This is one of three rematches occurring from Week 17. And last week wasn't exactly kind to the Cincinnati Bengals. In a game the Jets had to win in order to make the playoffs, Rex Ryan and company stepped up to the plate and hit a home run. The Jets ran for 257 yards against a mollified Bengals defense who wanted no part of Thomas Jones, Shonn Greene, or Brad Smith until Wild Card Weekend. They dominated the game right from the beginning, ensuring that the Bengals offense could not even sniff the end zone. The Jets defense, which is statistically the best in the NFL, held Carson Palmer to just 1/11 for 0 yards in the first half. Chad Ochocinco promised that he would be an "escaped inmate running wild on Revis Island", proclaiming that the star cornerback of the New York Jets would never catch him on the field. Ochocinco did not have a catch last Sunday and was responsible for dropping a few easy targets from Palmer. He also promised to change his name back to Chad Johnson if Revis was able to shut him down on Sunday. So far, there have been no name changes. But will there be after Saturday's Wild Card rematch?
The Jets have been talking trash all week, which is pretty much what they've been doing throughout the course of the season. Rex Ryan even went as far to say that his team should be the favorite to win the Super Bowl this year, while also saying that he would rather coach this team than any other team in the playoffs right now. The rookie head coach certainly knows how to stir the pot. He is doing whatever necessary to promote the value of his team and to get his players to believe in what he's selling. He would make a great door-to-door salesman. Not really though. By all accounts the Jets were lucky to even make the postseason this year. That's right, I said lucky. They were handed a gift by the Indianapolis Colts when Peyton Manning and company decided to abandon perfection. And I think it is fair to say that even though the Bengals played their starters in the first half, they didn't exactly show their cards or reveal their hand. They were taking it easy, allowing Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth to believe that they were actually playing for the 3rd seed on Sunday night. And now the Bengals are right where they want to be. For all intensive purposes, they are underdogs going into their rematch against the Jets. There are many people who feel that the Bengals don't have a chance to win this game, as if the past 17 weeks of the regular season were like a giant blur. The Bengals were living an illusion, existing in a fantasy world where four victories over the Ravens and Steelers simply didn't happen. There are many people who feel that the real Bengals are the ones we saw last weekend against the Jets. Those who feel that way should have their heads examined thoroughly.
The Bengals will come into this game hungry to prove the doubters wrong. They have been doing that all season long and shouldn't feel uncomfortable with this situation. Marvin Lewis all but admitted that the Bengals simplified their game plan last week, saying how "we went into the game knowing (the rematch) was one of the possibilities." So if they knew that a rematch with the Jets was one of the possibilities, do you honestly believe that the Bengals were going to give their best effort on Sunday night? I think not. The Bengals are going to reveal their entire hand on Saturday night. RB Cedric Benson, who sat out last week's game, will be suited up and ready to pound the ball against the #1 rushing defense in the NFL. This is going to be a tough game that will be won in the trenches, which is to say that the most physical and most aggressive unit at the line of scrimmage will emerge victorious. The Bengals have been listening to the Jets talk it up all week long, allowing them to believe they have confidence going into this game. But I think the Jets are going into a buzzsaw this week if they seriously believe they can base their confidence on last week's performance. This is a new season. This is a time when the best of the best show up to play and the losers go home. The Bengals know this and will go into Saturday's game with as much confidence and intensity to match the effort put forth by the Jets. Here are some keys to the game for both teams.
The Bengals have home-field advantage working in their favor and they will need it in order to win this game. This is the GQ quarterback's first postseason start and unless history is wrong, which it never is, rookies tend to struggle in their first postseason starts. Don't expect Sanchez to light up the stat books and emerge as the second coming of Peyton Manning overnight. The Jets haven't played like that all season and they surely aren't going to start right now. The Jets offensive game plan will be centered around the running attack. Look for Thomas Jones to do what he does best in between the tackles. This is what the Jets will do all day long as they will try to limit Sanchez's production as much as possible. They do not want to put the game in Sanchez's game because to do that would be to accomplish the impossible. If they are able to establish their dominance at the line of scrimmage, then they will open up the playbook for Sanchez and allow him to throw the ball to Braylon Edwards for the deep strike, Jerricho Cotchery along the edges, or Dustin Keller over the middle. The Bengals will gear up to stifle the Jets running game. They will attempt to shed their blockers at the line of scrimmage and generate a mass intrusion in the backfield. They want to get pressure on Sanchez, but they also want to ensure that Jones doesn't move one step after he touches the ball. If the Bengals are effective in stopping Jones and company, then the Jets are in for a long day offensively.
As for the Bengals, they will have a similar offensive game plan as the Jets will on Saturday night. They are going to utilize Cedric Benson in between the tackles as they have done all season long. There was once a time when the Bengals were a very flashy team offensively, meaning they would establish their dominance through the air as opposed to on the ground. There was once a time when Carson Palmer was regarded as one of the elite passing quarterbacks in the NFL. But ever since he tore his ACL in that Wild Card game against the Steelers four years ago, Palmer simply hasn't been the same and neither has the Bengals' aerial attack. This would be a great time for the Bengals to live in the past, especially against a Jets secondary whose only primary weapon is Darrelle Revis. There is no doubt in my mind that the battle between Chad Ochocinco and Revis will be tremendous to watch all night long. It will be interesting to see which athlete lives up to his guarantee. With that being said, despite the fact that Ochocinco will have a tough time breaking free from Revis, this is an opportunity for the Bengals receivers to step up in a big situation. Look for Palmer to target Ochocinco frequently throughout the course of the game. But also expect Palmer to spread the ball around a little bit, finding Laveranues Coles and Andre Caldwell along the seams for big yardage. If the Bengals are successful in developing their aerial attack, then it will put too much pressure on the Jets offense to win this game, which Rex Ryan does not want to happen. The Jets want their defense to control the tempo throughout with limited offensive production that generates enough points on the scoreboard. This is how they've won all season and they are not going to change their strategy right now. They will attempt to overwhelm the Bengals much in the same way they did last week. But if they go into this game a little overconfident, watch out.
As to what I think will happen in this game...the Jets have been yelling and screaming all week long about how they're the best team in the NFL right now. The time for talk is over and the Jets now have to put up or shut up. They will be facing a Bengals team ready to embrace the spotlight of Wild Card Weekend. They will be facing a Bengals team motivated to win their first playoff game since 1991. And they will be facing a Bengals team looking to ensure that Mark Sanchez has the worst day of his football career. As much as I think the Jets are fully capable of ending the Bengals season on Saturday, I really feel that Sanchez will lose the game for them much in the same way he has lost games on his own all season long. I foresee lots of turnovers and a misappropriation of ball security from the Golden Boy. And in the end, I think that's enough to cost the Jets a victory on Saturday. The Jets defense will show up to play on Saturday and will at times give us the same kind of effort we saw from them last weekend. But in the end, Carson Palmer is the better quarterback and will lead his team down the field when it counts. As for Sanchez, there will be other times for him to shine. But it won't be today in Bengal nation.
FINAL SCORE: BENGALS 24, JETS 20
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