Washington extends for the line
The New York Jets will begin their postseason Sunday afternoon in New England against the Patriots. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. and the contest will be televised by CBS.
The fifth seeded Jets, who finished with a 10-6 record, and the fourth seeded Pats, the AFC East's Champion at 12-4, split their two regular season meetings. In their most recent meeting, the Jets went into a drenched Gillette Stadium and upset the Pats 17-14 on November 12. That was the beginning of a 6-2 post-bye run from the Green & White.
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*"It is important for the organization anytime we can come out and get a victory," said wideout Laveranues Coles after the win. "It is special for the team, and it is a win in the division - that is the most important thing. This shows that when we put our heads together and we put together a game, we can come out and play with anybody."
The Wild Card meeting will mark yet another return to New England for first-year Jets head coach Eric Mangini.* *Mangini, named the 14th full-time head coach of the Jets on January 17, 2006, came to New York after spending the previous six seasons with the Patriots. Under Bill Belichick in Foxborough, Mangini was defensive backs coach for five seasons before being promoted to the defensive coordinator position prior to the 2005 campaign.
Both clubs scored impressive week seventeen victories.
The Patriots went into Tennessee and thumped a Titans' team who entered the game on a six-game win streak. Belichick inserted Vinny Testaverde, the veteran passer who played with the Jets from 1998-2003, late in the fourth and Testaverde capped off the game by throwing a touchdown pass for an NFL-record 20th consecutive season.
"Twelve wins is a pretty good year," said quarterback Tom Brady, a two-time Super Bowl MVP. "Doesn't mean much going into next week. Twelve wins - I'll take it."
The Jets received their playoff invite after winning their 10th game, a 23-3 rout of the Raiders at the Meadowlands.
"We fought through adversity all year, and we take adversity on with a smile," said second-year safety Kerry Rhodes, who finished the regular season with five sacks and four interceptions. "I haven't been on a team that has been through that much and always seem to find its way on top, so it's been big for us."
