NFL

Playoffs still in sight for Jets

There’s a palpable energy surrounding the Jets now, one that’s been buoyed by possibilities that seemed preposterous to fathom just three weeks ago.

Having won their third consecutive game with Sunday’s 26-3 rout of the Buccaneers in Tampa, the Jets now find themselves entrenched in the AFC playoff race with three games remaining in the regular season.

The Jets have gone from an inconsistent, mistake-prone 4-6 team headed toward bitter disappointment after a 3-0 start to 7-6 and tied with the Dolphins, Ravens and Jaguars for the second AFC wildcard spot.

They survived Sunday in Tampa without starting quarterback Mark Sanchez, who stayed home to rehab his sprained right knee.

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Although coach Rex Ryan yesterday stopped short of pronouncing Sanchez as ready to go this week, deferring to seeing how tomorrow’s practice goes, he did say: “I feel good about him playing.”

The quest for a season-high fourth consecutive win begins with Sunday’s home game against the 6-7 Falcons, who have been struggling without their starting quarterback Matt Ryan and starting running back Michael Turner. Both are question marks entering this week’s game.

The next task after Atlanta comes on the road against the undefeated Colts and then the regular season finale against the 9-4 Bengals at Giants Stadium on Jan. 3. It’s not an easy road, but there are some potential factors that might help the Jets. The Colts have already clinched the home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and could rest some of their top players — most notably Peyton Manning.

The X-factor is how important remaining undefeated is to the Colts.

By the time the finale against Cincinnati comes, it’s likely the Bengals will already be slotted in with the No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs, meaning they won’t need the win and could rest their top players.

So it’s all in front of the Jets, who have a very good chance at making the playoffs if they win out and get to 10-6, although they are hamstrung by some bad tiebreaker scenarios, having lost twice to the Dolphins, once to the Jaguars and have a weak conference record compared to their competitors.

When asked about his team’s playoff outlook, Ryan, speaking sarcastically as a shot to the many who wrote the Jets off three weeks ago, said: “It’s improbable right now. That’s the way we will approach it right now.”

Ryan’s tone was saturated with sarcasm after the game when he called out a report he saw when the team was struggling a few weeks ago that stated: “Instead of J-E-T-S, it’s M-E-S-S.”

“I don’t think so,” Ryan said. “Our stance is we believe we’re going to win every game.”

Some in the Jets’ locker room, still stung by their fast start ruined by a series of self-inflicted-wound losses, look the other way when you ask them about the tantalizing playoff possibilities.

Others are more realistic and truthful about the fact that they’re fired up about the opportunity.

Safety Jim Leonhard, for example, conceded that it’s “just human nature” to look at the three remaining games, the other teams involved and the possible scenarios that could play out.

“Obviously, you are kind of peeking to see what the possibilities are,” Leonhard said. “You’re going to kind of look ahead and see the situations that can unfold.”

Leonhard said there’s a belief in the locker room that winning out is their only chance at making it into the postseason.

“Whether that’s the way it plays out or not, we feel like we need to win the next three games,” he said.

“We obviously know we sit in a great position now, but if we don’t beat Atlanta, then it doesn’t really matter what happens the rest of the season,” running back Thomas Jones said.

“We’re motivated and have put ourselves in a better situation so that we can start talking again about the playoff race and the things we can do,” left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson said. “At this point, we’re excited about the opportunities that are ahead of us. These last three weeks have been positive for us and it will give us the momentum we need for the next three weeks. We have some very tough opponents, but I definitely think we can overcome them.”

mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com