to the Jets in Week 2, New England thoroughly dominated New York, 45-3, at Gillette Stadium, in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

It was the type of game that Jet fans and their brash, outspoken, and unapologetic head coach Rex Ryan had pointed to since the summer, when he repeatedly told anyone within shouting distance of his loud voice that the Jets would play in Super Bowl XLV.

A potential statement game for the Jets to make their mark on their hated rival, on their division, and on the National Football League as a whole.

But, what we all might have learned is that the Jets’ 9-2, albeit with an early season victory over the Patriots, wasn’t nearly on par with the Patriots’ 9-2.

Perhaps, the Jets’ 9-2 record might have been as over-inflated as their egos, with four of their nine wins coming by virtue of last-minute, Harry Houdini-like escapes, all against teams with losing records.

Sensational at what he does (as one of best broadcasters around) notwithstanding, Jets’ radio play-by-play voice Bob Wichusen, moments before kickoff, echoed the sentiments of many Jets fans and even, much of the New York media for days, leading up to Monday night’s contest. Wichusen said that the Jets might have been on the verge taking the mantle from the Patriots as the new team to beat in the AFC East, if they could beat New England on its home field and force the Patriots into second place in the division.

But, what Monday night’s mismatch might have ultimately proved is that although the Jets are a good team, and still one of the better ones in the NFL, they’re not the Patriots, who adapted and improved far more than the Jets since the teams’ Week 2 meeting.

The Jets are not yet an elite team, and not yet ready to accomplish what many overconfident, and even cocky Jet fans believed, after buying into and following Ryan’s arrogant cue.

If you talk like the Jets, you had better also walk the walk.

Yet, the team that talked, and talked… and… talked… since August, as if it was a collective birthright to play in this year’s Super Bowl, was ironically silenced. And, embarrassed.

For all we heard about how great the Jets would be in games like Monday night on their HBO “Hard Knocks” special, it was the Jets who took the hard knocks themselves, repeatedly, from the Patriots, until New England knocked all of the swagger and bluster right out of the Jets, sending them back to New Jersey with nary a whimper.

“I thought we were going to play a great game, I really did,” Ryan said, after what he also called “the biggest butt-whooping” he’s ever taken during his coaching career.

Instead, the moment appeared much too big for the Jets to handle, as they suffered their worst loss since November 24th, 1986, when New York lost by the same score to the Miami Dolphins, also on Monday Night Football (those two games are tied with others for worst losses in MNF history).

The team that told everyone how great it was all preseason, and which reminded us of their “invincibility” as it barely got by, time after time, during the regular season this year, appeared overwhelmed in one of the biggest games in its franchise’s history.

As a result, the Jets allowed their biggest rival to shine far brighter with a white-hot spotlight glaring on one of the most anticipated Jets-Patriots games ever.

New England jumped to a 17-0 lead after the first quarter, and scored the first four times they touched the ball en route to a 24-3 halftime lead. And, it only got worse from there for the Jets, as the Patriots scored on their first three possessions of the second half.

Quarterback Tom Brady played a near-flawless game, going 21 of 29 for 326 yards, 4 touchdowns, no turnovers, and a 148.9 quarterback rating, while winning his 26th consecutive regular season game at home, to extend the longest such streak in NFL history, as the Jets lost for the first time in nine regular season road games.

In stark contrast, Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez often looked lost, completing just 17 of 33 passes for 164 yards and a 27.8 quarterback rating, while throwing three costly interceptions, off of which the Patriots scored a touchdown each time.

The first pick was the only one that really mattered. The Jets still had a chance to get back in the game, down 24-3, early in the third quarter, when Sanchez forced a ball that he shouldn’t have thrown for the Jets’ first red zone turnover of the season.

The last two interceptions merely allowed the game to go from a sound beating to humiliation.

Give Ryan credit at least, for not making excuses. Second-string safety Eric Smith, who was pressed into action due to a broken leg suffered by starting safety Jim Leonhard, committed a key 36-yard pass interference penalty, when he mugged rookie tight end Rob Gronkowski in the end zone, setting up the Patriots’ first touchdown of the game.

Leonhard’s loss was felt all game, yet Ryan insisted, “We’ve got a lot of good players and they needed to step up. Jim Leonhard wasn’t going to make a 45-point difference [defensively].”

Very true, especially when the Jets allowed more passing yards (304) than the total yards they gained (301).

If you read between the lines a little bit, Brady seemed to have taken some satisfaction in the Patriots’ far different style under New England head coach Bill Belichick’s dramatically different, stoic, business-like approach quieting the over-confident Jets.

“We take after our coach,” Brady said. “He always says, when you win, say little, and when you lose, say less.”

One could almost infer from that comment that Brady is indirectly telling the Jets they need to finally keep quiet for a while after losing a battle for first place in the conference by 42 points.

Rubbing salt into the Jets’ wounds, was undrafted, 5-foot-9, all-heart running back Danny Woodhead, whom the Jets cast off after one game this season. Woodhead hurt New York with a career-high 104 receiving yards and a career-high-tying 115 total yards, including a 50-yard catch and run that set up New England’s fifth touchdown.

The Jets also failed to spoil what became a special night for the Patriots on two accounts.

The win was the 107th in the Brady-Belichick era, which ties the duo with Terry Bradshaw and Chuck Knoll for second place, just nine behind Dan Marino and Don Shula, for most NFL victories for a quarterback-head coach combination.

New England’s win also came on Teddy Bruschi night, as the Patriots honored one of the best linebackers in their history, at halftime.

“It was fun to be a New England Patriot on Teddy Bruschi Night, I’ll tell you that,” Brady said with a wide smile. “He’s someone I’ve always looked up to and admired… he’s just a great person… No one had a bigger [heart] than Teddy.”

Belichick added, “That was the best sixty minutes of football we played all year. I’m glad it could be on Teddy Bruschi Night. He was a big part of a lot [of games] like this. I think we got some inspiration from that.”

As humiliating as Monday night’s loss was, Ryan reminded everyone that his team shouldn’t be written off just yet. “You talk about the resiliency of this team, we’ve got the history to back it up,” he said.

That’s the one thing about Ryan’s Jets. They may not have been good enough to cash the huge checks written by Ryan’s mouth on Monday night, but as Belichick said of the Jets, “I’m sure we haven’t heard the last from them.”

They’re both right. Just when we think we won’t hear from them again, we do (see last year’s 3-0 start, followed by a 4-7 slump to a 7-7 record, when Ryan subsequently declared his team out of the playoffs, before the Jets rebounded to come within about 28 minutes of reaching Super Bowl XLIV).

On that note, the Jets will try to pick up the pieces and regroup against the same franchise that last beat New York as bad as it lost on Monday night. The Miami Dolphins (6-6) come to the New Meadowlands stadium to face the Jets on Sunday, at 4:15 pm EST.

In addition to writing for New York Sports Day, Jon Wagner contributes at Pro Football NYC (www.profootballnyc.com) and Giants Football Blog (www.giantsfootballblog.com)

Fortunately, for the New York Jets, football isn’t like gymnastics, diving, ice skating, or ballroom dancing.

There are no style points.

Just the points on the scoreboard relative to your opponents’ and it’s all about wins, which the Jets (9-2) continue to rack up, no matter how they look.

After very nearly giving away all of five previous wins against losing teams (Minnesota, Denver, Detroit, Cleveland, and Houston), the Jets again looked mostly unimpressive in sending Cincinnati (2-9) to its eighth consecutive loss, while earning their fourth straight victory on Thursday night at the New Meadowlands stadium.

This time, there were no late heroics needed, as in the Jets’ five previous wins, and as suggested by the final score of 26-10, but it certainly wasn’t that easy. Once again.

Nevertheless, New York is off to its second-best start ever (eclipsed by only the 1986 Jets, who began 10-1) after overcoming a 7-3 halftime deficit in the Jets’ first ever chance at hosting a Thanksgiving Day game.

Along theme of the holiday, the Jets mostly have seldom-used, yet all-around occasional threat, Brad Smith, and a key questionable call, to thank profusely for finding another way to win ugly.

After each team punted twice during opening quarter, the Jets drove 9 plays in 69 yards, but settled for a 3-0 second-quarter lead on a 27-yard field goal by Nick Folk. New York however, would then punt and end the half on a 44-yard missed field goal attempt by Folk.

Meanwhile, Cincinnati quarterback Carson Palmer (17-38, 135 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, 3 sacks) was intercepted twice on each of the Bengals’ next two possessions. The first pick, by safety Jim Leonhard, was New York’s first in seven games, ending the Jets’ longest drought in 31 years.

But, Palmer bounced back on Cincinnati’s next possession, completing 5 of 8 passes on a 10-play, 63-yard drive which he capped with a 5-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jordan Shipley (team-high 5 catches for 38 yards, 1 TD), to give the Bengals their only lead, 7-3, with 43 seconds left before halftime.

It didn’t take long after that for Smith, who entered the game with only 27 plays from scrimmage (three receiving, 24 rushing) all season, to put his stamp on the game.

Two plays into the third quarter, Smith, after a fake handoff up the middle, moved right to left, to take an end-around handoff and score on a 53-yard touchdown run, to put New York ahead to stay, 10-7, just 47 seconds into the third quarter.

After the Bengals punted, Jets’ quarterback Mark Sanchez (16-28, 166 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 2 sack) was intercepted by linebacker Rey Maulaga at the Jets’ 37 yard-line.

Cincinnati moved to the New York 9 yard-line, but came away with nothing as kicker Aaron Pettrey missed a chip-shot 27-yard field goal that would have tied the game with 6:32 left in the third quarter.

The Jets then appeared to go three-and-out, but a 39-yard punt by punter Steve Weatherford to the Bengals’ 36-yard line, was ruled to have inadvertently hit the leg of kick returner Andre Caldwell, who was blocking on the play, with his back to the ball.

Television replays showed that might not have been the case, but referees allowed the Jets to recover the bouncing ball and take over at the Cincinnati 14-yard line. That set up a 13-yard touchdown pass from Sanchez to Santonio Holmes (team-high 5 catches for 44 yards, 1 TD), two plays later, to extend the Jets’ lead to 17-7.

The teams then traded punts, before Pettrey redeemed himself with a 28-yard field goal to trim the Jets’ lead to 17-10, with 12:33 left in the game.

But, Smith (3 rushes, 55 yards, 1 rushing TD) struck again and put himself into the record books. He returned the ensuing kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown, going more than half of that distance on a single shoe, as he became only the fourth NFL player and  first Jet to score on kick return and rushing touchdowns, each of at least 50 yards, in the same game.

The score gave the Jets a 24-10 lead, which was never threatened by the Bengals thereafter.

In fact, Cincinnati moved backwards, finishing with drives of -4, -6, -6, and 0 yards on their final four possessions. The third of those resulted in a safety when Brooklyn-born defensive end Trevor Pryce sacked Palmer in the end zone.

While Jets let the Bengals hang around a lot longer than they should have, two areas where they dominated, were in the rushing game, and defensively (particularly after halftime).

Led by running back Shonn Greene’s 70 yards on 18 carries, New York obliterated Cincinnati on the ground, 170-46, and held the Bengals to only 163 total yards, including a ridiculously low 39 yards on 30 second-half plays.

Holding the lead in the race for top spot in the AFC through their first eleven games, yet struggling to put away so many bad teams this season, the Jets are all but a sure bet to reach the playoffs while remaining an enigma as to what they might accomplish should they get there.

That question could very well be answered one way or the other, next week, with a highly anticipated AFC East showdown, between two well-rested teams, which will each be playing for the first time in eleven days, on Monday Night Football, when New York visits New England (9-2) on December 6th.

The Patriots enter that game after scoring the final 28 points to erase a 24-17 deficit and win 45-24, in Detroit, on Thanksgiving afternoon. That win gave New England sole possession of first place for just a few hours, until the Jets regained the AFC East lead by beating Cincinnati.

In addition to writing for New York Sports Day, Jon Wagner contributes at Pro Football NYC (www.profootballnyc.com) and Giants Football Blog (www.giantsfootballblog.com)

How do you spell clutch? It’s obvious by now, that it’s J-E-T-S.

Blowing a 16-point, fourth-quarter lead at home and needing a touchdown with under a minute left might be demoralizing for most NFL teams.

But, when the New York Jets (8-2) were in that position against the Houston Texans (4-6) at the New Meadowlands Stadium on Sunday, the Jets had the Texans right where they wanted them.

Given the events of recent weeks, it was just a matter of time before quarterback Mark Sanchez would find wide receiver Santonio Holmes to save the day for the Jets yet again.

Sure enough, the two connected on a 6-yard touchdown pass with just ten seconds left, to stun the Texans, 30-27.

It was Holmes who drew a pass interference call on a desperation fourth down heave from Sanchez to key a comeback win in Denver in Week 6. Two games later, Sanchez hit Holmes for 52 yards on the second play of overtime to set up a game-winning, overtime field goal in Detroit. Last week, Holmes beat the clock on a 37-yard touchdown catch from Sanchez with 16 seconds left in an overtime win in Cleveland.

“I swear it’s like Groundhog Day,” Sanchez told reporters after the game.

For more than three quarters, it appeared that the Jets would break that trend finally win in easy fashion.

Punt returner Jim Leonard returned a punt 30 yards to start the Jets’ first possession in great field position, at the Texans’ 29 yard-line, which set up a 37-yard field goal by kicker Nick Folk, which gave the Jets an early 3-0 lead.

Houston was then able to take its first lead on an 11-play, 67-yard drive that began late in the first quarter. Running back Arian Foster (22 carries, game-high 84 yards, 2 TD) finished the march with a 2-yard touchdown run, to put the Texans up, 7-3, with 10:17 left in the first half.

New York answered though, scoring on both of its second-quarter possessions. Sanchez (22-38, 315 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT, 3 sacks) completed passes of 21, 26, and 27 yards on a 10-play, 78-yard drive that he finished with a 4-yard touchdown toss to wide receiver Braylon Edwards (4 catches, 86 yards, 1 TD) which gave the Jets a 10-7 lead, with 5:18 left in the half.

A quick three-and-out and a short 31-yard punt ensued for Houston, setting the Jets up on the Texans’ 48 yard-line. From there, New York moved 33 yards on eight plays to grab a 13-7 halftime lead on a 33-yard field goal by Folk.

The Jets then went 30 yards on ten plays to start the third quarter, but Folk missed a 53-yard field goal.

New York scored on its next possession however, going 92 yards on nine plays, in 4:06, taking a 20-7 lead on a 41-yard strike from Sanchez to Holmes (7 catches, 126 yards, 2 TD).

Two possessions later, Foster fumbled with 1:19 left in the third quarter, and the Jets took over at the Texans’ 17 yard-line. That led to a 30-yard field goal by Folk which gave New York a seemingly comfortable 23-7 lead with 14:51 left in the game.

But, Houston stormed back as the Jets’ offense turned the ball over twice, while their defense, ranked first in the NFL last year, and which entered the game ranked fifth this year, fell apart down the stretch once again this season.

Quarterback Matt Schaub (19-33, 254, 1 TD, 0 INT, 1 sack) completed passes of 31, 14, and 13 yards to quickly move the Texans into Jets’ territory. Four plays later, kicker Neil Rackers made a 38-yard field goal to trim New York’s lead to 23-10 with 12:21 left in the game.

The Jets then moved 38 yards to the Texans’ 41 yard-line, but running back Shonn Green (15 carries, 42 yards) fumbled and Houston received the ball at the New York 43 yard-line.

The Texans got back in the game on the next play, as Schaub threw a 43-yard touchdown to tight Joel Dressen (a 6th-round pick by the Jets in 2005), who burned his former team to draw Houston to within 23-17, with 9:14 remaining.

Shortly thereafter, the Texans took the lead following a Jets’ punt. Schaub completed passes of 35 and 20 yards to set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Foster that gave Houston its first lead, 24-23, with 2:18 to go.

Two plays later, Sanchez threw his only interception of the game, which gave Houston the ball at the New York 10 yard-line.

That time, the Jets’ defense was able to hold, but Rackers made a 22-yard field goal with just 55 seconds left, to put the Texans up 27-23, and force New York to need a touchdown to win.

No problem, for the 2010 Jets, according to tight end Dustin Keller (2 catches, 7 yards). “We don’t think we’re ever out of it at all,” Keller said. “We tick ourselves off when we put ourselves in those situations, but we know that we’re always capable of coming back in any game in any situation.”

Starting from the Jets’ 28 yard-line with 49 seconds remaining, Sanchez completed passes of five and 19 yards to running back LaDainian Tomlinson (12 carries for 36 yards, 7 catches for 71 yards), who during the game, passed former Jet great Curtis Martin for seventh place on the NFL’s career yards from scrimmage list, with 17,452 combined rushing and receiving yards.

After an incompletion, Sanchez then threw a great ball to Edwards for a 42-yard gain up the right sideline, to the Texans’ 6 yard-line.

That set up the Jets’ latest miracle finish of 2010 on the next play, as Sanchez calmly found Holmes in the far left corner of the end zone for the winning score, giving New York its third straight win while handing Houston its fourth consecutive loss.

“We’re cutting it awfully close,” Sanchez said. “I don’t think anybody has any finger nails left if they’re a Jets fan.”

On one hand, credit the Jets for continually pulling games out of the fire to remain in the lead for the AFC’s top playoff seed. That’s what championship teams do, but the reality of the Jets’ season thus far, is that the comebacks might be deluding.

The flip side is that championship teams also beat up on teams with losing records, and each of the Jets’ four dramatic comebacks have come against losing teams, none of which the Jets should have struggled to beat.

A true championship caliber team might be winning those games the way the Jets had beaten the Texans through three quarters, rather than with the aid of last-minute escapes each time.

For now, Jets’ head coach Rex Ryan doesn’t seem to mind how his team plays as long as the Jets keep winning. “I want to apologize to all the Jets fans for affecting the heart here, a little bit,” he said. But, we’ll take the win. If I have to apologize for it every week from here on out, I will, all the way to the Super Bowl.”

Perhaps, next week, he won’t have to, should the Jets easily put away the Cincinnati Bengals (2-8) – New York’s 2009 playoff foe, but now, losers of seven straight – when the two teams meet at the New Meadowlands Stadium on Thanksgiving night, at 8:20pm EST.

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