Jets have momentum, but Bengals have Palmer
Article By beichenberger.tsn on 9th January, 2010
First-round playoff games are hard enough to predict without complications like the rematch factor coming off a Week 17 meeting. Throw in the fact the New York Jets earned their playoff berth by defeating two teams -- the Cincinnati Bengals, their opponent today in the NFL's wild-card opener at Cincinnati, and the Indianapolis Colts -- that already had clinched playoff berths and decided to rest key starters and logical forecasting become almost impossible.
After celebrating a victory to make a playoffs, the Jets go hunting Bengals again.
Asked earlier this week if his team has an edge in their rematch with the Bengals, based on their 37-0 victory in the regular-season finale at Giants Stadium, Jets coach Rex Ryan shrugged and said, "I don't know. Nobody's been through this. ... I guess you'd have to ask them or somebody a lot smarter than me. I can't figure it out."
Ryan was not being totally serious. After all, this is the same guy who also said he thought the Jets should be favored to win it all. But just how unusual has this week been?
"We did all our preparation for the Bengals last week," Jets safety Jim Leonhard said. "So you feel like you are way ahead. But at the same time, you know this is a playoff game. So you have to go back and hit that film harder and try to find something new."
In a rematch in which much is uncertain, these three things are known:
Carson Palmer has solid numbers, but he wants a better outcome on Saturday.
1. The Jets have the momentum
While the AFC North champion Bengals (10-6) struggled down the stretch, losing three of their past four, the Jets won five of their past six to finish 9-7. However, the Week 16 victory at Indianapolis was tainted by coach Jim Caldwell's decision to pull several key starters, including quarterback Peyton Manning, with his team leading in the third quarter.
2. The Bengals have the better quarterback
Veteran Carson Palmer has thrown...
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