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Check here for a complete list of the New York Jets' roster moves.

Surprise moves: With a surplus of defensive backs, the Jets traded cornerback/safety Dwight Lowery to the Jaguars for a conditional draft pick. They will miss his versatility and his penchant for making clutch plays, but they felt comfortable with four safeties and six corners.

That they didn’t acquire an experienced backup offensive lineman was a surprise. They’re perilously thin on the line. They acquired rookie guard Caleb Schlauderaff from the Packers, but he’s a project. He’s nasty as a run-blocker but extremely limited in pass protection.

Former Bills bust Aaron Maybin made the 53, but the undersized pass-rusher isn’t a lock to make the opening-day roster despite a flashy performance in the final preseason game.

No-brainers: None of the 26 cuts shocked anyone. Going into the final preseason game, 50 of the 53 spots were decided, according to Rex Ryan. The Jets are playing the continuity card this season, which makes sense in the post-lockout world. In fact, they have 19 returning starters.

What’s next: With rookie quarterback Greg McElroy (thumb surgery) out indefinitely, they need a No. 3 quarterback behind Mark Sanchez and Mark Brunell. Possibilities include two former Jets -- Kellen Clemens and Kevin O’Connell, both of whom were released Saturday. They’re still looking for experienced offensive linemen, but it’s a thin market.

Random thoughts and observations as we head into the homestretch of the lockout:

If free agency starts next Saturday, the latest tentative starting date, it'll make for a bizarro training camp. For the first few days of camp, teams will have swiss-cheese depth charts as their free agents shop the open market.

Imagine what it'll be like for the Jets: They will have Jerricho Cotchery (if medically cleared) and Patrick Turner as their starting wide receivers, with Santonio Holmes, Braylon Edwards and Brad Smith potentially shopping for deals. At safety, you could see Jim Leonhard (if cleared) and Dwight Lowery, with Brodney Pool, Eric Smith and James Ihedigbo testing the market.

On, say, Day 3, they could have a new starting receiver show up, maybe Randy Moss. He'll sign his contract, receive a playbook and be sent out to the field to meet his new teammates. It's going to be chaos. It'll be a distraction for players and coaches, all of them wondering who's coming and who's going. It'll be taxing for the coaches, who will have to spend extra time teaching the system to new players. It'll be minicamp, OTAs and training camp all in one, with a revolving door of players. Fasten your seatbelt.

• I'm all for player safety, but the elimination of two-a-days and the reduction of padded practices in the regular season (only 14) is a bit ridiculous. Come on, it's football, not lawn tennis. I agree with Bart Scott; it'll make player soft. The product on the field will suffer, especially the tackling. Old-school coaches believe players lose their edge when they're not practicing in pads.

• The elimination of the No. 3 quarterback on the game-day roster, one of the proposed changes in the CBA, will increase the value of free agent-to-be Smith. A former college quarterback at Missouri, Smith can be the unofficial/emergency No. 3 while playing all his other roles. He'll save a roster spot or two, and that has value.

• I don't know Robert Kraft, and I didn't know his late wife, Myra, but after reading all the tributes and seeing the number of players and former players that attended her funeral (including Curtis Martin), it's not hard to see why the Patriots are such a well-run organization.

• You give Mike Tannenbaum six months to prepare for free agency, and you have to expect a big-splash move that catches people by surprise. He's not the wallflower type. If you're a Jets fan, though, you have to hope he doesn't outhink himself.

• If I'm the Jets and I can get Nnamdi Asomugha for Darrelle Revis money (about $11.5 million per year), with a creative, backloaded deal, I'd do it. I'd rather spend a few million more for Asomugha instead of overpaying Antonio Cromartie. How often does a player of Asomugha's caliber hit the open market? I say go for it.

• Question for owners: Was it really worth it?

Divisional Final Word: Ravens-Steelers | Jets-Patriots | Packers-Falcons | Seahawks-Bears

Three nuggets of knowledge about Sunday's Jets at Patriots divisional playoff game:

The Jets simply cannot pull off a 43-point swing in six weeks. Essentially, the same Jets are going into the same Gillette Stadium to play the same Patriots that obliterated them 45-3 on Dec. 6. The Jets must do two things: 1) find a way to undercut the Patriots, who have scored at least 31 points eight straight games; 2) escalate production from an offense that has been known to disappear without relying too heavily on erratic quarterback Mark Sanchez. I don't see the Jets holding the Patriots to 16 points like they did the short-handed Colts. The Jets' best shot to close the gap will be with a domineering ground attack from LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene. The Jets have been running the ball effectively, and the Patriots appear most vulnerable on the defensive line. But rushing their way to four or five touchdowns doesn't sound plausible.

Unlike the Colts, the Patriots can beat the Jets running or throwing. The Jets won last week by making Colts quarterback Peyton Manning hand off. Manning counted seven Jets defensive backs simultaneously on the field at times and marveled at seeing reserve cornerback Marquice Cole line up at defense end. The Jets could get away with that when the Colts' best running back was Dominic Rhodes. He couldn't make the Bills' roster out of training camp in 2009, spent most of the year with the UFL's Florida Tuskers and signed with the Colts last month. The Patriots, on the other hand, have BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead out of the backfield with support from Fred Taylor and Sammy Morris. Green-Ellis was the AFC East's lone 1,000-yard rusher this season and ran for 13 touchdowns. Woodhead gained 926 yards from scrimmage and scored six TDs.

The Patriots have more potent defense and special teams, too. The Jets lost their reputation for being opportunistic. Brad Smith returned two kickoffs for touchdowns. Dwight Lowery had two defensive touchdown returns, and Cole had one. But the Patriots scored nine touchdowns on defense and special teams. Inside linebacker Gary Guyton, Kyle Arrington and kick returner Brandon Tate scored two touchdowns apiece. The Patriots also led the NFL with 25 interceptions and tied for seventh with 13 fumble recoveries. The Jets finished second with 18 fumble recoveries but collected only 12 interceptions.

For the past couple days on ESPN's "First Take," resident provocateur Skip Bayless has argued the New York Jets should stick star cornerback Darrelle Revis on New England Patriots receiver Wes Welker for the entire game Sunday.

Game analyst KC Joyner agrees that approach makes perfect sense when you consider Welker is Tom Brady's favorite target, and Revis is coming off a masterful performance against the NFL's leading receiver. Revis held Indianapolis Colts star Reggie Wayne to one catch for 1 yard last week.

Joyner, however, endorses an approach that would seem counterintuitive on the surface. Joyner explains Deion Branch truly is the Patriots' most dangerous receiver.

On throws that travel no farther 10 yards in the air from the line of scrimmage, Branch averaged 8.1 yards per target. Welker averaged just 6.6 yards, with his unusually high number of drops factoring in.

As for yards after the catch, Welker added 4.8 yards per reception compared to 4.9 yards for Branch (not counting his four games with the Seattle Seahawks).

But perhaps the biggest reason Revis should stay with Branch -- or at least mix up coverages, as Oakland Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha argued Friday on "First Take" -- is Branch's ability to go deep.

On passes that traveled 11 yards or farther, Branch caught 18 for 404 yards with four touchdowns. Welker caught 16 for 177 yards.

To summarize, Joyner writes: "Putting Revis on Welker would take away a strong short pass threat but putting him on Branch would take away both a short threat and a long threat. It's like placing two castaways on Revis Island instead of one."

Another issue to consider for the Jets is the knee injury nickel back Drew Coleman suffered Thursday. We're not sure of the severity, but he wasn't on the field for the portion of Friday's practice that was open to the media.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The New York Jets poured out onto the Lucas Oil Stadium turf, many with their helmets raised overhead. Nick Folk's 32-yard field goal flipped through the uprights as the clock expired Saturday night. The Jets beat the Indianapolis Colts 17-16 and advanced to the AFC divisional round of the playoffs.

The sickened crowd was so silent you could hear the Jets whoop and holler like they owned the place. Braylon Edwards did a backflip on his way into the tunnel.

And right about then the Jets remembered what's coming next.

"As soon as the game was over -- I know that all the guys were happy with the win -- but we got the Patriots on our mind," Jets safety Brodney Pool said. "We know we're going back there. We remember what they did to us."

Yes, the New England Patriots.

Congratulations, Jets on your wild-card round victory Saturday. On Jan. 16, you get to return to Gillette Stadium, where the Patriots cudgeled you 45-3 about five weeks ago.

"The way that they beat us up when we were there, it was a butt-kicking," Pool said.

"They dominated us."

Jets defensive back Dwight Lowery interrupted.

"Not going to happen again," Lowery said, pulling a shirt over his head at the adjoining locker stall.

"That wasn't the same group of guys," Pool said, "that showed up today."

The Jets left Lucas Oil Stadium convinced they weren't the same team that the Patriots humiliated on "Monday Night Football." That Dec. 6 game emphatically dropped the Jets out of the AFC East lead. That loss led to questions about them being frauds who fattened their record by feasting on opponents with losing records.

"What happened in the last game definitely is not going to happen again," Lowery said. "We'll be better prepared overall. It's a brand new game."

Saturday night's victory resets the Jets. They beat the great Peyton Manning on his home field, in front of his raucous fans.

And the Jets did it with Manning avoiding blunders. Manning did his thing. He completed 69 percent of his passes for 225 yards. He fired a perfect strike to Pierre Garcon for a 57-yard touchdown. Manning didn't throw an interception and conceded on one garbage sack at the end of the first half. He posted a 108.7 passer rating.

The Jets still won.

Now they feel like they have an honest shot against Tom Brady, whom Rex Ryan took a shot at last week. Ryan knocked Brady, declaring him propped up by Bill Belichick and not as good as Manning.

"To beat an elite Hall of Fame quarterback in his house is huge," Jets right tackle Damien Woody said. "We had the right formula coming in here. The stakes get higher. Brady probably is going to be MVP of the league. That offense is humming.

"But to beat Peyton at home speaks volumes about the guys in this locker room and our coaching staff."

The Jets can't expect to hold the Patriots to 16 points. The Patriots have scored at least 31 points in eight straight games.

So good luck with that.

But the Jets have plenty to build upon.

Perhaps most impressive about their victory was that Mark Sanchez was slipshod -- and that didn't kill them. Sanchez was off target on some plays and threw a boneheaded interception that kept the Jets scoreless at halftime. He didn't have any touchdown passes and finished with a 62.4 rating.

The Jets won with an aggressive ground attack that got better as the game progressed. LaDainian Tomlinson appeared fresh, as he did early in the season. He ran 16 times for 82 yards and two touchdowns. Shonn Greene added 19 carries for 70 yards.

"Really, it was more the mentality our backs took that they were going to run through that door," Ryan said. "Whether it had a lock on it or not, our guys were going to pound it in there.

"Our offensive line did a great job of slugging away. It wasn't going to be that you were going to rip [the Colts] for 8 yards and 8 yards. It usually starts 2, 3, 4 and then all of the sudden you're able to crack them."

The Patriots' run defense might be their biggest weakness heading into the playoffs. They placed defensive linemen Ron Brace and Mike Wright on injured reserve in the past week. They allowed an average of 108 yards a game, which ranked 11th. But a mitigating factor is that teams often are in catch-up mode in the second half and forced to throw.

Patriots inside linebacker Brandon Spikes is coming back from a league suspension. Rookie defensive lineman Brandon Deaderick was briefly suspended by the Patriots this week for an undisclosed reason.

Several Jets refused to discuss the Patriots matchup as Saturday night turned into early Sunday morning. When a reporter asked outside linebacker Calvin Pace about heading back to Gillette Stadium, inside linebacker Bart Scott lashed into a profanity-laced complaint that the Jets deserved time to enjoy beating the Colts.

Jason Taylor, who won his first playoff game in a decade, was one of the Jets who declined to speak specifically about the Patriots.

But the veteran pass-rusher put the victory -- and next week -- into perspective.

"If there was any bit of uncertainty, I think this helps erase it," Taylor said. "But it's one game. We won the playoff round. We've got to go play in the divisional round, and if we win that, we still haven't done anything yet.

"I understand the process. I've been in this spot before, where you win the first round and don't win in the second round. You get nothing for it. You don't even get a hat. Or a T-shirt."

It was so long ago, but the Jets actually did defeat the Patriots 28-14 at the Meadowlands in Week 2.

The trilogy will conclude next Sunday afternoon.

"Couldn't have scripted it better, to get a third opportunity at a team," Woody said. "We split in the regular season, but people don't remember our win. They remember the huge blowout. You're only as good as your last game.

"So Part III is coming up."

» Wild-card Final Word: NY Jets-Indy | Baltimore-K.C. | N.O.-Seattle | G.B.-Philadelphia

Three nuggets of knowledge about Saturday’s Jets-Colts wild-card game:

If the Jets were the type of team to look ahead, they would admit the Patriots are their biggest concern today. We're speaking, of course, about a team coached by a guy who in the summer scrawled on the side of a tour bus that his team would be Super Bowl champions, a guy who on last year's postseason itinerary scheduled a ticker-tape parade through the Canyon of Heroes. So we know the Jets aren't very good at adhering to the "one game at a time" chestnut. The Colts look vulnerable (by their standards), and the Jets can draw confidence from last year's AFC Championship Game that they will compete Saturday night. Against the teams the Jets probably would face in this year's conference title game, the Jets own a recent victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field and a lost a close one to the Baltimore Ravens in the season opener. So that would leave figuring out how to beat the Patriots next week at Gillette Stadium, where the Patriots won 45-3. That probably makes the look-ahead Jets more nervous than the Colts do.

Lesser names in the Jets' secondary will be in the spotlight as much as Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie. The "other guys" must step up to stop Colts quarterback Peyton Manning from waltzing down the field. Drew Coleman, who has shown a knack for big plays this season, will be the starting nickelback. Dwight Lowery, Kyle Wilson and Marquice Cole also will have roles in the Jets' sub packages. The defensive backfield is more flexible than it was in last year's AFC title game. Lowery started opposite Revis and surrendered nine receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown. Manning won't strike so hotly against Cromartie. That said, the Jets will need safeties Brodney Pool and Eric Smith to play well on the big stage. The Jets lost safety Jim Leonhard to a broken leg in early December, making Pool and Smith targets for opposing quarterbacks in the middle of the field.

Even a year later and with more weapons, the Jets still must limit the need for Mark Sanchez to win the game. In last year's playoffs, the Jets' objective was run, run and run some more, hope to get an early lead and then keep running until the clock struck 0:00. Sanchez completed just 12 passes in road victories against the Cincinnati Bengals and San Diego Chargers. Against the Colts in the AFC Championship Game, Sanchez was forced to throw because the Jets trailed in the third quarter -- and by the dreaded two scores with about nine minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Jets' front office helped their offense evolve into a team that could come from behind. They traded for Santonio Holmes and added LaDainian Tomlinson as a receiving threat out of the backfield. The Jets went from a team that ran on 58.9 percent of their plays in 2009 to one that ran 49.1 percent of the time this season. Even so, the Jets can't trade throws with Manning and the Colts. The Jets must establish themselves as the superior physical team -- which they are -- with a steady amount of Shonn Greene runs against a Colts run defense that has improved but still can be forgiving. From there, Sanchez can run play-action passes.

In last season's AFC Championship Game, the upstart New York Jets were on their way to scoring their third straight road upset in the playoffs. They'd already knocked off a pair of division champions and led the Indianapolis Colts in the third quarter at Lucas Oil Stadium.

But the Colts outclassed the Jets in the second half and won easily to advance to the Super Bowl. The Jets had to regroup, knowing that to attain their Super Bowl dreams, they had to figure out a way to get past the Colts.

They won't need to look for them in the playoffs this year. The Jets and Colts will meet in the first round Saturday night, again in Indianapolis.

ESPN.com AFC South blogger Paul Kuharsky and AFC East blogger Tim Graham break down the rematch.

Tim Graham: The first thought I have about the Colts is that Peyton Manning isn't going to win this game with his aura. Aside from past experience, the Jets don't have much reason to quake in their cleats Saturday night. They can beat this guy. Manning has proven to be a mortal without tight end Dallas Clark and receivers Austin Collie and Anthony Gonzalez to target. Seventeen interceptions? Almost knocked out of the playoffs by the Jacksonville Jaguars? These Colts are a shadow of what we've come to know.

Paul Kuharsky: How about with his chakra, then? You've been spending too much time with Ricky Williams, dude. Has Manning been perfect? Hardly. But as Colts blogger Nate Dunlevy points out, and our ESPN Stats & Information confirms, Manning threw for 4,700 yards, tossed for more than 30 touchdowns, connected on 66 percent of his throws, had an interception rate of 2.5 percent and won 10 games. If that's a shadow of what you've known, you must really know Tom Brady’s 2007 season then. Because that was the only other time it has happened.

TG: Yeah, Manning won 10 games. So did Eli Manning and Josh Freeman. They didn't make the playoffs. The Colts' shadow doesn't have much to do with Peyton Manning slinging the ball all over the yard and racking up yardage. He's still great, but he's not a one-man show. If I were a Colts fan, my concern would be how they needed to close with four straight wins to avoid the embarrassment of being edged out of the playoffs by the Jaguars. The Jets, on the other hand, have shown to be a more complete team. That's how an erratic quarterback like Mark Sanchez can win one more game than Manning did and clinch a playoff berth weeks in advance.

PK: Well, Manning's always been crushed for being great in the regular season and not good enough in the playoffs. Congrats on being the first to hammer him for winning "only" 10 games and the division while throwing to Jacob Tamme and Blair White.

TG: That's what I mean. The Jets can contain those guys much easier than Clark and Collie. Plus, the Jets have been preparing for this matchup since last season's AFC Championship Game. They helplessly watched Manning carve the center of the field against them and realized immediately -- even though they had Darrelle Revis -- they needed more cornerbacks. Specifically with Manning in mind, the Jets traded for Antonio Cromartie and drafted Kyle Wilson in the first round. Previous starting cornerbacks Dwight Lowery and Drew Coleman gave them depth in nickel and dime packages. The Jets' biggest issue is at safety, where injuries have made them vulnerable.

PK: Manning has a bit of experience against teams with poor safety situations. His numbers against Houston and Jacksonville? Just nine touchdowns, one pick and a 101.5 passer rating. On the other side is the unspectacular Sanchez. I doubt Sanchez will be able to attack Aaron Francisco, the Colts' fourth-string strong safety, in a similar fashion, but we'll see. The Sanchize was near perfect in the first half of last season's AFC Championship Game. But the Jets asked him to throw only seven passes. After intermission, Indy greatly reduced his potency. The Colts didn't sack him and were credited with only four hits that day. The Colts' big-play potential from their Pro Bowl defensive ends was neutralized, and they still rolled to a 30-17 win. Of course, it might have had something to do with Manning throwing two-second half touchdowns to Sanchez's zero (and one interception). What happens this time if Dwight Freeney and/or Robert Mathis are able to introduce themselves to him a few times?

TG: Sanchez absolutely is the pivotal figure for the Jets on Saturday night. But, much like the personnel adjustments head coach Rex Ryan and general manager Mike Tannenbaum made on the defensive side to thwart Manning, they made changes on offense with the playoffs in mind. Sanchez might not have progressed much in his second season, but he didn't have a sophomore slump either. He has gained another 11 months and 16 games of NFL experience since the last time he faced the Colts. Plus, the Jets' offense has the ability to come from behind, something it couldn't do before. Last season's Jets were all ground-and-pound, and if an opponent took a two-score lead, the Jets' chances to win were slim. Sanchez showed several times this year he can strike in crunch time. Santonio Holmes and LaDainian Tomlinson out of the backfield give him much better weapons to go along with Braylon Edwards and tight end Dustin Keller.

PK: The most dramatic on-the-field difference in the Colts this year as compared to last is how they finished up running the ball and defending the run. Indianapolis enters the playoffs coming off four games in which they ran for 4.5 yards a carry and held opponents to 3.5 yards. Last year in their final four meaningful regular-season games, they were getting 3.5 yards and allowing 4.1 yards.

TG: Maybe the Colts will morph into the 1972 Miami Dolphins before our eyes.

PK: A month ago the Colts defense recommitted to playing fast and having fun. It's funny how a team can get away from such simple themes, especially when a return to them produces such fine results. Gary Brackett's been great. Fellow linebackers Pat Angerer and Kavell Conner have been quite good, even as rookies. Veteran Clint Session could return to take time from Conner. Offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen's willing to send in whichever back is best suited for a situation or a matchup, so we could see any sort of mix of running backs Joe Addai, Dominic Rhodes and Donald Brown on Saturday night. They are running more than well enough to give the Colts a balance that makes Manning's play-action super effective.

TG: Momentum on the ground has been a concern for the Jets since their bye in Week 7. Tomlinson went from MVP candidate to looking like the worn out player the San Diego Chargers thought they were bidding farewell. But Shonn Greene and Tomlinson found some traction in the closing weeks. Let's not even factor in what the Jets did against the Buffalo Bills in the regular-season finale, even though their backups trampled the Bills' first-stringers for 276 yards.

PK: I’m always willing to toss out Buffalo. I don’t even really like wings.

TG: Yeah, but I know you still have a cache of Rick James 8-tracks. Anyway, the Jets ran the ball well against three of the NFL's best run defenses late in the year. They surpassed the Pittsburgh Steelers' league-leading average by 43 yards and the Chicago Bears' second-rated run defense by 34 yards. As for stopping the run, the Jets pride themselves on it and improved statistically this year. They ranked third this year at 90.9 yards a game and 3.6 yards a carry. But -- and this is a big one -- they allowed more than 100 yards in each of their games before the finale. The Steelers averaged 5.8 yards a carry. The Bears averaged 4.4 yards. That said, I would be willing to bet if the Colts wanted to try to run the Jets to death and not have Manning throw so much, then the Jets would be thrilled.

PK: Give me a little impersonation of Rex Ryan thrilled after winning this game.

TG: It probably would go a little something like this ... "Well, shoot, doesn't feel much better than that, to be honest with ya. We played like Jets today. It was a dogfight out there; I'll tell ya that much. Those Colts are sunthin' else. One thing I'll say about them: I saw Joseph Addai running like Lydell Mitchell out there and was, like, 'Whoa! Wait a second! We could be in for a long day here.' But our defense was flying around and eventually found a way to wrestle him down out there. I said earlier in the week this was personal with Peyton Manning, and they do a great job. He's great, and it's hard to get to him, but I just feel like we knew what to expect and were able to find a way to bear down and put all our chips in the center of the table and beat him. That guy's had my number and it feels good to know I can beat the guy when it counts. But I gotta give a ton of credit to our offense out there, too. Mark Sanchez played great and showed why we traded up to draft him. That right there's what we saw when we scouted him and just knew this guy was going to be a special player. Their crowd was tough with the way they were roaring at the opening kickoff I was, like, 'Whooo! Here we go!' It was full speed ahead. But one thing I should point out is that I broke out my lucky sweatshirt with the pizza stain this week." ... How would Jim Caldwell react to a Colts win Saturday night?

PK: I can hear him, his voice just the same as if they'd have lost: "We're pleased to have beaten a good football team, a quality football team. It's gratifying that our work this week paid off. I shared with you some of the examples of the studiousness I encountered during the preparation week. You saw the rewards of that. We'll enjoy it, we should enjoy it, it was hard-fought and we’re fortunate. We will have to do those same things to prepare for Pittsburgh. It’s a tough place to play, an excellent football team. It's a new challenge. It will be fun to see them get out there and see what they can do."

TG: In that case, I'm glad I'll be covering the Jets' locker room, win or lose. It'll be more interesting. I think the Jets have a better chance to win the game than a lot of prognosticators are giving them credit for. But even if they can't pull off the upset, they'll face a lot of questions as an organization. With all of the negative attention they've generated this season, a loss against the team they spent a year preparing for should lead to considerable introspection in Florham Park. Should we make picks?

PK: Sure. I pick St. Elmo. Make a reservation.

The New York Jets continue to suffer losses at safety.

Two weeks ago, Jim Leonhard broke his leg and James Ihedigbo went down with knee and ankle injuries. Eric Smith sustained a concussion against the Miami Dolphins last week.

That means the Jets will start converted cornerback Dwight Lowery at safety Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field.

I reached out to Scouts Inc. analyst Matt Williamson to get his take on how much the Jets' depleted safety corps will be an issue versus a physical team such as the Steelers.

"It certainly is a problem," Williamson said. "Rex Ryan loves having a 'quarterback of the defense' to really get everyone aligned well in front of the safeties. I think it really takes away from Ryan's complex blitz packages because he can't trust his deep patrol.

"Against the Steelers, though, it's tough to say. Their blitz recognition and pass protection in general is just awful. But Ben Roethlisberger is such a wild card. The way he extends plays and generates big plays after things break down could be real bad news for a new group of safeties.

"On the other hand, the Jets might and should consistently get to Roethlisberger without bringing a lot of added pressure."

Tom Brady cannot do everything.

There are, in fact, some situations he handles not so well.

For instance, the New England Patriots star ranks near the bottom of the NFL against a blitzing defensive back. Brady ranks 27th in passer rating. While he has completed 60.5 percent of his throws and has been sacked just once, he has zero touchdowns, two interceptions and a 69.5 passer rating.

Guess who likes to blitz their defensive backs.

The New York Jets send them after quarterbacks more than any other team -- by a wide margin. They've blitzed a defensive back 141 times this year. That's 31 more than the next closest team, the Seattle Seahawks.

"They've always done that," Brady said. "I don't think that's anything that we don’t expect. When you look at their blitz percentages, they blitz about half the time. On third down, they blitz about three-quarters of the time. They're blitzing a lot, and that's really a trademark of the defense to try to find different ways to get after the quarterback."

In his three games against the Jets since Rex Ryan took over as head coach, Brady has been bothered by blitzing defensive backs.

Brady has completed 52 percent of his passes, averaged 6.6 yards per attempt and threw no touchdowns with two interceptions. He has a 56.7 passer rating.

Against other teams in the same situation over the same timeframe, Brady has completed 67 percent of his throws at 8.1 yards per attempt with four touchdowns and one interception for a 104.6 passer rating.

The Jets' usual suspects are safeties Jim Leonhard, Eric Smith and James Ihedigbo and slot cornerbacks Drew Coleman and Dwight Lowery.

The reason they feel comfortable blitzing them so frequently is because they have Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie anchoring coverage.

Brady isn't thrilled to face Revis.

"I don't think you look going into a game thinking 'Man, I can't wait to start throwing the football at this guy,'" Brady said.

"Quarterbacks have been throwing at a 50 percent rate, and you can't be a very effective passing team throwing at that low of a percentage because you won't be able to sustain drives. When the opportunity is there, we have to be able to try and take advantage of it and make throws and run good routes on a guy like [Revis], but he covers guys pretty well, as well as anybody in the NFL.

"He and Cromartie are two of the best in the league, and to have them both on the same team playing in the same scheme where their coach really allows them to do what they do best is something I’m sure they really enjoy as well."

The New York Jets and New England Patriots have gone through a grind.

Both clubs played won on Thanksgiving. For the Patriots, it was their third victory in 11 days.

The Jets have won four straight, and in that span have played nearly 18 quarters because of back-to-back overtime road games.

Good thing for them -- and for our maximum viewing pleasure -- they'll have 11 days to rest up for their big Monday night showdown in Week 13. The more complete these teams are, the more we'll know which truly is best in the AFC East and perhaps the entire league.

"I think both teams are going to be at full strength," Jets coach Rex Ryan said. "That's kind of how you want it. You know, it's the marquee game of the year."

The Patriots would seem to benefit most from the extra prep and recovery time. They've been without right guard Stephen Neal and defensive lineman Mike Wright. Running back Fred Taylor was active Thursday but didn't get on the field. Quarterback Tom Brady has been dealing with a minor foot injury.

The Jets could use the extra time to get receiver Jerricho Cotchery's groin healed. Cornerback Dwight Lowery missed Thursday's game because of a concussion. Right tackle Damien Woody played despite not practicing Monday through Wednesday because of a knee injury.

"When you look at both teams and all that at 9-2, it's not going to get much bigger than that," Ryan said. "So the fact that it's a divisional game, I guess the only way it would be better if it was the last game of the regular season. But this is pretty good right here. Obviously, the team that wins it is going to have to play fantastic. We're just hoping it's us."

» NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 8:

Tom Brady should emerge Sunday night with his streak still intact. There are contradictory reports about whether Brett Favre or Tarvaris Jackson will be Minnesota's starting quarterback. But it's safe to say Favre's incredible streak of 291 games (315 counting the postseason) has never been in more jeopardy. Brady is working on his own streak. He has won 23 straight home games. A victory over the Vikings in Gillette Stadium would put him one away from Favre's NFL record set from 1995 to 1998.

It's time for the Dolphins to give Sean Smith another shot at right cornerback. Smith started 16 games as a rookie last year. But after a shaky camp and preseason, he lost his job to veteran reserve Jason Allen before the regular season began. Smith obviously lost his swagger. Allen occasionally makes a big play and has three interceptions, but he's clearly a target. Steelers receiver Mike Wallace singed Allen for a 53-yard touchdown last week. The Bengals are a tough opponent to help Smith back on track, but as a player who thrives on confidence, a solid performance Sunday could get him going again.

I'm officially rooting for Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to stay hot. The Bills are 0-6 and don't have much to look forward to. Their national relevance is rooted in being winless, but Fitzpatrick's play has given Bills fans something positive to talk about. He's a career backup, an underdog who was overlooked by the Bills before taking over for Trent Edwards in Week 3. Fitzpatrick's 102.2 passer rating ranks second to Peyton Manning's 103.4. Fitzpatrick has played only four games, but he has 11 touchdown passes, the same as Brady and Tony Romo. Only six quarterbacks have more.

Jets rookie cornerback Kyle Wilson is playing his way off the field. At the news conference to discuss why they selected him 29th overall, Jets coach Rex Ryan declared Wilson would be their punt returner and nickel corner. As star cornerback Darrelle Revis' holdout dragged on, Wilson was in line to start and eventually did (three games) after Revis yanked his hamstring. But Wilson, who has committed three penalties for 54 yards, has been losing time to Dwight Lowery and Drew Coleman. "His role is shrinking," Ryan said of Wilson. "There is only one way to get a bigger role, and that's to show it on the practice field. When you do get your opportunities in the game, you have to step up. That's it."

The Patriots must stop Adrian Peterson if they're going to stop Randy Moss. It won't matter who Minnesota's quarterback is in this regard. Jackson has the ability to hang a ball in the air for Moss, too. The way to negate that possibility is keeping both Patriots safeties deep. That can't happen if the Patriots' front seven can’t contain Peterson, who has that rare combination of speed, strength and a knack for evading tackles.

Turnovers have been a significant reason for the New York Jets' and New England Patriots' success this year.

Their defenses are snatching them. Their offenses are limiting them.

The Jets lead the NFL with a plus-10 turnover differential. The Patriots are tied for fifth at plus-6.

Jets cornerback Dwight Lowery iced their past two games by pouncing on turnovers. He returned a Brett Favre interception for a touchdown to foil a possible Minnesota Vikings comeback in Week 5 and recovered a bad Denver Broncos snap to snuff a potential game-winning drive in Week 6.

The Jets have recovered nine fumbles, tied for the league lead.

The offense, meanwhile, has just four giveaways, also tied for the best. Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez didn't throw an interception through the first five games. They've lost two fumbles.

The Patriots haven't been master thieves in general, but they have been solid on defense. They collected four turnovers in Sunday's 23-20 victory over the San Diego Chargers. The Patriots came up with three of their four fumble recoveries of the season and added their eighth interception.

The Miami Dolphins are a minus-2. That must be disappointing for defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, who takes pride in a ball-hawking mentality.

Only two clubs have recorded fewer than the Dolphins' three fumble recoveries or fewer than their four interceptions.

The Buffalo Bills ranked second with 28 interceptions last season. They have just one so far this year and five fumble recoveries. But their offense has been a bit stingy. Their 10 turnovers are tied for 11th.

» NFC Stock Watch: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

FALLING

1. Brandon Meriweather, Patriots safety: The NFL fined him $50,000 (10 percent of his base salary) for his helmet-to-helmet launch into defenseless Ravens tight end Todd Heap in the second quarter. Patriots coach Bill Belichick pulled Meriweather from the game, and the Pro Bowler might have watched the rest of the game from the sideline had safety Jarrad Page not suffered a calf injury.

2. Mark Sanchez, Jets quarterback: This might be a stretch because Sanchez did recover for a fourth-quarter comeback on the road. But Sanchez did have his shakiest moments of the past five weeks. He threw his first two interceptions of the year.

3. Vontae Davis, Dolphins cornerback: He has been getting rightful attention as one of the NFL's top emerging cornerbacks, but he got charred by Packers receiver Greg Jennings on an 86-yard touchdown strike in the first quarter. The game-changing play came one snap after Chad Henne threw an interception to prevent the Dolphins from building on their 10-0 jump.

RISING

1. Cameron Wake, Dolphins outside linebacker: He erupted for his first three-sack NFL game, piling up losses of 24 yards. He hit Aaron Rodgers six times. Wake pulled down Rodgers to thwart a third-down play in overtime, forcing the Packers to punt. The Dolphins kicked a field goal on their next series.

2. Jermaine Cunningham, Patriots outside linebacker: The rookie recorded a strip sack -- his first sack and first forced fumble -- and another tackle for a loss in Sunday's victory over the Ravens.

3. Dwight Lowery, Jets cornerback: For the second straight week, the reserve defensive back iced the game by pouncing on the ball. Lowery returned a Brett Favre interception for a touchdown in Week 5 and jumped on a loose ball in the waning moments to end the Broncos' chances.

» NFC Decisive Moments: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New York Jets never trailed throughout Monday night's game, but they weren't nearly in command late in the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Vikings.

There was no doubt where momentum was. Brett Favre was feeling it, throwing touchdown passes on three out of four possessions to pull the Vikings within two points with 3:09 remaining.

Five plays later, the Vikings forced the Jets to punt. The stage was set for a heroic Favre finish. The Jets' defense was staggered and on its heels. Vikings receiver Percy Harvin was beating hobbled Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis. Randy Moss was a constant threat for the Vikings, too. Running back Adrian Peterson had been effective in the fourth quarter.

"It was getting scary out there, man," Jets linebacker Bart Scott said.

But Jets defensive back Dwight Lowery finally snuffed all Vikings hope. Favre tried to throw a pass to tight end Visanthe Shiancoe in the right flat, but Lowery snatched it and sprinted 26 yards for a touchdown with 90 seconds left to secure a 29-20 Jets triumph.

"We have to keep our composure," Lowery said. "We did surrender some points, and there were some things we could've done better, but when it comes down to it, we've just got to make a play. We have to believe in each other, and that's what I felt like we did."

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Rex Ryan gathered his players in the New York Jets locker room Monday night and delivered a prophetic pregame speech.

He said the Jets were going to beat the Minnesota Vikings. He just didn't have any idea how it would unfold.

Ryan knew somehow the Jets were going to get it done.

In the days leading up to a showdown that provided more storylines than a season's worth of the WWE and "Grey's Anatomy" combined, there were all sorts of leading characters and themes to choose from.

Vikings quarterback Brett Favre returned to the Meadowlands under duress to play his old team. Randy Moss made his first Vikings appearance after the New England Patriots traded him. Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis played for the first time since Moss scorched him. Jets receiver Santonio Holmes came back after a four-game suspension.

Any of those players -- or the handful of other future Hall of Famers -- would be the likely hero.

Of all of the newsprint and bandwidth dedicated to previewing Monday night's game, I didn't see Nick Folk's name mentioned much. Or Dwight Lowery's. Or John Conner's. Or Brad Smith's. Maybe Shonn Greene's here or there ...

Yet all of them played crucial roles in a 29-20 Jets victory Monday night.

The game was delayed 45 minutes because of lightning and it was finished off by players who offered little pregame crackle. Not one of the Jets' points was scored by a star.

"Those aren't the people that you would think would ice the game," Jets right tackle Damien Woody said. "That's why football is the ultimate team sport. Anybody can make a big-time play."

The Jets delivered the sort of resourceful performance great teams find a way to pull out. Their offense encountered trouble scoring touchdowns, and their defense had to hang on at the end like a staggered prizefighter hoping to hear the final bell against a desperate slugger.

But the Jets got it done against a team that's reeling but was talented enough to come within a couple plays of the Super Bowl eight months ago.

"I love the resolve of this football team," Jets fullback Tony Richardson said. "Just keep fighting, keep fighting and whoever makes the play makes the play.

"That's the making of a team. It doesn't matter who gets the glory, just that you get the job done. That's when you know your team is growing together."

Folk turned into points what Mark Sanchez, LaDainian Tomlinson, Braylon Edwards, Dustin Keller and Holmes couldn't, making all five of his field-goal attempts, including one from 53 yards away.

All of Folk's field goals came in succession, with the Jets unable to score a touchdown despite getting inside the Vikings' red zone four times. One of Folk's field goals came three plays after Smith returned a kickoff 86 yards to the Vikings' 19-yard line in the third quarter.

"It could have gotten really frustrating," Richardson said, "with field goal, field goal, field goal ... We kept getting down there and couldn't put it in. We just dusted ourselves off and kept going until we popped that run."

Greene, the backup running back, darted 23 yards for the offense's only touchdown behind a nasty block from Conner, the rookie backup fullback, in the fourth quarter.

If you were to draw up a list of the 10 Jets defenders most likely to score a back-breaking touchdown Monday night, Lowery's name wouldn't have been on it. The reserve defensive back returned a Favre interception 26 yards for a decisive score with 90 seconds to play.

"I really can't describe it," Lowery said of his first NFL touchdown. "I haven't ever been in that situation before. It's all really so new."

Most of the Jets' stars, meanwhile, didn't shine as brightly as the players beneath them on the depth chart. They didn't have to, and that's the point.

Tomlinson was an exception. He came 6 yards short of recording his second straight 100-yard game, something he hadn't accomplished since 2007.

In rainy conditions that made throwing difficult at times, Sanchez completed less than half of his passes and posted a 59.9 passer rating, his first sub-100 score in four weeks. Holmes was targeted nine times but caught just three balls for 41 yards. Keller caught two passes for 14 yards and had his touchdown streak snapped at three games.

Revis looked like he didn't belong on the field. The All-Pro gimped around and didn't do a very good job covering Percy Harvin in the slot. Harvin scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

Antonio Cromartie had an overall successful game against Moss, but he still gave up a 37-yard strike in the end zone that gave Favre and the Vikings life in the third quarter.

But as the veterans in the Jets' locker room can attest -- guys like Woody, who won two Super Bowls with the Patriots, or Richardson, who's in his 16th season -- nights like Monday suggest a coming of age.

"We feel good because this was one where we had to dig and it took the whole game," Greene said. "It took everybody we had. It was one of those games where we got tested, and we came out on top."