SAN DIEGO — Only three times before have Jets fans who have lived long enough been able to say this:
The Jets, 17-14 winners yesterday over the Chargers, are 60 minutes from the Super Bowl.
Pinch yourselves and repeat it. Go ahead. You’re allowed.
The Jets are 60 minutes from the Super Bowl.
And only Peyton Manning stands in their way.
Only Peyton Manning, standing in the way of the NFL equivalent of “Hoosiers,” a tough team, a together team, a dream team that lets a kid quarterback dream along with it.
Only Peyton Manning, standing in the way of Mark Sanchez’s improbable bid to be the first rookie quarterback to win a Super Bowl.
Sixty minutes from Namath’s place if he can overcome Peyton’s Place.
“I don’t think about it as a one-on-one matchup — I’m playing against the Colts defense,” Sanchez said.
“I’m not playing against Peyton Manning, our defense is. So I’m not comparing stats in any game. We want to win the game — that’s the most important stat.”
CBS’ DIERDORF OFF BASE ON JETS-COLTS REMATCH
Rex Ryan huffed and he puffed and he blew the Chargers down, and welcome to Fat City.
Which has fallen madly in love with Florham Park Mark.
Sanchez, who made just one mistake yesterday, or one fewer than Philip Rivers, has gone from atrocious to precocious at the most critical hour.
These fighter Jets needed Sanchez to make one big-time play yesterday, just one, and he made it.
It was Chargers 7, Jets 3, because Ryan’s defense must have seemed like 11 Smokin’ Joe Fraziers to Rivers, who threw to where he thought Antonio Gates would be, but Jim Leonhard was instead.
And just like that, Sanchez had the ball, and the season, in his hands, 16 yards from the AFC Championship Game.
Now, third-and-goal at the 2, they put it all in the rookie quarterback’s hands. Asked him to grow up and stand taller than the Empire State Building.
Sanchez rolled right, kept his eyes on the end zone.
“You gotta make sure it’s our guy or nobody,” Sanchez said.
Dustin Keller improvised, and Sanchez fired a bullet.
“We were just on the same page,” Sanchez said, “and he makes a heckuva catch. Because I put it real low, and hot, man, that ball was comin’. ”
Keller leaned slightly to his right as he fell to the ground with the lead.
Jets 10, Chargers 7.
Soon Sanchez, third-and-4 at his 40, hit Jerricho Cotchery for seven yards. The other rookie, Shonn Greene, took it from there, bowled over Eric Weddle and was gone, 53 yards to 17-7 and the AFC Championship Game. Sanchez screamed cries of joy. Then raced to join the party.
“Heckuva handoff, right?” Sanchez said, and smiled.
When it was Chargers 7, Jets 3, Sanchez (12-23, 100 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) made what looked to be the killer mistake, his first interception in four games. His second-and-14 underthrow for Edwards was deflected by Steve Gregory and intercepted by Quentin Jammer, who returned it 24 yards to the Jets 38.
“It looked like it was gonna be costly for us,” Sanchez said. “It was a poor decision. Shoulda been picked by the first guy.”
But on third-and-8, a Rivers rainbow for Vincent Jackson bounced off the receiver’s thigh, then foot, and the ever-alert Darrelle Revis corralled it while on his back.
“In games like this,” Sanchez said, “you gotta weather the storm. All the guys on offense just told me to keep playing, and don’t even sweat it.”
Sanchez vowed to keep growing his black beard.
“I’m counting my blessings,” he said, “and so thankful for the guys around me and being drafted by the Jets — them trading up. I mean, it seems like a lifetime ago that I was here last year for this game, watching Manning and Philip Rivers, and I saw the Chargers win in overtime, and I was sittin’ way up at the top, right near the scoreboard. What a special feeling.”
There was the 1968 AFL Championship Game victory over the Raiders at Shea that guaranteed Joe Namath his iconic status.
There was the 1982 AFC title game — the Mud Bowl, in Miami.
There was the 1998 playoff victory over Tom Coughlin’s Jaguars at Giants Stadium that got Bill Parcells and Vinny Testaverde to Denver — but not through Denver.
And now there is this.
Bring on Peyton Manning. Bring on the Colts indeed!
Ful-Phil-ing potential
Steelers fans are thankful Ben Roethlisberger fell into their laps in the 2004 draft. Giants fans will forever be indebted to Eli Manning. Chargers fans might yet be the biggest winners with Philip Rivers — despite yesterday’s loss to the Jets.
Rivers may be the only one of the group who doesn’t have a Super Bowl ring, but he’s making his move. Remember, he sat two years behind Drew Brees before the Chargers handed him the keys.
He’s the kind of fiery leader Giants fans wanted Manning to be from Day 1.
* Al Davis should fire Tom Cable and hire Rob Ryan. Look what the guy did with the Browns defense. Look what his brother Rex has done with the Jets.
Rex Ryan needs to find a pass rusher to take his defense to the next level. He was optimistic he could turn Vernon Gholston into Terrell Suggs, remember? Also: an Ed Reed-esque safety if Kerry Rhodes wants out and a No. 1 wide receiver if Braylon Edwards is adamant about the Jets showing him the money.
Props for Woody
Woody Johnson has more game than most Jets fans thought. The owner deserves kudos for:
1) Trusting Mike Tannenbaum with his free-agent dollars (Kris Jenkins, Alan Faneca, Damien Woody, Calvin Pace).
2) Daring to be great with the Brett Favre trade.
3) Moving swiftly to admit his mistake with Eric Mangini.
4) Hiring the right man in Rex Ryan.
5) Giving the green light on the blockbuster trade for Mark Sanchez.
6) Ignoring cries for Tannenbaum’s head.
The Giants have not cornered the football market on quality owners.