The narrative regarding the New York Jets this season has been that of a comedic franchise that can’t get out of its own way. The Jets stumble around, get blown out by good teams, and play good enough defense against bad teams to win some ugly games. This narrative has some truth to it: The Jets were embarrassed at home this season by the 49ers, Patriots, and worst of all, the Dolphins.

However, there are some moments where the team has risen up to defy expectations. The Indianapolis Colts have been busy being media darlings because of their rookie quarterback and their unique head coach situation (G-d bless Chuck), but back in Week 6, the Jets laid a severe beatdown on the upstart franchise. And that was just a week after Indy’s season-defining win over Green Bay.

The Jets also won by two touchdowns in St. Louis in Week 11. The Rams are a mediocre team, but they’ve managed to defeat Washington, Seattle, and San Francisco in their building.

Gang Green won both of those big games by doing what it does best. It played solid defense and kept the ball out of Mark Sanchez’s hands. This strategy would probably work better if the Jets had just one above-average halfback on their roster, but considering the quarterback situation, it will have to make do.

This past Sunday, the GROUND AND POUND™ was on display once again. Sanchez threw 19 passes, and Bilal Powell and Shonn Greene combined for 39 rushes. The defense held the Jaguars to 3.9 yards per pass attempt, and the Jets churned out another victory to get to 6-7. That’s just one game behind the Bengals and Steelers for the last playoff spot in the AFC.

Thanks to a head-to-head loss to Pittsburgh earlier in the season, the Jets need the Steelers to lose two games in order to pass them in the playoff race, but it is possible. I’ve laid out below my plan that all Jets fans should follow to get their team into the playoffs.

But wait! Is the Jets getting into the playoffs really a good thing? Do we really need Rex Ryan and Mike Tannenbaum thinking that they did something right this season? We don’t, but like Mike Francesa said yesterday, the Jets brass will convince themselves that everything is rosy either way, and Woody Johnson is married to Mark Sanchez. You might as well just hope for the Jets to make the playoffs and have fun with it. Here’s the plan:

• Everyone will hate you for it, but you have to root for the (BLEH) Cowboys this Sunday against the Steelers. Pittsburgh plays Cleveland in the last game of the season, so they probably need to drop their next two in order for the Jets to sneak past them.
• Go down to Philly and join the demons down there in their green lust party this Thursday night as the Eagles take on Cincinnati. You’ll probably get along because Eagles fans hate their team almost has much as you hate yours. The Birds have looked miserable this season, but they showed some life last week in a road upset against Tampa Bay, so a win versus Cincinnati isn’t totally out of the question.
• In Week 16, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati play each other. Remember, Pittsburgh has the head-to-head tiebreaker, so you hate them more. Go Bengals!
• If the Steelers lose to both Dallas and Cincy, then congratulations, you don’t need to pray for a Browns victory in Week 17.
• I’m not 100% sure, but I’m pretty sure the Jets would lose a common games tiebreaker to the Bengals if the orange and black attack goes 2-1 over their last three. Just to be safe, root for the Ravens in Week 17. Baltimore just choked away a game in Washington, so they might actually have something to play for in that game!
• Oh, last part. Just a tiny little detail here. The Jets need to win the rest of their games, starting on Monday night in Tennessee. What could possibly go wrong?

Hope you liked the plan, Jets fans. You can follow me on Twitter @apy5000.