Boone: Jets turning their fortunes around

Some think the Jets must be walking around with a rabbit's foot, horseshoe and four-leaf clover in each pocket given their recent rash of games that have had more dips and turns than anything this side of Six Flags.

Off to their best start since 1986, the Jets have loudly let it be known they aren't keen on all that lucky talk, however. They prefer to point to other reasons they're winning games that come down to the last play.

"Maturity," Jerricho Cotchery said. "Guys, especially the veterans, have been through hard times. We know why we didn't win those games last year and we're learning from those mistakes."

They've also been given help in some instances, though they have done things to aid their fortunes.

Santonio Holmes and Mark Sanchez made that 24-20 win over the Broncos in Denver in Week 6 happen with a little improv on fourth-and-6 from the Broncos' 48, and Holmes drew a pass interference on Renaldo Hill to set up LaDainian Tomlinson's 2-yard score with 1:13 left.

But two weeks ago, if Lions coach Jim Schwartz doesn't have backup quarterback Drew Stanton attempt a play-action rollout pass on third-and-6 from the Lions' 38 with 1:46 left and Detroit leading 20-17, the Jets probably never get the chance to tie it in regulation and win it in overtime on Nick Folk's 30-yard field goal.

Even the Jets were amazed by the Lions' unbelievable play-call.

Cleveland was a willing accomplice on Sunday as well, going with an in-between approach backed up against its own goal line late in overtime. With 1:35 left, the ball at their own 3 and the Jets having only one timeout, the Browns tried to pass on two of their three plays, stopping the clock on an incomplete pass and a timeout. Without that assistance, the Jets likely would have posted their first tie since 1988 because there would not have been enough time for Sanchez to hit Holmes for a 37-yard touchdown on a slant.

Here's the hook, though: The Jets are winning these games, the same kind they were burned in excruciating fashion a season ago when they piled up last-minute losses.

Remember Ronnie Brown's 2-yard plunge with six seconds left, giving the Dolphins a 31-27 win on Monday Night Football?

What about that heady play by Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew, when with less than two minutes remaining and the Jets leading by a point, he took a knee at the 1-yard line because he knew the Jets were out of timeouts. Josh Scobee booted a 21-yard game-winning field goal as time expired.

And no one can forget that stinker against the Falcons, a loss that typifies the maddening games the Jets have twisted around in their favor. That's when Matt Ryan tossed a 6-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tony Gonzalez on fourth down with 1:48 to play, a defensive breakdown that had Rex Ryan thinking the Jets' playoff hopes were mathematically finished.

We can twist the wheel on the "what if " game all day, spinning it until we've gone through every possible scenario. The only sensible way to look at it is this: The Jets are finding ways to get it done, a fact that's become more obvious with each nail-gnawing week.