For the record: The Jets are 5-4 (tied for second place in the AFC East). The Broncos are 4-5 (tied for second place in the AFC West).

Who’s hot: The Jets were burned by the Tom Brady- led Patriots on Sunday night, but defense still is the Jets’ strength. The Jets are in the NFL’s top 10 in total defense and pass defense. The Jets have 13 interceptions and six fumble recoveries.

Who’s not: The Jets’ running game. They’re averaging only 98.1 yards rushing, ranking 24th in the 32-team league. Running backs Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson have combined for only three rushing touchdowns.

Key stat: The Broncos and Jets have allowed 23 sacks each this season. Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez was sacked five times Sunday by the Patriots. Denver’s defense ranks eighth in the league with 24 sacks.

FYI: This is the third meeting between the Broncos and Jets in four seasons. The Broncos won 34-17 at the Meadowlands in 2008. The Jets won 24-20 in Denver last year. The Broncos are 16-15-1 in regular- season games against the Jets.

Coachspeak: “We were wanting this game in the worst way. But you’re not going to beat New Eng- land, you’re not going to beat many teams, when you make the mistakes that we made.” — New York coach Rex Ryan, after the Jets committed three turnovers in their 37-16 loss to the Patriots

Lindsay H. Jones, The Denver Post

Having already beaten melanoma in 1968 and ‘80, and another form of the disease earlier this year, the 80-year-old Ryan said this was “less serious” except that “whenever you go under anesthesia, you never know what’s going to happen.” So he told doctors to postpone the operation until he returns from the Meadowlands to see Rob and the Cowboys play against Rex and the Jets. He said he’ll fly to New York on Friday and will return to his home in Kentucky on Monday.

“They said to go ahead and go,” Ryan said during a telephone interview. “I’ve got to be able to do something” while waiting for the operation.

Rob Ryan said his dad’s approach to fighting the disease is typical.

“That’s just the way he is,” he said. “This is a big thing for him, a big thing for the Ryans. He’s just about the only guy that’s beaten cancer about every time. He’s been through it about four or five times. I’m sure the prognosis is great for him because he always wins.”

He said his father’s illness will be more motivation than distraction.

“All he taught us is ‘Do the job,’” Rob said. “That’s the way he is, so it’s not that difficult. Obviously, (we’re) praying a lot for him and things have to go well because that’s what it is. But he raised us to do the job. Whatever we do, we’re going to be the best at it — and that’s what we are.”

From Jets camp, Rex added: “It’s going to be great having him here. I know this is huge for him. He’s looked forward to it for a long time.”

Buddy Ryan was as outspoken and boisterous as his boys are, a persona he could back up with his team’s success on the field.

He was defensive coordinator of two renowned Super Bowl champions, the Joe Namath-led Jets who pulled off the huge upset in 1969, and the 1985 Bears who ran his 46 defense to perfection. He is also known for throwing a punch at the offensive coordinator while he was running the Oilers’ defense. Ryan also had entertaining stints as the head coach of the Eagles and the Cardinals.

Both sons were on their dad’s staff with the Cardinals in 1994 and ‘95. They’ve since made a name for themselves, with Rex leading the Jets to the AFC championship game the last two years, and Rob winning two Super Bowls as an assistant coach for the Patriots’ Bill Belichick. This is Rob’s first season in Dallas after working as defensive coordinator of the Browns and Raiders the last four years.

The brothers have squared off before, and every time is special for the Ryan family, especially the patriarch.

“This game’s important to him,” Rob said. “He wants to see these two rams bat heads.”

____

AP Sports Writer Dennis Waszak Jr. in Florham Park, N.J., contributed to this report.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

IRVING, Texas (AP) — Not even cancer surgery can keep former NFL coach Buddy Ryan from being in the stands when his twin sons coach against each other Sunday night in the prime-time opener between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets.

Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan said Monday his dad was diagnosed last week with a form of cancer “in his gland that’s right through his neck.” Brother Rex, the Jets coach, said through a team spokesman that it was the parotid gland, the largest of the salivary glands.

Having already beaten melanoma in 1968 and ’80, and another form of the disease earlier this year, the 80-year-old Ryan said this was “less serious” except that “whenever you go under anesthesia, you never know what’s going to happen.” So he told doctors to postpone the operation until he returns from the Meadowlands to see Rob and the Cowboys play against Rex and the Jets. He said he’ll fly to New York on Friday and will return to his home in Kentucky on Monday.

“They said to go ahead and go,” Ryan said during a telephone interview. “I’ve got to be able to do something” while waiting for the operation.

Rob Ryan said his dad’s approach to fighting the disease is typical.

“That’s just the way he is,” he said. “This is a big thing for him, a big thing for the Ryans. He’s just about the only guy that’s beaten cancer about every time. He’s been through it about four or five times. I’m sure the prognosis is great for him because he always wins.”

He said his father’s illness will be more motivation than distraction.

“All he taught us is ‘Do the job,’” Rob said. “That’s the way he is, so it’s not that difficult. Obviously, (we’re) praying a lot for him and things have to go well because that’s what it is. But he raised us to do the job. Whatever we do, we’re going to be the best at it — and that’s what we are.”

From Jets camp, Rex added: “It’s going to be great having him here. I know this is huge for him. He’s looked forward to it for a long time.”

Buddy Ryan was as outspoken and boisterous as his boys are, a persona he could back up with his team’s success on the field.

He was defensive coordinator of two renowned Super Bowl champions, the Joe Namath-led Jets who pulled off the huge upset in 1969, and the 1985 Bears who ran his 46 defense to perfection. He is also known for throwing a punch at the offensive coordinator while he was running the Oilers’ defense. Ryan also had entertaining stints as the head coach of the Eagles and the Cardinals.

Both sons were on their dad’s staff with the Cardinals in 1994 and ’95. They’ve since made a name for themselves, with Rex leading the Jets to the AFC championship game the last two years, and Rob winning two Super Bowls as an assistant coach for the Patriots’ Bill Belichick. This is Rob’s first season in Dallas after working as defensive coordinator of the Browns and Raiders the last four years.

The brothers have squared off before, and every time is special for the Ryan family, especially the patriarch.

“This game’s important to him,” Rob said. “He wants to see these two rams bat heads.”

____

AP Sports Writer Dennis Waszak Jr. in Florham Park, N.J., contributed to this report.

NEW ORLEANS — On multiple levels, New York Jets coach Rex Ryan was pleased to see Wes Welker standing on the sideline when the New England Patriots’ offense took the field in their second-round playoff game.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick punished Welker for making 11 foot-related comments in a nine-minute news conference. The remarks were thinly veiled references to fetish videos, purportedly starring Ryan’s wife, that surfaced during the season.

The Jets shocked the Patriots with a 28-21 victory in Gillette Stadium. Welker had seven catches for 57 yards. Welker had seven receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown six weeks earlier to help the Patriots beat the Jets by 42 points.

“First off, I was happy,” Ryan said, laughing, Tuesday morning at the NFL coaches breakfast, which is part of the annual owners meeting. “I was, like, ‘Cool! Welker’s not there!’ Yeah, I would bench him, too. I would bench him for the whole game. Bench him next year.”

In seriousness, Ryan viewed the gesture as a sign of respect from Belichick.

“It never surprised me,” Ryan said. “It’s not the Patriot way of doing things. So [Belichick] was upset about that. At the time, I was, like, that’s pretty cool. It was kind of neat.”

Ryan explained he and Welker have gotten grittier with each other — just not in public. Welker’s roommate at Texas Tech was Jets volunteer assistant coach Mike Smith. All of them — plus Jets defensive coordinator Mike Pettine — have trash texted each other “for years,” Ryan said. Smith briefly played for the Baltimore Ravens when Ryan and Pettine were on the staff and then got into coaching after a nasty shoulder injury.

“We text back and forth and rip each other back and forth before we ever play,” Ryan said. “That’s what we do. ‘Who’s going to be on me?’ ‘We’re going to put [Jets nose tackle] Sione Pouha on you.’

“But we have fun with each other. Trust me, we’ve said a lot worse to each other than what was reported. But I think he just went public with those comments, and that’s probably what upset Belichick.”

While Ryan has refused to take a submissive role when it comes to his AFC East rival, he once again expressed his utmost admiration for Belichick.

“I have more respect for Belichick than any coach in this league, as you guys know,” Ryan said. “But I still want to beat him, and the fact he’s in our division, I’m paid to beat him. I’ve got to go beat him.

“I can’t just go ‘Hey, Bill, don’t kick my butt too bad.’ No way in hell. We’re not conceding one iota. At times, I feel like we’re the only team that can beat him for whatever reason. They lost three games last year, two to us and one to my brother.”

The Jets beat the Patriots 28-14 in Week 2 at the Meadowlands and again in the playoffs at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots’ other regular-season loss was to the Cleveland Browns, where Ryan’s twin brother, Rob Ryan, was the defensive coordinator who flummoxed league MVP Tom Brady.

Matchups for the AFC Championship game between the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field:

When the Jets have the ball

Don’t be fooled by the Jets’ claims they need to pound the ball on the ground to win. For one thing, nobody pounds the Steelers, who allowed the fewest yards rushing, a mere 1,004, this season. For another, the Jets have thrown the ball well recently, particularly in last week’s shocker at New England. QB Mark Sanchez has completed 60.7 percent of his passes, had three TDs against the Patriots, and his 91.6 rating is nothing to ignore.

He also has dynamic receivers in former Steelers star Santonio Holmes, the MVP of Pittsburgh’s February 2009 Super Bowl triumph, and Braylon Edwards, and reliable ones in Jerricho Cotchery and TE Dustin Keller.

New York’s offensive line is a strength even without injured RT Damien Woody (Achilles’ tendon). Nick Mangold is a Pro Bowl center and RG Brandon Moore probably deserved to go to Hawaii.

Still, the defense New York faces is far more fierce and formidable than what it saw in Indianapolis or New England the last two weeks. Neither the Colts nor the Patriots have playmakers like S Troy Polamalu, who could wind up anywhere on the field at any time, and LBs James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley. The Jets must get solid performances from tackles D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Wayne Hunter, plus dependable blitz pickups from RBs Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson, along with steady veteran FB Tony Richardson.

Tomlinson has had a rebirth in New York. He and Greene have combined for 271 yards rushing in the two postseason games. If they get anywhere near their playoff averages today, it bodes well for the Jets.

Regardless, Sanchez must remain consistent and throw in some big plays such as the TD pass to Holmes last week or the one to Edwards that set up the winning field goal in Indianapolis. Keller should expect to be rocked by Polamalu and S Ryan Clark every time he touches the ball, but Pittsburgh’s cornerbacks are beatable.

When the Steelers have the ball

Don’t be fooled by the Steelers’ claims they need to pound the ball on the ground to win, either. The running game might be a bit more critical for them, and Rashard Mendenhall can be a beast; he rushed for 1,273 yards and 13 touchdowns during the season, but managed only 46 yards against Baltimore.

Pittsburgh’s offensive line, banged up all year, will be tested by a resurgent Jets defense that pressured Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Rookie C Maurkice Pouncey has more than held his own, but QB Ben Roethlisberger doesn’t always get the same support from the rest of his blockers. Of course, few quarterbacks can manufacture something out of chaos the way Roethlisberger does – and has done in winning two Super Bowls. He masterfully led the comeback from a 14-point deficit against Baltimore last week.

Although Hines Ward is the key receiver in big spots, Mike Wallace figures to get the Revis Treatment. Shutdown CB Darrelle Revis will be a huge challenge for Wallace, Ward, Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown, one of the heroes of the win over the Ravens. Just like Manning and Brady, Roethlisberger probably will go after CB Antonio Cromartie and look over the middle for TE Heath Miller. New York doesn’t cover tight ends over the middle particularly well.

Even if the Jets get penetration similar to what they got against the Patriots from Shaun Ellis and Calvin Pace, that doesn’t mean Roethlisberger will be stymied. His ability to take hits, avoid the rush and throw on the run make him dangerous everywhere.

Special teams

A strength of the Jets under coordinator Mike Westhoff, with Brad Smith the main threat. Smith ranked second in the league with 1,432 yards on kick returns, a 28.6 average, and two touchdowns. The Steelers very well remember the 97-yarder Smith had to open New York’s 22-17 victory at Pittsburgh on Dec. 19. The Steelers counter mostly with Brown on returns. Brown had one kickoff runback for a score during the season. Both teams are solid on kickoff coverages in particular.

Pittsburgh changed placekickers in midseason from Jeff Reed to Shaun Suisham and it worked out nicely. The turf at Heinz field can be problematic, but Suisham went 14 for 15 on field goals. New York’s Nick Folk isn’t quite so reliable, even missing a 30-yarder at Foxborough. He did hit the 32-yarder that lifted the Jets past the Colts.

Steve Weatherford gets good hang time and can punt directionally. Having kicked in the Meadowlands all year should prepare him for tricky winds, the kind that Steelers P Jeremy Kapinos knows well.

Coaching

All the kidding aside about their personalities being so dissimilar, Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin and Jets head man Rex Ryan have much in common.

Both are superb defensive coaches, albeit with different styles. Tomlin, who won a championship in 2008, is blessed with Harrison and Polamalu – and coordinator Dick LeBeau, possibly the best the NFL has seen. They get the most out of everyone on D.

Tomlin is a terrific evaluator of talent and a strong motivator.

Ryan might be bombastic, but he gets results, in great part by letting assistants such as Westhoff and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer have freedom. His roster fits the personality Ryan wants for his team: brash, rugged, clutch.