NFL Countdown: Can Jets Take Command?

Tick tock, tick tock. The clock is winding down for the regular season and the AFC East is open for the taking.

The Jets (5-3) are in a division that hard luck (good fortune, to some) turned into an open field when New England Patriots stud quarterback Tom Brady went down with a season-ending knee injury in Week 1.

The Patriots are tied for the division lead with the Jets and the Buffalo Bills. But the Bills and Pats play each other this week – and only one team will be left standing.

Enter a golden opportunity for the New York Jets. The Jets take on the 2-6 St. Louis Rams minus the Rams stud running back, Steven Jackson. Oh, and backup RB Antonio Pittman probably won’t be on the field much either (or not productively, at least) due to a hamstring injury that sidelined him most of the week.

It’s a must win for the Jets, who take on the Patriots in Week 11’s Thursday night game. The fact that the Miami Dolphins and Chad Pennington, who's ranked second among AFC QBs (yes, second - four higher than Brett Favre) only trail the Jets (and the division lead) by one game and face the hapless Seattle Seahawks (2-6) is disconcerting. Rein in the interceptions, Favre.

Today’s match-up against the Rams should be an easy win. But as Jets fans know, the easy ones are never easy for this team. (Remember the heart-breaking loss to the Oakland Raiders in Week 7?)

Meanwhile, the New York Giants (7-1) may face a roadblock in their stomp back to the Super Bowl. Eli Manning faces Donovan McNabb and the Eagles (5-3) in Philadelphia. While the Giants have been nearly flawless on the road, they are not favored to win – and the Eagles’ fight for a playoff berth may give them extra impetus to overpower Big Blue. It’s a recipe for an exciting Sunday night game.