EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — After a stunning win last weekend that had some players and coaches tearing up during the celebration, the New York Jets are back in the playoff picture.
At 7-5, they're the sixth seed as a wild card in the AFC race. To stay there, they've got to beat the Tennessee Titans, who are a lowly 3-9 but are coming off a 42-39 slugfest victory over Jacksonville.
Beware the dreaded trap game?
"We're not a good enough team to overlook anybody," Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick insisted. 'We've got to treat everyone like it's the playoffs. We're in the playoffs right now trying to win each week. I don't think you'll see, hear or feel that out of our team at all."
Coach Todd Bowles texts with Hall of Famer and mentor Bill Parcells on a weekly basis. After the Jets' 23-20 overtime win over the Giants, Parcells sent Bowles a message about possibly needing to coach his team even harder this week against what many would consider a lesser opponent.
Parcells, after all, would sometimes hang mousetraps in the locker room to remind his players not to fall into a false sense of security and to not "take the cheese."
"I understand what he's saying, and to a point you buy it, but to a point you have to be consistent with your team and do the same things that you've been doing," Bowles said. "We don't look at any game as a trap game. We look at it as the next game, so we just have to take care of us."
The Jets are looking for their first three-game winning streak since 2011, but will have to do it against the Titans and rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota.
New York still has questions about its long-term future at quarterback despite a big year from Fitzpatrick. The Jets might have had a shot at drafting Mariota at No. 1 or No. 2 overall, if not for two wins in the last four games of Rex Ryan's tenure with the Jets.
"I was very fortunate to be picked by the Tennessee Titans and that's all I could have ever asked for," Mariota said.
And he can help play spoiler against the Jets at MetLife Stadium. Meanwhile, the Titans are looking for consecutive wins for the first time since the last two games of the 2013 regular season.
"Getting a win back to back, I think that'd be great," Titans tight end Delanie Walker said.
Here are some other things to know heading into the Titans-Jets matchup:
MARIOTA AND MANNING: Mariota tied Peyton Manning as the only rookie quarterbacks to throw three TD passes in four games, and now Mariota has four games left to try to top Manning.
He's also seven touchdown passes behind the rookie mark for TD passes held by Manning and Russell Wilson at 26. Mariota says such marks don't mean much to him.
DYNAMIC DUO: With 22 TD passes, Fitzpatrick is on pace to shatter his career high of 24 in a single season — and top Vinny Testaverde's franchise mark of 29.
A big reason has been the play of Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker this season. Marshall, who became the first player in NFL history to reach 1,000 yards receiving with four teams, has caught 83 passes for 1,062 yards and 10 TDs, while Decker has 59 catches for 801 yards and eight scores. Marshall needs 11 receptions to break Al Toon's single-season franchise mark of 93, set in 1988.
REVIS ISLAND OPEN?: Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis returned to practice Thursday on a limited basis for the first time since suffering a concussion on Nov. 22 at Houston. He has missed two games with the injury, but could be back Sunday if he completes the NFL's concussion protocol in time. Either way, the Titans are preparing for Revis.
"I hope he gets healthy soon," Mariota said. "If he's out there Sunday, we're going to need to be at our best."
RUN PRODUCTION: The Jets feature the NFL's stingiest defense against the run, and the Titans are coming off their best rushing performance since Nov. 23, 2009, running for 210 yards in their win over Jacksonville.
That was keyed by Mariota's 87-yard TD sprint, which was the fifth-longest run in franchise history and the third longest since 1960 by an NFL quarterback.
WATCH WALKER: Walker has a career-best 67 catches for 800 yards, and is four receptions from topping Frank Wycheck's franchise mark for tight ends of 70 set in 1998 and tied in 2000. Yet Walker, who leads all tight ends in catches this season, isn't in the Top 10 in fan voting for the Pro Bowl. He is looking for his first selection.
"That I show up week to week and try to play as best as I can, that's basically what it means," Walker said. "It might help me out, too, to get an extension."
