PHILADELPHIA-The Jets no longer control their own destiny after a 45-19 shellacking at the hands of the Eagles on Sunday.
No, wait. The Jets do control their own destiny, since the Raiders and Titans lost, but maybe they don’t because the Cincinnati Bengals have the same record and still have to play the Ravens.
It doesn’t really matter how you slice it, because the only thing that’s certain is the Jets-Giants tilt on Saturday at MetLife Stadium will have a playoff feel to it. Both teams need the win.
The Jets (8-6) have been through this before. Last year they got smacked by the Patriots and Dolphins in consecutive weeks late in the season and looked lost. They recovered with wins against Pittsburgh and Buffalo over the final three weeks and finished 11-5.
Two years ago the team needed wins against the Colts and Bengals in their final two games to make the dance. The Jets prevailed in that scenario, too. Do the Jets have enough left in the tank to come up aces again? Jets coach Rex Ryan thinks they do.
“I know we have that resolve. You know, we have to win these next two, period, plain and simple, or we won’t earn the right to find out,” said Ryan. “But we have to go out and win these next two games and then we’ll find out how far we can go.”
Ryan’s confidence notwithstanding, it has to be nauseating to be in this predicament every year.
“It’s very tough. We knew what situation we were in coming into this game of trying to win this one and the next two,” said Darrelle Revis, who was part of a defense that got blitzed for 420 yards.
There will be members of both the Jets and Giants who will downplay Saturday’s game. Ryan, a master salesman, is no fool. “It’s going to be ridiculous. You know it’s going to be…that’s a war,” said Ryan. “Whoever loses is probably out. To say that there won’t be any extra incentive is not right. I mean, obviously, there’s going to be an extra incentive, extra motive.”