Jets vow to keep focus in meaningless finale

They've already sewn up a playoff spot and have little to gain.

Many of their key contributors will spend most of their time sporting knitted ski caps and coats rather than helmets and chin straps. Quarterback Mark Sanchez won't play long and Buffalo's starter, Ryan Fitzpatrick, might not be able to go because of a sore knee, meaning they could wind up facing backup quarterback Brian Brohm, a guy whose only NFL start came last year at Atlanta.

Welcome to the preseason, Week 17-style.

The Jets' matchup with the AFC East cellar-dwelling Bills (4-11) at New Meadowlands Stadium this afternoon is basically a glorified preseason game, but they say it's not all that hard to have the right mental approach.

"It's real easy - this is what we do," linebacker Jason Taylor said. "We are professional football players, and when they plug the scoreboard in, we plan on winning.

"Obviously, the circumstances and the situation will get to be a little different from a personnel standpoint. But at the end of the day, when they spend the power to plug the board in, you want to win."

Still, there's not much incentive to beat the Bills.

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As things stand heading into today's action, the Jets (10-5) sit as the sixth seed and still have a slight chance of climbing to No. 5. For that to happen, they must first beat the Bills (4-11). The Ravens (11-4) would have to beat the Bengals (4-11) and the Steelers (11-4) would have to lose to the Browns (5-10).

So other than the outside possibility of moving up one spot in seeding and collecting an 11th win for only the third time in franchise history, there's no reason for the Jets to go all out.

"We're going out there to try and win the game, first off," Rex Ryan said. "Is it a kick-start to the playoffs? I guess it is the last game we play, so you're trying to go out there and get some things done. Will we do some things that maybe we haven't done? Yes, absolutely. We may try some things getting ready for the playoffs, even looking at different personnel."

Which is why Sanchez likely will get a quick hook.

"We'll see how it goes," Ryan said. "I just want to get him out there. The main thing is to stay in that routine, the preparation, and then get out there and get that blood flowing. I don't believe it will be long."

It'll be long enough to try to get some sort of rhythm going. That way, the guys on offense can feel good about themselves as they turn their attention to their postseason journey.

"You definitely want to end it on a good note, playing our best football at this time," LaDainian Tomlinson said. "So you want the momentum of winning the game and also, it's a dress rehearsal, make sure you are covering everything you need to do at this time to be ready to go for next week."

Tomlinson, who is 86 yards shy of rushing for 1,000, at some point will get the chance to sit back and watch running back Joe McKnight, the rookie who's still trying to work his way back into the staff's good graces.

Ryan expects the Jets' fourth-round pick, who made his pro debut against Buffalo in Week 5, to get plenty of playing time because the coaches want to get a good look at him.

McKnight has mostly been known for his vomiting episodes in minicamp, failing the conditioning test before training camp, and fumbling the ball and playing tentatively in the preseason.

He initially drew the ire of the coaches for his lack of desire and professionalism, but he now has been active for seven straight games.

"He decided that he wanted to be a football player and sometimes, I'll tell you, the bench is the best thing for it," Ryan said. "He's been a star all his life. You put him on the bench, [saying], 'Well, you're not ready, kid.' Then he says, 'You know what? I'm going to show the coaches. I'm going to show everybody.' That's what he did.

"He's just kind of earning his stripes a little bit right now."

And nearly popping out of his skin knowing he's probably going to get the ball often Sunday.

"It's a real good chance for me to redeem myself from the beginning and go back out and show the coaches that I can play," McKnight said. "So that's what I'm looking forward to. The only thing we have to do and I have to do is just calm down and be consistent the whole game.

"I've still got a lot of stuff to make up for. If everything goes well this game, then I can say I broke the ice."