In a New York minute

What I love about the NFL playoffs is the fact that even the biggest so-called experts can’t tell you what’s going to happen. I mean, did anybody give the Vikings a chance on Sunday? How about the Jets?

Will anyone give the Jets a chance this week? Probably not. But why couldn’t they beat the Colts? They took down the Chargers, who had scored at least 20 points in every game this season. They confused Philip Rivers, who was playing as well as any quarterback in the second half of the season. Offensively, the Jets play smashmouth football and have a quarterback that simply manages the game. He makes the throws when they’re there, doesn’t when they’re not and minimizes his mistakes.

As a Patriots fan, I’m legally supposed to loathe the guys in green and white and have a pure hatred for Rex Ryan. But I don’t. Personally, this team reminds me of the first Patriots championship team, when Tom Brady was in his first season as a starter.

Now, Tom Brady did a lot more for those Patriots than Mark Sanchez does for these Jets, but they both play a very schematic defense that is based on speed and toughness. I can see them going into Indy and – much like the Pats did to the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI – containing the Colts.

New York will need a couple of big plays, say, maybe an interception return from Darrelle Revis, and another long TD run from either Shonn Greene or Thomas Jones, and it could be another missed chance for Peyton and the gang.