The talk from the Jets this week leading into today’s awaited rematch against the Dolphins at Giants Stadium has focused less on bravado and more on redemption.
The 31-27 Monday Night Football loss in Miami three weeks ago still is fresh in the minds of the Jets, who repeatedly have referred to their defensive performance in the South Florida heat (21 points allowed in the fourth quarter) as “embarrassing” and “humiliating.”
“If they do it again to us, they deserve it and I’ll bow down and say they’re the better team,” linebacker Bart Scott said. “But my job is to try and knock them out of the playoffs so they can start getting their U-Haul trucks ready.”
Indeed, this is a second chance for the 4-3 Jets to drive a stake through the 2-4 Dolphins’ playoff hopes. Three weeks ago, Miami saved its season with a victory that still irks the Jets, who believe they gave that game away.
“What they did against us last time was embarrassing, and defensively we want redemption,” linebacker Calvin Pace said.
“This is very, very big,” safety Kerry Rhodes said. “Being 4-4 and 5-3 are very different going into our bye [next week]. Besides the fact that it’s a division game, we’ve already lost to them once so we think about tiebreakers and everything else down the line. It’s a must-win for us.”
Here’s a look at how the Jets can attain redemption today:
BEST MATCHUP
Jets wide receivers Jerricho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards vs. Dolphins cornerbacks Sean Smith and Vontae Davis. Cotchery is back after missing the last two weeks and will be paired with Edwards for first time while healthy. Both Miami corners are rookies, with Davis taking over for injured Will Allen.
ON THIRD THOUGHT
The Jets’ No. 1 goal in the game is to put Miami’s offense in third-and-long situations. The Dolphins are No. 1 in the NFL in third-down conversions (a 53.8-percent success rate) because their running game is so proficient they often are left in third-and-short situations that are easier to convert.
WILD SIDE
The Dolphins will force-feed their Wildcat formation on the Jets defense, which couldn’t stop it in the first meeting. Miami ran 15 plays out of the Wildcat in the last meeting — 14 runs for 91 yards and one pass for 21 yards. It’s critical for the Jets’ front seven to stay in containment, get off blocks and gang-tackle running backs Ronnie Brown (491 rushing yards) and Ricky Williams (396). There were a lot of missed tackles in the last game.
ANOTHER 300?
What do the Jets have in store for an encore with their running game after becoming the first team since 1975 to rush for 300 yards in consecutive games? The Jets own the No. 1 rushing offense in the league (184.9 yards per game) and Miami owns the No. 4-ranked rushing defense (allowing 86.7 yards per game). Something has to give here.
THROW IT UP
Mark Sanchez wasn’t asked to do a lot last week, throwing only 15 times. Because Miami’s run defense is more stout than Oakland’s, Sanchez will have to make some big plays in the passing game for the Jets to win. He felt as if he played his best game as a pro against Miami, so that confidence could be a factor.
JETS FACT
The Jets have fumbled 13 times this season but lost only three of them.
FOE FACT
The 73 points the Dolphins have allowed in the fourth quarter this season is almost half of total points they have allowed (152).
NUMBER TO KNOW
152. Points the Jets have scored this season and the number of points the Dolphins have allowed.
mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com