Rex Ryan was more than adamant that his New York Jets were a Super Bowl favorite as soon as they made the playoffs in Week 17. Against the Chargers, as +325 underdogs, the Jets banked on three missed field goals Nate Kaeding and a solid running game. The defense showed up in droves to stunt the Chargers’ offense holding them to nearly half of their regular season average. Now Ryan, who had the gall to put the Super Bowl parade on the Jets’ playoff calendar, is looking more less like a puff pastry, and more like a prophet.

The Chargers were supposed to have reached their evolutionary apex in this game. An offense comprised of Rivers, Jackson, Gates, Sproles and LDT had been together for years, consistently ranking in the top-3 when it came to scoring offense. Even the embittered Norv Turner seemed confoundedly relaxed in the pre-game. This was supposed to be the year that San Diego went to the promised land.

Yet it was two rookies, Mark Sanchez and Shonn Greene, and a rookie head coach that made sure that the Chargers’ post-season futility became an NFL playoff betting trend for the ages. Since the turn of the century, San Diego has gone 3-5 SU in the post season having never advanced farther than the AFC Championship game. Sanchez did his part, returning to his home town state doing just enough to keep the Chargers’ defense off-balance. He threw 12-of-23 for just 100 yards but added a touchdown, as well as an interception.

The Jets vaunted running game was powered by Greene and the veteran Thomas Jones, who combined for 169 yards and a touchdown against a San Diego defense that had been suspiciously deficient against the run.

The Chargers will now be entrenched with questions and a likely roster overhaul. Rivers, Gates and Jackson are safe but Darren Sproles is likley trade bait and the fate of LaDanian Tomlinson, who will be 31 this summer, remains uncertain. Many backs lose a step this late in their career, but Tomlinson has lost many steps. It was evident on Sunday when he averaged 2.0 yards per carry. Kaeding is a dead man as far as San Diego is concerned.

And then there’s Norv. The Chargers may see this turn of events as a changing of the guard. The front office blasted Marty Schottenheimer for not being able to “win the big one”. So where does that leave Norv? Most likely with a very similar fate.

The incredible success of the Jets against the NFL football odds experts and the favorites hasn’t come without irony. The Chargers GM, A.J. Smith, was beaten by offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, whose father Marty he had fired and replaced with Norv Turner. The aforementioned Kaeding had been the NFL’s most reliable kicker before shanking three field-goals in a three-point loss. Sanchez was even in attendance in last year’s playoff loss by the Chargers.


Even more coincidental is the fact that the Colts and Bengals both benched starters in the final two weeks of the regular season to allow the Jets in to the playoffs. The Bengals have already been bitten in the ass by the Jets. Could the Colts be next?

It’s hard to imagine. Early on, my thoughts on the Colts-Jets is that “revenge” is a dish best served with a cold serving of ass-whopping by the most reliable team in the league.
Inexplicably, we’re looking at the berth of a new era in New York as Sanchez and Greene, along with an incredible defense, have put the hopes of the Jets betting bandwagon on their backs. And it’s a huge bandwagon now. The Jets are 7-1 SU/ATS in their last 8 games and head to Indy we’re they’re 6-3 ATS on the road. The line will be huge because – let’s face it – it’s one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time playing against a kid, but if there’s any team that can return huge dividends as a Super Bowl XLIV underdog, it’s the Jets.

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