One month ago today, Jets players trudged off the field with the noise from the home crowd at McAfee Stadium ringing in their ears and a mixture of shock and disgust settling in their stomachs.
Their poor play led to an inexplicable 16-13 overtime loss to the Raiders and dropped the team to 3-3.
Publishable words surrounding the team included doubt, crisis, disarray.
Speculation abounded on the wisdom of the Brett Favre move - Chad would be at least 3-3, right?!? - and the job security of coach Eric Mangini.
For sure, no one then was speculating on what presents itself Sunday: a game against the undefeated Titans that has playoff implications.
And not for the wild card.
The expectations for this team changed dramatically with Thursday night's overtime victory in Foxborough, the Jets' fourth straight win since the loss to the Raiders. Jets fans who a month ago would have signed on the dotted line for a wild-card playoff spot now would be disappointed with that result.
A victory over the undefeated Titans puts the Jets in the discussion for home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. And with the team's 7-3 record tying it for second best in the conference going into this game, a first-round bye is still very much in play, even with a loss.
How important was the Patriots game?
Very, and not just because of the psychological hurdle jumped by beating a team that had won 13 of the previous 15 in the series.
"We understood before the game the magnitude of the game,"
receiver Jerricho Cotchery said Friday. "[Thursday] night, we understood what it meant, period. We wanted to be ready for everything [so we could] come out with a victory, to make that next step."
A step toward contention, a step that players believed the iNFLux of talent set the Jets up for.
"The Buffalo game was a big game for us and that made the St. Louis game [a 47-3 win] important,"
Cotchery said. "And the St. Louis game made the New England game important, so to be able to pull out that victory was another big step for us and now we have to move on to focus on the Tennessee game."
Mangini was asked Monday if facing 10-0 Tennessee would help his team avoid the dreaded "letdown"
coming off the emotional victory over a hated rival.
"This time of the season, you're looking to play at a consistent level because each game becomes that much more important when you get down to the last six games,"
Mangini said. "A lot of things are decided over the last six weeks, so you're looking to play at [as much of] a consistent level as you can. You work as hard as you possibly can to avoid a letdown in any situation."
Translation: If Sunday's game was at 0-10 Detroit instead of 10-0 Tennessee, it would still be significant because of the time of year. The only difference, of course, would be perception.
Had the Jets lost to the Patriots and dropped to 6-4, the game against the Titans would all but be a must-win. The Jets would be staring at 6-5 and on the periphery of the wild-card race. But the New England victory gave the Jets some breathing room so that a loss, though disappointing, would leave them with a 7-4 record and a remaining schedule that abates a bit.
But those things are subject to change, too. Three weeks ago, the Broncos game Nov. 30 looked much simpler than it does now, and the 49ers have played better since Mike Singletary took over. Based on the way everyone on the remaining schedule is playing, the Dec. 14 game against the Bills seems to be the easiest, but the any-given-Sunday thing has never been truer than this season.
Look no further than the Jets on that given Sunday four weeks ago.
Expectations have changed a bit since then, no?
Jets last six games in the regular season
Sunday, at Tennessee Victory in Foxborough gives the Jets, though they won't look at it this way, room for error in Nashville.
Nov. 30, vs. Denver
Broncos filled with holes, but the way Jay Cutler can throw it combined with the Jets' struggles against the pass make this far from a gimme.
Dec. 7, at San Francisco No telling what interim 49ers coach Mike Singletary will be doing for motivation by then. Jets 0-2 out west so far this season.
Dec. 14, vs. Buffalo
Bills schedule gets easier after their loss to the Browns on Monday, so they could be on the fringes of the AFC East race by then.
Dec. 21, at Seattle
Game looks tougher than it did two weeks ago with Matt Hasselbeck back at QB.
Dec. 28, vs. Miami
A game that, gulp, could clinch the No.2 seed? Oh, and the return of Chad, too.
STORYLINES
A quick look at the top stories this week
That tough Titans 'D'
The Titans defense, led by the indescribably good defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, is allowing a league-low 13.1 points per game, the stiffest test yet for a Jets offense that has found its groove the last three weeks.
Brett Favre, fierce protector of the Football
The Jets quarterback, who had a stretch during which he threw seven interceptions in three games, has thrown one in his last three, including none the last two weeks. That has to continue Sunday for the Jets to have a chance.
Kerry on
The Titans offense features running backs Chris Johnson and LenDale White, but veteran quarterback Kerry Collins, at left, sacked only five times this season, probably looked at Matt Cassel's performance last Thursday and got pretty excited.
Sunday
Jets at Tennessee
1 p.m.
TV: Ch. 2
Radio: WEPN (1050), WABC (770), WRCN (103.9)
