Jets/Bengals: Week 17 Deja Vu, Same Teams Meet Again

New York Jets (9-7) @ Cincinnati Bengals (10-6)

4:30 PM ET, January 09, 2010
Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, OH
TV: NBC

Over in the NFC playoffs, we have two carbon-copies of the Week 17 games. In one of the AFC Wild Card games, we get the same two teams, only the location has changed. Last week the Jets held homefield in a "win and get in" game and dismantled the Bengals 37-0. The Bengals didn't have anything to play for except momentum, so they played possum for much of the game. This week, the scene shifts back to Ohio where the Bengals hope to revive their fortunes.The Bengals have stumbled down the stretch after sprinting out of the gate, losing three of their last four. The Jets come in winning five of six.

Cincy Jungle reports on the health of one Chad Ochocinco, a player the Bengals need to come up big for a playoff win this weekend. He's been battling a gimpy knee, and soon he'll be battling Jets star CB Darrelle Revis. Not sure what he can do about Revis, but Ochocinco knows how to test an injury.

Cincy Jungle:

 In order to test the health of his recently-MRI'd left knee, Ocho used a method of testing most men would approve of:  

He had sex... And talked to the press about it.

Naturally.

When asked about his knee -- the report appears in the New York Post, surprisingly enough -- Eight Five indicated the moves he used mid-coitus gives him confidence his knee is good shape.  Joking or not, one thing's for sure:  Considering who Ochocinco will be going up against on Saturday, super-stud/cornerback supreme Darrelle Revis, he'll need his knees to be as healthy as possible.

A gimpy knee = doom against a player like Revis. 

For a complete look at the facts and figures of the game, visit here.

Over at Gang Green Nation, they're talking about comments made by Revis that Rex Ryan crying was the turning point in the season for the Jets.

Gang Green Nation doesn't buy it:

I don't mean to question Revis on what took place in the locker room, but I think viewing one moment as turning around the season might be too simplistic. I mean the Jets got killed by the Pats in the next game.

I remember an interview I saw from Derek Jeter after the World Series. A reporter asked him about the Yankees' early 2009 bumps in the road and asked whether a specific winning streak helped the team bond. Jeter said it's easy to point to wins as a turning point, but sometimes the adversity losing provides is what shows true character.

Adversity either makes people stronger or destroys them. The same concept applies to teams. Last year's team folded when faced with it. This year's team came out and became stronger as a result of all of the heartbreaking defeats.

Ryan's not crying now, in fact, he's crowing a bit as he labels the Jets as favorites for a Super Bowl run.