vs.

Prediction: Jets 28, Colts 24

This game will of course remind me of one of the most lopsided, improbable playoff games of this century.

Back in 2002 Peyton Manning and the mighty Colts headed into the Meadowlands to play the upstart Jets with their new quarterback-Chad Pennington.  The result was a 41-0 shutout by the Jets.  What a night-I will always remember that game.

I also remember when the Colts were in our division, then the AFC East.  We owned them then as well, twice a year they were our Cardinals.

So instinctively I am not worried about the Colts.  Nor am I worried about the 5,000-pound elephant in the room.  His name is "They Can't Win The Big One" and he has been growing-getting bigger every year.  Poor fella, nobody will pay attention to him.

They will as the Colts record in big games starts to take shape.

The 41-0 playoff loss to the Jets in 2002 was followed by a  24-14 playoff loss to New England in 2003, 20-3 in 2004-playoff loss to New England and last years upset (though I didn't think so) the 21-18 playoff loss to Pittsburg.

The Colts can't win the big one.  In my opinion the Colts are not beaten out on the field, they are beaten on the sidelines.  They are out coached.

There I go again, going after another one of the NFL's "nice guys" but let's face it folks, the Colts have the weapons on the field.  The problem is that Tony Dungy is such a nice guy nobody wants to blame him.  The talking heads behind the microphones will go along with this for ever, it seems.  Peyton Manning can bring the team into the playoffs practically by himself, but to go to the next level, to win the big one, he will need more help from the sidelines.  He will need a regime change.

Okay, so you say that Sunday's game is not "the big one".  So you say.

Sunday's game against the Colts will define the Jets season.  It will either be another "miracle" season where the Jets finish the season a couple games into the playoffs, and become the surprise, feel good team of the year (they have done this before) or it is a season of frustration and rebuilding, mental errors and tough losses.  So you could say that the direction the Jets will most likely take for the rest of this season can be dictated by Sunday's game.

If you have been keeping track of the Jets you may notice some signs of success, mainly that some threats have emerged.  Impossible you say?  Take a look.

Chad Pennington and Peyton Manning are at a statistical dead heat when you look at the big picture.  Manning with more yards and Chad with a higher passer rating.

If you look at the receivers, the top two in the league are Marvin Harrison and Laveranues Coles are number 1 and 2 in the NFL (respectively).

If you look closely you may see that Coles should be the real number one-he has longer completions and a touchdown but Harrison is beating him by 3 yards so statistically he is number 1.

Neither team seems to be capable of running the ball with much consistency, so it is interesting to note that 2 of the Jets lead the NFL in interceptions, with David Barrett at #2, and Andre Dyson at #3.  That could play a big role in this game.

Leon Washington is an exciting player to watch who has a tremendous amount of speed.

Jerricho Cotchery is becoming a playmaker.

Lastly I will point out an unexpected star of the offence that I thought (heading into the season) was maybe a weak link.  Brian Schottenheimer has been a great asset for this team.  The players enjoy his unpredictable, aggressive offence and are enjoying his system.

Game Notes: The Colts are 39-25 against the Jets-they were divisional rivalries from 1970-2001

The weather report for Sunday indicates rain in the morning

D'Birckashaw Ferguson will have the biggest test of his career this weekend

The Colts web site is okay; the Cheerleaders are too thin-feed them!

Folks, meet Jessica, her favorite T.V. show is "Days of our Lives" and her favorite food is pizza!