As simply as it can be stated, Jim Leonhard laid out the stunning opportunity that the Jets have before them in Sunday’s win-and-they’re-in game against the Bengals at Giants Stadium.
“This is the Super Bowl right now for us,” Leonhard, the Jets safety, said yesterday. “We can’t lose. There’s no B.S. like, ‘We need to win and this needs to happen.’ Win and you’re in. That’s it.
“That’s all you can ask for — to control your own destiny. With all the things we went through this season to be in this position, we can’t ask for anything more. If we don’t go out there and perform this week, that’s on us.
“We need to win this game more than anything this year. I think we’ll respond to this challenge.”
So does Rex Ryan, who’s almost bubbling over with passion and emotion at the thought of leading his team — a team that lost six of seven games in the middle of the season and was pronounced dead — into the playoffs as a rookie head coach with a rookie quarterback.
REX WENT FROM JOKE TO GENIUS IN A WEEK
“We’re right there — ‘Alive and Kicking,’ like the Simple Minds song,” Ryan said. “So here we go. I think every team wants to be in the situation where you control your own destiny. To have the opportunity to actually play the last game of the season with everything riding on it in front of your fans . . . I think most teams would take that, sign up for that opportunity.”
With a win over the 10-5 Bengals, winners of the AFC North, the 8-7 Jets would secure the No. 5 seed and most likely play the Bengals, who with a loss to the Jets are almost assured of being the No. 4 seed.
If the Jets lose to the Bengals, there are no more miraculous outside forces that can save them; they’d be eliminated.
“That’s where we’re at right now,” Ryan said. “We’ll be the fifth seed if we win the game. If we don’t, we’re out. That’s math I can figure out.”
What no one — other than Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis — can figure out is how much Cincinnati will play its starters. That puts this game in a very similar light to Sunday’s game against the Colts, when Peyton Manning and his top receivers were pulled in the third quarter.
While Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis acknowledged, “We’re getting a lot of Christmas presents . . . after Christmas,” he added, “If that’s what they want to do [sit starters], that’s on them. We’ve still got to play.
“With how everything has gone for us this year, this is probably the best scenario we can have,” Revis said. “We’re trying to win this game to get to the playoffs and the best way to go out is with a bang.
“We have a lot of momentum, the crowd is going to be in it and we’re going to try to make it miserable for the Cincinnati Bengals.”
Jets linebacker Bart Scott said he “could care less” about whom the Bengals have on the field Sunday, he just wants to make the playoffs.
“All we ever asked for is to get into the tournament and now here we are, it’s right in front of us,” Scott said. “What are we going to do with that opportunity?”
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Jets playoff scenarios
If the Jets beat the Bengals Sunday, they will be locked into the No. 5 seed as a wild-card in the playoffs. If they lose, they’re eliminated from the playoffs regardless of any other scenarios.
If they win, it’s highly likely they’ll play the Bengals in a wild-card game in Cincinnati.
With a loss to the Jets, the Bengals are a virtual lock to be the No. 4 seed.
If the Bengals (10-5) and Patriots (10-5 entering a game against the Texans) finish tied at 10-6, the Patriots will almost certainly get the No. 3 seed based on a strength of victory tiebreaker.
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Been here before
Sunday’s showdown vs. the Bengals will mark the 11th time in their history the Jets will enter their final game of the regular season needing a win to get into the playoffs. Here’s how they’ve fared:
1981 vs. Packers: W, 28-3. Clinch first playoff berth since 1969
1985 vs. Browns: W, 37-10. Finish 11-5 and clinch their third playoff spot in five years
1991 at Dolphins: W, 23-20 (OT). Bruce Coslet’s lone playoff team
1993 at Oilers: L, 24-0. Buddy Ryan punches out Kevin Gilbride on the Oilers’ sideline. End of Coslet era
1997 at Lions: L, 13-10. Leon Johnson halfback pass mars loss
2000 at Ravens: L, 34-20. Blowing 14-0 lead to end brief Al Groh era
2001 at Raiders: W, 24-22. John Hall kicks game-winner from 53 yards
2002 vs. Packers: W, 42-17. Scoreboard shows Pats had beaten Dolphins on a miracle comeback
2004 at Rams: L, 32-29 (OT). Still snuck in because Steelers beat Bills
2006 vs. Raiders: W, 23-3. Shining moment of the Mangini era
mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com