We now come to a preview I've dreamed about writing for quite a while.  When the Jets take the field Sunday in Indianapolis, it will be 11 years and 7 days since the last time they took such a grand stage.  A lot has happened since then (Bianchi's brief, Britney-heavy retrospective covered it well.)  The fans have come out in droves with pep rallies, calling into talk radio, you name it.  Can you blame them?  Jets nation has waited over 11 years to experience the excitement of this Sunday.  If you think that's a long time, just imagine what happens if they actually upset the Colts.  If you'd like a little hint, this year's Super Bowl will be played on February 7th...41 years and 26 days since Gang Green's last appearance there.

So yes, there's quite a bit on the line this weekend.  If you ask any football fan (me included) everyone would say that the Jets have already surpassed expectations by a mile this season.  I myself was satisfied with the road playoff win against Cincinnati.  Some skeptics wanted a win over San Diego to truly legitimize the Jets' season.  And to the NFL's shock, it happened. 

So as the magic carpet ride floats into Indianapolis, the Jets aren't exactly under the most pressure.  The Colts willingly gave up their last two regular season games in order to rest their starters (and created this Jets monster in the process.)  Indy must win this game to escape months and months of questioning and criticism.  If New York loses, it's safe to say that there will be no outrage; no angry mobs wielding pitchforks.  The only pressure that the Jets face is the timeless NFL truth that 'you never know when you'll get here again.'  Sure, the Jets look like a young, blue-chip team for the future.  But nothing's certain in this league.  And whenever you reach this stage, you always try to seize the moment.  Expectations and underdog status be damned...just ask Rex Ryan.

Yesterday, I came to the conclusion that New Orleans would outlast Minnesota in the NFC Championship.  We'll use the same preview system as we did yesterday to pick this winner.  And speaking of picking winners, we still need quite a few of your picks for this round's games.  We've come this far...don't give up of the Modell's card now.  On to the game...

       
I'm Peyton Manning, thanks for your support, kid!         I'm Rex Ryan, and Peyton's little fan tasted delicious.


New York Jets @ Indianapolis Colts (-8)  
Sunday, 3 PM

As I mentioned before, the Jets and Colts are no strangers.  Indianapolis bailed out the Jets' season by taking the conservative approach to the playoffs.  Now New York is trying to make them regret that decision for a very, very long time.  The Jets and their fans have soaked in the moment and had a lot of fun this week.  Now it's all about business.  I will point out the obvious and be honest for you folks: this is going to be a big mountain to climb.

Don't believe me?  Just look at that meaty point spread.  To give you a little perspective, the Jets were only underdogs by 7 points last week against the Chargers.  Everybody saw them shock San Diego, yet that line is still bigger against the Colts.  In the games in which their starters played the entire game, the Colts are 15-0 this season.  Is there anything else to say?  Luckily, yes there is!  Here's the breakdown, position-by-position.

Quarterback
If you're backing the Jets, it's not a great morale-booster to start with the quarterbacks.  Peyton Manning may be the greatest quarterback we will ever see, and he looks to be at the top of his game.  Mark Sanchez...seems like a nice young fellow.  Manning had 2,000 more yards passing than the Sanchize, with 21 more touchdowns and 4 fewer interceptions.  'Manute Bol' is the highest edge that we can give in the preview, but this one seems like double-Manute Bol.  But don't wave the white towel, Jets fans.  Philip Rivers seemed to have double-Manute Bol status over Sanchez last week as well.  See how that one turned out?
MANUTE BOL EDGE: COLTS 

Running Backs
When it comes to the Jets offense, you can throw every cliché out there: 'heart and soul;' 'bread and butter;' "Jack and Locke;" you name it.  The running game means everything to the Jets.  If you stop the run, you can win the game by however many points you'd like.  The problem is that nobody has really solved the riddle yet.  Many teams manage to stuff the Jets for two or three quarters, but Thomas Jones or Shonn Greene always seem to break one or two loose after that.  The Jets will never concede the run.  At this point in the playoffs, you gotta dance with who brought you here.  New York will either pound their running game to the Super Bowl, or to their 2009 grave.  The Colts use the run as a luxury to the passing game.  Joseph Addai and Donald Brown have some ability, but this team will always choose to move the ball via the pass.
MODERATE EDGE: JETS

Wide Receivers
There's a reason Indy opts to pass rather than run.  Along with the best quarterback, they also have a tremendous group of receivers.  The Jets did what they had to do with the passing game, but their only real home run threat (Braylon Edwards) has the fear of God put into him when it comes to making an easy catch.  The Jets only had 3 guys with more that 500 receiving yards and nobody with more than 850.  Compare that to the Colts, who have two guys (Clark/Wayne) with more than 1100 yards on the season.  The Jets secondary did a commendable job against San Diego's receivers last week.  They will need all that and more yet again.
MODERATE EDGE: COLTS

Offensive/Defensive Lines
Seeing as how the Jets have the best running attack in the NFL, I would be awfully foolish to say that they don't have the edge on the offensive line.  The Colts' shortcomings on their O-line are erased by Peyton Manning's ability to get rid of the football quickly.  The Jets' defensive line has performed admirably since losing Kris Jenkins, but they have some trouble pressuring the QB when they don't blitz.  Indy has no such trouble, as Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis have the ability to give Sanchez fits all day with their constant pressure.  The Jets hope that by using the run game, those two guys will just have to be chasing running backs all day. 
EVEN

Linebackers/Defensive Backs
For the Jets to have any hope, these guys will have to take over the game.  New York takes a great pride in covering receivers while sending berserk blitzes at the quarterback.  Peyton Manning makes his living exploiting the blitzes and picking apart the mismatches.  David Harris and Bart Scott will have to be their dependable selves making tackles, while the defensive backs (led by some guy named Revis) will have to run for their lives to keep up with Indy's receivers on the turf.  The Colts have some steady tacklers with Gary Brackett and Clint Sessions, and Antoine Bethea is opportunistic with some interceptions.  But Indy's strength comes in Manning and the offense.  The Jets pride and joy comes from these guys right here.
MODERATE EDGE: JETS 

Special Teams/Coaching/Intangibles
It's anyone's guess who has the edge at coach here.  Rex Ryan gets all the publicity and seems to love this team as much as he loves his family.  Jim Caldwell is a silent statue that guided his team to a 15-0 record in meaningful games.  Both are first year guys that got their teams this far.  Seems like a wash.  The kickers, punters, and return games seem to be equal too.  So that leaves intangibles.  The Colts are at home in front of their fans, and knows what it takes to win it all after their 2006 championship.  But are we really going to short-change the Jets on intangibles here?  Look at everything that went right for them to even qualify for the playoffs.  Once they got in, look at the kicking gaffes and coaching blunders that happened along the way.  Something big is at work here.  Something bigger than all of us. 
SLIGHT EDGE: JETS 

The Perfiction
So what do we got here?  I know, my bias led me to somehow having the Jets with more 'edges' than the Colts.  The truth is that the 'quarterbacks' matchup is really all you have to know about this game.  Either Manning will have his usual, typically stellar day and the Colts run away with it.  Or something else happens.  There's no such thing as 'rattling' Peyton, but the Jets have the ability to make him 'uneasy.'  The Jets run game has to be efficient from the start, and the defense has to mimic their heroic efforts against the Chargers last week.  If all that happens (admittedly, a pretty big if) then the Jets have a shot.  And whenever the Jets have a shot, you bet your lucky stars that's who I'm picking.  As I said in last week's preview, "If you came here thinking I was going to pick the Chargers...I dunno what to tell you.  Either you haven't read the blog very long or you drastically overestimate my objectivity."  Same story, new chapter.  Who am I to say that this magic carpet is out of gas?  This baby is running on diesel, and it's running express all the way to Miami. 

JETS 27, COLTS 26