1998 of "Fireman" Ed Anzalone

Despite Rex Ryan's premature dismissal of his team's chance at the postseason, the Jets will qualify for the playoffs with a win Sunday against Cincinnati. Ryan said the Jets were "obviously out" after a disgusting loss against the Falcons two weeks ago, but he was mistaken. If the Jets win Sunday in front of a national TV audience against a team that may be resting its starters, they make the playoffs. If they don't, they're out.

After "coming back" in Indianapolis after the Colts pulled their starters, the Jets face another opponent that may not be giving its fullest effort. For one, the Bengals, who have clinched the AFC North, have nothing to play for except the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs. For another, the two teams could meet again in a wild card playoff next weekend in Cincinnati. Why would the Bengals show their hand against the Jets when they didn't have to?

For all of Chad Ochocinco's hilarious trash talk, the Bengals wideout won't become the first guy to blow up against Darrelle Revis. No one escapes from Revis Island. If the Jets play halfway decently against the Bengals' first team, they should have a good portion of the second half to put the game out of reach against the Bengals' second team. If the Jets don't win this game, they have no one to blame but themselves.