Jets looking to beat stuffing out of 2-8 Bengals

Take care of business.

This is the Jets’ mantra tonight when they play the struggling Bengals at the Meadowlands.

A win over 2-8 Cincinnati and the Jets will bring a bold 9-2 record to New England for their Dec. 6 AFC East showdown with the Patriots, who play today at Detroit also trying to get to 9-2.

Though the Bengals have lost their last seven games after a 2-1 start, and despite the fact they were outscored 42-3 at home by the Bills to end a 49-31 loss on Sunday, the danger of the Jets looking past Cincinnati is real because the Patriots loom next.

But the Bengals, who are loaded with individual talent, have lost six of those seven games by a total of 33 points, so they haven’t been getting blown out.

Here’s how we see the game breaking down:

MARQUEE MATCHUP

Jets CB Darrelle Revis vs. Bengals WR Terrell Owens. The two are in the midst of a mini-feud since Revis called Owens a “slouch’’ in an offseason TV interview. In two games last season Revis held Owens to only six catches for 46 yards. But Owens (62 catches, eight touchdowns) is having a standout season.

SLOW RUN

The Jets have allowed two 100-yard rushers in 29 games under Rex Ryan, and one of them came from Bengals RB Cedric Benson, who gained 169 yards in last season’s playoff meeting. Benson, who has 747 rushing yards this season, can be a key to victory for Cincinnati, which is 29-2 under coach Marvin Lewis when one of its rushers runs 25 or more times.

TIGHT SPOT

The Jets, who have had trouble covering opposing tight ends (see Houston’s Joel Dreessen on Sunday), are very wary of Bengals first-round draft pick Jermaine Gresham, who leads NFL rookies with 42 receptions. This will fall heavily on Jets safeties Jim Leonhard and Eric Smith, as well as the linebackers.

BREAK OUT THE

DEFIBRILLATORS

After their succession of heart-stopping wins (two in overtime before Sunday’s last-second thriller) what could the Jets have in store for their fans tonight? Clearly, as it was last week, the focus is for the offense to get off to a fast start. If the Jets win the toss, don’t be surprised to see Rex Ryan take the ball first rather than defer like he usually does, in an effort to spark his offense.

DEAD ZONE

The Jets, quite simply, have been abysmal in the red zone, scoring only 13 touchdowns in 33 chances on offense (ranked 30th in the NFL) and allowing 16 touchdowns on 27 opponents’ chances on defense (ranked 24th). This has been an Achilles’ heel.

RYAN AIR?

The Bengals’ secondary is ravaged with injuries, making it potentially vulnerable on the back side. Mark Sanchez has thrown for 299 or more yards in the last three games. Look for the Jets to air it out a bit against the Bengals, particularly if Cincinnati, which ranks 23rd defending the run, stacks the box like most teams do.

KILLIN’ TIME

The Bengals have the fewest sacks in the NFL (10), so their pass rush is obviously lacking. Sanchez could have a lot of time to throw.

TURNING TIDE

One of the keys tonight for the Jets is not to give the downtrodden Bengals any added hope by turning the ball over — a la RB Shonn Greene’s fumble in the fourth quarter last week. Since Lewis’ arrival in 2003, the Bengals are third in the NFL in turnover ratio at plus-38. They have a 39-8-1 record when winning the turnover battle. The Bengals, who are minus-2 this season, are 7-40 in games in which they lose the turnover battle. The Jets are plus-5 this season.

FOE FACT

The Bengals lead the NFL in fourth-down conversions, having made 9 of 10 attempts.

JETS FACT

The Jets’ defense has only five interceptions this season, the second fewest in the NFL.

CANNIZZARO’S CALL

The Jets have had enough wakeup calls against inferior teams. Look for them to come out fast tonight, get up on the Bengals and break their already fragile will, and run away with this one.