The Jets did what they had to today to make the playoffs and have earned a re-match with the New England Patriots.  Chad Pennington had a decent game throwing the ball as he completed 22 of 30 passes for 157 yards and a TD.  Leon Washington and Cedric Houston split the carries today.  Washington carried the ball 15 times for 53 yards (3.5 ypc) and a TD.  Cedric Houston carried the ball 16 times for 44 yards (2.8 ypc).  Jerricho Cotchery led the way in the passing game with 7 catches for 53 yards.  Justin McCareins caught 5 passes for 27 yards.  TE Chris Baker had a solid game with 2 grabs for 19 yards and a TD.

The defense played great as a unit for the Jets.  The Raiders carried the ball 22 times for 88 yards (4.0 ypc).  The Raiders completed 15 of 26 passes for 121 net yards passing.

The New York Jets can clinch a playoff berth with:  1) a win or tie  2) Cincinnati and Jacksonville both lose or tie  3) Cincinnati loss or tie and a Tennessee win  4) Denver and Jacksonville lose.

Basically, all the Jets have to do to make the playoffs is beat the 2-13 Oakland Raiders in Giants stadium on Sunday.

The Jets have now set themselves up to make the playoffs if they can beat the Raiders next weekend.  The Jets won a hard-fought game in the rain at Miami last night.  Chad Pennington had a solid game as he completed 14 of 29 passes for 237 yards and a TD.  He also carried the ball 4 times for 26 yards (6.5 ypc).  Kevan Barlow had a rough game as he carried the ball 18 times for 36 yards (2.0 ypc).  Little Leon Washington was the star of the show for the offense.  He carried the ball 6 times for 26 yards (4.3 ypc), but he caught 4 passes for 108 yards (27.0 avg)!  Jerricho Cotchery caught 4 passes for 50 yards including a big TD catch.

Erik Coleman and Jonathan Vilma each had 9 tackles in a good effort by the Jets’ defense.  The Jets had trouble stopping the run as the Dolphins ran the ball 24 times for 124 yards (5.2 ypc).  The defense was much better against the pass as the Dolphins completed 18 of 31 passes for 129 net yards passing.

The Jets improved to an amazing 9-6 on the season with this victory and have set themselves up for a return to the playoffs.

The Jets have revived their playoff hopes after winning 3 of their last 4 football games including a 26-13 win last week over the Vikings in Minnesota.  The Dolphins have won 5 of their last 7 games, but they were shutout 21-0 in Buffalo last week.

Look for the Jets to take it to the air again this week against the Dolphins.  The Dolphins allow 178.3 net yards passing per game, but they have allowed 19 TD passes and only have intercepted 8 passes this season.  As long as the Jets keep Jason Taylor (12.5 sacks) away from Pennington, he should have a good day throwing the football.  Lauveranues Coles (87 rec, 1,065 yards) and Jerricho Cotchery (71 rec, 858 yards) could have huge games.  Watch out for TE Chris Baker too, because the Dolphins have trouble covering TEs.

The Dolphins should come out running the football with Sammy Morris.  Morris has played well in Ronnie Brown’s place and should have a good game as the Jets allow 133.7 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry so far this season.  Look for the Dolphins to still try to throw the ball downfield too against a Jets pass defense that is allowing 212.3 net yards passing so far this season.  Joey Harrington is coming off his worst game of the season last week, but he threw for 266 yards in the first meeting between the Fins and the Jets.  Marty Booker hurt himself last week, but he has emerged as Harrington’s favorite target so they need him to play.

The Jets won the first meeting in New Jersey 20-17 over the Dolphins.  Look for a similar type score, but it’s too hard for me to pick a winner.