With two weeks remaining in the regular season, it's unbelievable that no AFC team has clinched a playoff berth. And the New England Patriots and the New York Jets, who meet Sunday (ESPN, 8:30 p.m. ET) happen to be two of the 14 AFC teams still alive to be among the six playoff teams.
The Patriots (8-6) can determine their own fate and even win the AFC East with wins over the Jets and then Miami in Week 17. At 7-7, the Jets' chances, however, are slim -- but they are still breathing.
New England played poorly against Tennessee on Monday night, but I expect Tom Brady and company to bounce back from the Patriots' lowest scoring output of the season. The Jets, on the other hand, had a chance to beat Chicago. Unfortunately, the ball got away from Wayne Chrebet, and the Jets lost the opportunity to score on their final drive.
Sunday's game should be a classic between two heated divisional rivals. The last time they played, the Patriots won a 44-7 runaway in Week 2. But a ton has changed over the last 14 weeks. The Jets were stumbling along, just beginning a four-game losing streak. With Vinny Testaverde at quarterback, they couldn't score any points. They went three straight weeks without scoring in double digits, and their defense couldn't stop anybody.
But now the Jets are an entirely different football team. They started playing well after Chad Pennington took over as the quarterback in Week 5. Their 44-7 victory over San Diego in Week 9 launched the Jets and got them believing they were a good football team.
Until falling to the Bears last week, the Jets had built great momentum, winning eight of 10 games and playing like the Patriots did during their Super Bowl run last season. Herm Edwards took a club that had few expectations and got them to play playoff-caliber football.
The Patriots, meanwhile, have been like a lot of good teams this season. They started off strong. In fact, the Patriots were probably the best team in football when they blitzed the Jets in Week 2. But then they hit a lull, losing four straight games. It seemed they had recovered until their game against the Titans on Monday.
The Tennessee game can't be the beginning of another struggle for the Patriots. Who are they as a team? Nobody knows -- not even the Patriots. They are an enigma; they show up and then they don't.
For the Patriots to be successful, they need contributions from every phase of the game -- offense, defense and special teams. Remember, in last year's playoffs, they only scored three offensive touchdowns. New England has to get back to being a complete team.
Overall, whoever runs the football better will have the best opportunities to win the game. The Jets appear to have the upper hand with Curtis Martin, but the two teams know each other too well as longtime divisional opponents. They know what their strengths and weaknesses are.
There will be more change on the Jets' side from their first meeting. They will try to do something different the second time around, while the Patriots can almost do the same things they did earlier. There is no telling how successful either plan will be -- but it could determine which team will or won't be playing in January.
A game analyst for ESPN's Sunday Night Football, former NFL QB Joe Theismann won a Super Bowl and a league MVP award.