Jets looking forward to matchup against Peyton
If you think Jets fans can't wait for Sunday's AFC title game in Indianapolis, you should feel the anticipation in the Jets' locker room. Defensive lineman Marques Douglas sounded like an advertising copywriter when asked by one TV interviewer to describe a meeting between the NFL's No. 1 defense and four-time MVP Colts quarterback Peyton Manning.
"It's going to be fun out there on Sunday," Douglas said. "It's going to be like 'Avatar hits Indianapolis' as far as people wanting to see what the talk is all about. Is this defense that good? Is Peyton Manning still on his game?"
But once he got past the TV promo, Douglas said the Jets' defense still has some questions to answer because of three or four games in which it lost a fourth-quarter lead or failed in overtime.
"For us, if we put it out there that we're No. 1, then, regardless of who we play, we should step up," Douglas said. "In our [defensive] room, we felt like we let the team down some this year. If you look at that Atlanta game, how we lost late; if you look at the Buffalo Bills game and how we lost on our home turf [in OT]. It's up to us. We're not looking for anybody else to do our jobs but us."
The Jets ended the Colts' 23-game regular-season unbeaten streak in Week 16, pulling out a 29-15 win after Manning was pulled in the third quarter to avoid injury. But Douglas said the Jets can't take much confidence from that game.
"I do know that when Peyton has lost a game, he has come back and played that much better," Douglas said. "Whenever you back him in a corner, he'll prove you differently. It's not going to be like our first game against Cincinnati. He's no Carson Palmer. For us to shut him down will be a tall order."