Is ground-and-pound turning into Air Ryan?

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - With the game on the line, it was Mark Sanchez's arm that sparked the Jets' comeback against the Dolphins.

With the Jets trailing 17-14 midway through the third quarter, Sanchez dropped back near the 25-yard line and threw a pass to the left sideline. There he found Braylon Edwards, who spun around a slipping defender and scampered 67 yards into the end zone.

The week before that, Sanchez outshined New England's Tom Brady with his three touchdown passes and 21 completions - both career highs.

Looks as though Rex Ryan's "ground-and-pound" has given way to the air show.

Predictable as it may have been, the Jets' running game seemed unstoppable last season, thanks to the combination of former Jet Thomas Jones and rookie Shonn Greene. The Jets rushed 607 times and passed 393 times in the regular season en route to the playoffs.

The Jets currently have the ninth-best rushing attack in the NFL and a passing attack ranked No. 26. But their ground game has been overshadowed by an effective passing offense sparked by Sanchez's burgeoning confidence and the emergence of tight end Dustin Keller, who has 15 catches for 226 yards and three touchdowns. In the past three games, the Jets have rushed 82 times and thrown the ball 79 times.

With so many weapons, including wide receivers Edwards and Jerricho Cotchery, the Jets would be foolish not to expand their repertoire. And once Santonio Holmes completes his four-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy, the Jets receiving corps will be even more dangerous.

But that doesn't mean the Jets are abandoning their ground game.

"The last couple of weeks, we've thrown the heck out of the ball and done well with it," said Sanchez, who has yet to throw an interception. "This could be the week, or it might not be. Hopefully . . . we're in a playoff game and we have to rush for 300 yards in the cold, in the snow or something. That's the way we feel. We want to be balanced, but I wouldn't sleep on our running game. It's pretty tough."

But not as tough as last season. At least not yet.

Greene, who was touted as the Jets' No. 1 back in training camp, has run for only 106 yards and zero touchdowns on 30 carries, averaging 3.5 yards per carry. LaDainian Tomlinson has done markedly better, rushing for 208 yards and a touchdown on 37 carries.

"This year, we are doing some different things, so I'm not seeing the ball that much," Greene said.

Coach Rex Ryan entered the season looking to have a more balanced approach on offense, but the Jets may have moved a little more toward the pass than he likes.

"With the guys that we added . . . we should have an outstanding offense," he said. "We can do more than just run the ball at you, but if you ask my preference, I'd just assume run it."

Sunday might be the day the Jets decide to lean heavily on their ground game. Buffalo's defensive line will be vulnerable without inside linebacker Andra Davis (shoulder) and defensive end Marcus Stroud (ankle), who have been ruled out. The Jets could take the same approach New England did last week against the Bills: put multiple receivers on the field and run the ball against Buffalo's nickel and dime packages. The Patriots rushed for 96 of their 200 yards on 14 runs against the nickel during their 38-30 win.

"They are a fast-flowing defense," Greene said. "I think with our zone running scheme, if we can get them running one way, then it's going to be a lot of cutbacks, a lot of open field."

So don't judge the Jets' running game just yet, Greene said.

"The more [attempts] we get, the better off we'll be," he said. "I think this game against Buffalo is going to be a good test for that. I think we are going to get a lot of carries between the both of us and be able to exploit that."