EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New York Jets' season has taken a Rex-traordinary turn.
After beating the Hoodie, who outsmarted himself Sunday with the wrong choice on the overtime coin toss, the Jets need only one win to secure their first playoff berth in five years. Standing in their way is the Sweater Vest.
Their old coach.
Rex Ryan, the formerly large coach with the XXL mouth, is the last remaining obstacle for the Jets. His Buffalo Bills are a mess, a moribund team that has resisted the motivational magic that captivated the Jets in 2009 and 2010, but Ryan will approach this game as a playoff contest. He'd give up Mexican food for a year to ruin the Jets' storybook season.
And they know it.
"I'm not going to say we made the playoffs until we're in the playoffs," defensive end Sheldon Richardson said after the Jets' 26-20 overtime win over the New England Patriots. "We've got a monster in front of us right now coming up next week."
The Jets (10-5) can't possibly lose to the Bills (7-8), can they? That would be a devastating end to what has been a remarkable playoff run -- a five-game winning streak. There's a chance they could back into a wild-card spot with a loss and help from other teams, but that would be the ultimate downer. They have to beat the Bills, who captured the first meeting in November. This will be the defining moment of the Jets' season.
"Can't wait!" said safety Calvin Pryor, using his "Bart Scott voice" -- a reference to Scott's epic rant after the Jets defeated the Patriots in the 2010 playoffs.
Linebacker Calvin Pace, who played six years under Ryan, said next Sunday in Orchard Park, New York, will be "a bloodbath." He suspects his old coach will throw everything at them -- gadget plays, caution-to-the-wind decisions, you name it. Ryan, who has become all-too-familiar with the spoiler role, has nothing to lose. The Jets have everything to lose.
Hard to believe, isn't it? Todd Bowles inherited a 4-12 disaster from Ryan, but he added a couple of playmakers on both sides of the ball and found a quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has gone from journeyman to franchise savior. He did it again, throwing three touchdowns (including the game winner to Eric Decker in overtime) to lift the Jets to another thrilling win. Now they control their own playoff fate.
You know you're on a charmed run when Bill Belichick starts making bad decisions. The Patriots won the overtime coin toss, yet they chose to kick off -- a classic case of over-thinking the situation. He opted to keep Tom Brady on the sideline to start overtime, never imagining the Jets could score a touchdown on the first possession. On the sideline, the Jets -- stunned -- almost started a conga line to celebrate.
"It backfired," Richardson said. "That's the difference between our offense this year and previous years."
That offense, which turned stale in the fourth quarter and contributed to blown leads of 17-3 and 20-13, came to life in overtime, making Belichick rue his decision. Fitzpatrick did his Brady impersonation, making all the big throws. He hit Decker, and the big stadium went crazy. The Jets had lost eight of their previous nine games against the Patriots, finding ways to lose in crunch time. This time, the Patriots played the role of the Jets.
"It's about damn time," said Bowles, repeating his initial thought after Decker's touchdown.
Brandon Marshall laughed as he recalled the ending.
"I told the team before the game, 'When we win, don't celebrate like we won the Super Bowl,'" he said. "When we won, everyone stormed the field and the freaking fireworks were going off. I guess they enjoyed the moment."
Victories over the Hoodie are few and far between, so it was a moment to relish. The Jets earned it -- they outplayed the banged-up Patriots -- but the win will fade quickly if they can't beat the Bills. They can't let ol' Rex have the last laugh, because he'll laugh from the rooftops. You don't want to go 0-2 against your old coach.
"I just knew it was going to come down to this last game versus Rex," Pace said. "It's just fate."