According to a Yahoo! Sports report, the NFL had its usual array of intriguing storylines in 2011. From the emergence of Tim Tebow as the starting quarterback of the Denver Broncos, to the offseason lockout, to Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning losing the season due to neck surgery, the media had plenty to talk about this year.

Sanchez was downright dirty in the playoffs in 2009, helping the Jets make it to the AFC Title Game.
Wikimedia Commons

Some of the other top stories in the NFL this year were Aaron Rodgers’ emergence as one of the premier quarterbacks in the league, and the passing of the legendary Oakland Raiders owner, Al Davis. But here in New York, Rex Ryan’s weekly trash-talking and Mark Sanchez’s passing woes dominated much of the local headlines.

Here’s a look at the top five New York Jets stories of 2011:

Jets Beat Patriots, 28-21, In Instant Playoff Classic

Mark Sanchez completed 16 of 25 for 194 yards and three touchdowns to lead his team to a 28-21 win Jan. 16 over the AFC East rival New England Patriots in what Jets coach Rex Ryan called “the second biggest game in franchise history.”

The Jets were clicking on all cylinders, as Sanchez’s incredible performance was perhaps overshadowed by New York’s stellar defense, who intercepted Patriots quarterback Tom Brady once and methodically picked apart New England’s ground game. “We came here for a reason, we got the victory, and I couldn’t be happier,” said Rex Ryan after the game. “That’s a great football team, a great franchise, but we’re not afraid of anybody.”

Sal Alosi Resigns

Jets strength and conditioning coach Sal Alosi made the boneheaded decision to trip Miami Dolphins cornerback Nolan Carroll while the rookie was returning a punt in the third quarter of a Jets-Dolphins game last season, and the trip would ultimately cost Alosi his job. Carroll immediately fell to the turf and was slow to get up after Alosi tripped him. “I made a mistake that showed a total lapse in judgment,” Alosi said in a statement released by the Jets about 2 1/2 hours after the game. “My conduct was inexcusable and unsportsmanlike and does not reflect what this organization stands for.”

Perhaps to avoid creating any lingering distractions, Alosi announced his resignation in January of 2011, just a few weeks after the tripping incident occurred . “After speaking with Sal, he decided that it is best for him to tender his resignation at this time,” said Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum. “We appreciate all of Sal’s contributions during his tenure with the team. He played an invaluable role in our success and established what we feel is one of the better strength and conditioning programs in the NFL.”

Jets Lose Ground-and-Pound Identity

Early in the 2011 season, the Jets got away from much of the rush-heavy attack that made them so successful in 2009 and 2010. In the season-opener against the Dallas Cowboys, Mark Sanchez threw 44 times while the team ran the ball just 16 times. “You’ve got to give Dallas credit, both schematically and in the personnel,” Ryan said following the game.

“Going into the game, we thought we were going to run the ball more than we did. Give credit to my brother [defensive coordinator Rob] and Dallas. They took that away from us.”And even in a Week 16 loss to the New York Giants, Sanchez attempted a career-high 59 passes. Any time Sanchez is allowed to throw that much is a recipe for disaster.

Nick Mangold and Jim Leonard Injuries Loom Large

The Jets haven’t won a game since losing starting safety Jim Leonard to a season-ending knee injury in the beginning of December. Just how important is Leonard to the Jets? New York linebacker Jamaal Westerman told ESPN that Leonard “is a calming influence in the back end. If you can look back there he’ll tell you where to line up. We really need him because with him we’re so much better than without him.” Losing starting center Nick Mangold for several games early this season was another key injury, as the Jets lost 34-17 to the Baltimore Ravens when he was sidelined.

LT Mulls Retirement

LaDainian Tomlinson’s comments to reporters prior to the New Year’s Day clash with the Miami Dolphins sounded cryptically like a retirement speech in the making. “There’s definitely a thought that this possibly could be [my last game] because you never know how things shake out,” the star running back said. “For me, it just depends on the situation. I’d like to keep playing but if the situation is not right, I won’t. It’s possible that this could be my last game.”

Eric Holden is a lifelong New York Jets fan. Follow him on Twitter @ericholden.

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What are your opinions.

The Miami Dolphins appear to be limping into the season finale against the New York Jets.

Anthony Fasano returns to practice, and the Dolphins will need him against the Jets.

Not only is Todd Bowles’ team going to be playing without Pro Bowl left tackle Jake Long on Sunday – which makes John Jerry the man responsible for stopping Calvin Pace – but the Dolphins have a number of starters nursing significant injuries.

Starting tailback Reggie Bush was held out of Wednesday’s practice because of a right knee injury he suffered late last week’s loss to the Patriots. Bush is walking fine, and says he’s fine.

So the hope is that the team’s featured tailback, who has rushed for 1,086 this season, will practice later this week and be cleared to play.

Starting right tackle Marc Colombo missed Wednesday’s practice because of an ankle injury, but this 10-year veteran has sat out a number of Wednesday practices this season, and played on Sunday.

Inside linebacker Karlos Dansby missed Wednesday’s practice, but his absence wasn’t injury related.

Receivers Brandon Marshall (left knee) and Clyde Gates (groin) were limited. Marshall has been battling knee soreness for a couple of weeks but played through the pain.

Gates apparently re-aggravated a groin strain that sidelined him a few weeks in November. His status will be monitored.

Tailback Daniel Thomas, who suffered a knee injury against the patriots, wasn’t even on the injury report.

Starting cornerback Vontae Davis participated fully despite the elbow injury he suffered in last Saturday’s game.

Davis’ status will be critical considering he’ll probably be responsible for covering Jets receiver Santonio Holmes. The Dolphins also don’t have much depth at cornerback these days, especially since rookie Jimmy Wilson missed practice with a hamstring injury.

On the positive side…. tight end Anthony Fasano passed his NFL mandatory baseline concussion test and has been cleared to return to practice. He’ll likely play on Sunday unless he suffers a setback.

Fasano, a four-year starter, sat out last weekend’s 27-24 loss to the New England Patriots because of the concussion he suffered the previous week.

Fasano’s presence is critical against the Jets because New York’s aggressive 3-4 scheme struggles defending tight ends, especially in the red zone.

Fasano has contributed 22 catches for 237 yards, scoring four touchdowns in the eight games he’s played against the Jets.

Fasano needs 89 receiving yards to establish a career high. He has 440 receiving yards. Last year, he logged 528.

G.G.A.T.G.

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By Ed Valentine

– Regional Editor

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Dec 23, 2011 – Let’s continue our position-by-position look at the New York Giants and New York Jets with a look at the special teams units for each team.

Giants

When the Jets let punter Steve Weatherford go after last season the Giants snapped up the veteran free-agent punter to avoid the disastrous inconsistencies experienced a season ago with rookie punter Matt Dodge. Weatherford has responded with a career year. His 46.3 yards per punt average is the best of his career by nearly three yards and his net average of 40.0 puts the Giants seventh in the league, a vast improvement from a season ago. 

Placekicker Lawrence Tynes is having an excellent season. He is 16-of-20 on field-goal attempts, with two of his misses coming from outside 50 yards. Thirty-three of Tynes’ 70 kickoffs have been for touchbacks, a percentage of 47.1. That puts Tynes, historically near the bottom of the league in kickoffs, in the middle of the pack for NFL kickers.

The problem for the Giants has been in the return game, where they simply have not generated any big plays all season.

The Giants’ average of 23.0 yards per kickoff return is 19th in the league and they have only one return longer than 40 yards all season. Devin Thomas handled the job early in the season, and rookie speedsters Da’Rel Scott and Jerrel Jernigan have been the primary returners recently.

Punt return has been even worse. The Giants average just 7.4 yards per return, 28th in the league. Aaron Ross handled those duties early in the season and Will Blackmon has taken over recently. The Giants are one of only two NFL (Carolina being the other) that does not have a punt return of 20 yards or longer this season.

Jets

The Jets replaced Weatherford with T.J. Conley and the rookie from Idaho has done a decent job. He has a 43.0 yards per punt average. His net average of 38.7 puts the Jets 17th in the league. Conley leads the league in forcing fair catches, with 25.

Placekicker Nick Folk is 18-of-23 on field-goal attempts, including thee-of-six from more than 50 yards. Folk’s difficulty comes on kickoffs, where only 16 of his 73 kickoffs (20.9) have gone for touchbacks. That puts the Jets 31st in the league in that category.

Where the Jets are clearly superior to the Giants is in the return game.

The Jets are third in the league with an average of 26.8 yards per kickoff return, and have a league-best of seven returns of 40 yards or longer. Joe McKnight leads all regular NFL kick returners with a 32.3 yards per return average and has five of those 40+ yard runbacks. Antonio Cromartie has the other two.

The Jets average 8.6 yards per punt return. Rookie Jeremy Kerley has been the primary return man, averaging 9.4 yards per return.

Advantage: Jets … based purely on the quality of their return game

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PHILADELPHIA (AP)—Andy Reid and the rest of the Philadelphia Eagles are
hoping the team they just whipped helps them out in a big way.

The Eagles (6-8) are still in the playoff hunt in a mediocre NFC East
following a 45-19 rout over the New York Jets on Sunday. Now they’ll need those
same Jets (8-6) to beat the New York Giants (7-7) on Saturday to keep them in
contention.

“I’m a big Jets fan this week,” Reid said Monday.

So is everyone else in Philly.

The Jets-Giants game should be over before the Eagles kick off against
division-leading Dallas (8-6) on Christmas Eve. So, there will be plenty of
scoreboard watching during pregame warmups.

“You control what you control,” Reid said. “You have to play the game
whether that team wins or loses.”

For the Eagles to repeat as NFC East champions, they must beat the Cowboys
on the road and defeat Washington at home on Jan. 1. They need the Giants to
lose to the Jets and then beat Dallas in their last game.

If all four scenarios work out Philadelphia’s way, the Eagles would win the
division in a three-way tie at 8-8 because they would have the best record in
the East at 5-1.

“It feels good that we are still alive,” tight end Brent Celek said.
“That is all you can ask for at this point. We are not where we wanted to be at
the beginning of the season, but we are doing all we can do with what we have.
We just have to play together as a team and go up there, fight and beat
Dallas.”

The Eagles weren’t supposed to be in a position where they had to scratch
and claw and hope to make the playoffs. Many experts picked them to contend for
the Super Bowl this season after an offseason spending spree brought several
star players to Philadelphia, joining an already strong core that included
Michael Vick, LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson. Even management declared this an
all-or-nothing year.

But a 1-4 start doomed the Eagles and they’ve failed miserably to live up to
those enormous expectations. Consecutive lopsided losses to New England and
Seattle dropped the Eagles to 4-8 and seemingly ended their playoff chances.
Fans were calling for Reid to be fired, and for offensive line
coach-turned-defensive coordinator Juan Castillo to go with him.

Now it appears both Reid and Castillo have secured themselves another
season. Players have rallied around Castillo, saying they have more confidence
in his schemes and calls. The results support that. The defense has shown vast
improvement recently, holding both Miami and the Jets to under 250 total yards
and getting 13 sacks.

“You have to understand that we really didn’t have training camp,”
Castillo said. “And I think initially I started too fast and what I found out
is I had to go backwards with some of those guys because they had missed some of
that and we were making some mistakes just on fundamental stuff. You know, now
as we understand all of our packages, we’re able to add as we keep going. And
there is still a lot to add, but the first thing we have to understand is how to
handle our fundamental packages.”

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Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

The Philadelphia Eagles have to stay alive by upsetting the New York Jets on Dec. 18. But Eagles fans like myself have to be discouraged, since they are catching the Jets in the middle of their latest late-season surge. What’s more, New York is already familiar with the NFC East and could clinch a postseason berth by having a perfect record in that division.

The Jets are 2-0 against NFC East competition and will now face the Eagles and New York Giants in consecutive weeks. If the Jets sweep the NFC East, they will be 10-5 and should pretty much be locked in for the sixth seed in the AFC playoffs. Given the state of this division, it would make sense if it went 0-4 against a second place AFC East squad that is probably a more ideal division champion than the Cowboys, Redskins and Eagles.

The Jets really got the ball rolling in making the NFC East pathetic in Week 1. If they had not rallied against the Cowboys on Sept. 11, perhaps Dallas would have rode the momentum and not blown so many more late leads the rest of the season. If that had happened, then the Cowboys would have likely won the division by now and would just be playing for a bye. But instead, New York let Dallas shoot itself like it has in half of the 13 weeks after that.

The Jets really needed that break, considering how tough things have gotten for them afterwards. Despite being 8-5, New York could easily be out of the playoff hunt altogether thanks to their inconsistency. That is why the Jets are fortunate to feed on the NFC East, as it did against the clutch-free Cowboys and against the flailing Washington Redskins on Dec. 4. Now if they can feed on the equally flailing Eagles this week and the even more inconsistent Giants on Dec. 24, it should all but secure another playoff berth.

Normally, sweeping the NFC East would be unlikely for anyone but an elite team. However, the Jets are still not elite quite yet and this division hasn’t been this far away from elite in a long time. The Cowboys, Giants, Eagles and Redskins have all forfeited chances to take control of the East this year – which probably makes the Jets all the sadder that they can’t transfer divisions. After all, they could probably win this East division in a walk and it would get them away from the New England Patriots at long last.

Of course, if the Jets slip up against the Eagles and/or Giants, it would speak to how they are as disappointing as their NFC East “brethren.” But eventually, some Eastern division team other than the Patriots is going to have to prove that they can be a real contender this season. Since the NFC East seems uninterested in filling that void, the Jets will just have to sweep that division, reach the playoffs and make another miracle postseason run themselves.

Robert Dougherty is a life-long Philadelphia resident who has followed the Eagles since he was eight years old.

Other stories by this contributor

Eagles reduced to rooting for Bucs over Cowboys

Rex Ryan flirting with becoming next Andy Reid

McCoy, Jones-Drew wasting away career seasons

Jets on cue to have another slump?

Reid not only NFC East coach fighting for his job

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Feel free to leave your comments below.

The Philadelphia Eagles are clinging to hope against hope for an NFC East title. But those of us Eagles fans still hoping for the playoffs could have their hopes destroyed even before Philadelphia faces the New York Jets on Dec. 18. The New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys both need to win before then to eliminate Philadelphia – and the Cowboys seem to have been dealt a break for their game on Dec. 17.

This has been a pretty rough time for Dallas after it blew its NFC East lead with two straight late, bitter defeats. Now the Giants are setting the pace in the division again, as the Cowboys will have to beat them on the road in the last week of the season to take the title. But if Dallas doesn’t stabilize itself soon and recover from their recent slump, the race could be over by then.

That makes it all the more fortunate for the Cowboys to just face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Dec. 17. Unlike Dallas’s last few opponents, Tampa Bay isn’t a playoff contender or a losing team that is starting to win again when it is too late for them. Instead, the Buccaneers are coming off a horrendous blowout loss on Dec. 11 to the Jacksonville Jaguars, of all teams, and are working on a seven-game losing streak.

Sadly, this is the club that the Eagles and Giants have to rely on to knock the Cowboys down even further. At this point, it seems that the only way the Buccaneers can win is if the opposition shoots itself in both foots. Fortunately, the Cowboys are experts at that, which is why they are 7-6 instead of 10-3 or 11-2 like they probably should be. Since Dallas keeps giving the rest of the NFC East new life, slipping up here and going deeper into a tailspin wouldn’t be out of character.

There is precedent for Tampa Bay to bail Philadelphia out, as it did in 2008 by losing its last game of the season to the then-lowly Oakland Raiders. With that improbable upset, the Eagles had an opening to clinch an even more improbable playoff berth – after throttling the Cowboys, of course. So maybe the Buccaneers can help the Eagles in another way by upsetting the Cowboys and keeping Philadelphia alive for at least one more week.

Of course, even if Tampa Bay upsets Dallas, New York would still need to lose to the 4-9 Washington Redskins on Dec. 18 to really help out – and then the Eagles still have to beat the New York Jets. A lot of unlikely dominos have to fall for Philadelphia this weekend, yet the most unlikely one is the first one where the Buccaneers upset the Cowboys. But if that actually happens, maybe the rest will fall into place the next day.

Robert Dougherty is a life-long Philadelphia resident who has followed the Eagles since he was eight years old.

Other stories by this contributor

Rex Ryan flirting with becoming next Andy Reid

McCoy, Jones-Drew wasting away career seasons

Jets on cue to have another slump?

Reid not only NFC East coach fighting for his job

Jets keep getting breaks in latest playoff run

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

The Philadelphia Eagles will look for their second win in a row when they face the New York Jets on Sunday, December 18. The Eagles have never lost to the Jets in the eight times they met. However, circumstances are a little different this time around. New York is 8-5 and surging toward the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Eagles are 5-8 and looking to avoid their fifth loss in seven games. It seems like this is the kind of game the Eagles should lose. But as an Eagles fan, I have a feeling the team will win this game.

I’m not thinking about the playoffs. I know the Eagles are mathematically alive but there is a lot that needs to happen for this team to get there. For me, it is about finishing the season on a strong note. I realize that won’t erase the disappointment that has already happened. But after three more weeks it will be a while before I see the Eagles on the field again. I would like those games to be meaningful. This game would represent a huge win for Philadelphia. The Eagles are just 1-5 at home and it would be nice to treat the fans to a good effort.

There are many out there that wouldn’t mind seeing the Eagles tank the rest of the season so that Andy Reid is more likely to be fired. I’m not among those fans. For one thing, there is no guarantee that Reid will be fired even if the Eagles lose the rest of their games. I think that if the Eagles were going to fire Reid, they will do it no matter how the Eagles finish. For that reason, fans should keep on cheering for this team.

This should be a pretty interesting game. The Jets have a strong defense and usually play their best football this time of year. Meanwhile, the Eagles had their best defensive effort of the season in Week 14. They want to prove that that was no fluke. The Eagles should be able to get to Mark Sanchez enough to limit the New York attack. However, the real key to the game will be how the Philadelphia offense attacks. The Jets are vulnerable in certain areas and this feels like the kind of game where Reid’s game plan works.

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NEW YORK JETS (8-5) At PHILADELPHIA (5-8)

Sunday, 4:15 p.m., CBS

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FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP)—Shonn Greene had no idea what was wrong. He just
knew this wasn’t what he expected.

The yards were tough to come by for the New York Jets’ starting running back
earlier this season as the entire offense got off to a sluggish start. But this
was his big chance after sitting behind Thomas Jones and then LaDainian
Tomlinson his first two years.

And, he thought, there was no way he was going to blow it.

“I’ve pointed the finger at myself this year,” Greene told The Associated
Press on Friday. “There were times where I was like, `Man, I need to do better.
I need to do this and that much better.’ I’d stay after practice every day and
watch film and try to figure what was going on.”

Well, for one, he wasn’t getting the ball much. And when he was, he wasn’t
doing much with it.

Greene averaged less than 13 carries and 40 yards in the Jets’ first four
games as Rex Ryan and Brian Schottenheimer focused more on the passing game with
Mark Sanchez, Plaxico Burress and Santonio Holmes. After two seasons as a solid
backup, though, Greene was doing little to distinguish himself as the undisputed
starting running back—“the bell cow,” as Ryan called him.

“I think the toughest thing was just trying to get the running game going,
trying to get it started,” said Greene, coming off a career-high
three-touchdown performance at Washington last Sunday. “When you’re the
starting running back, you’re going to get frustrated when things aren’t going
your way. So, that was probably the toughest part.”

Through it all, Greene has 739 yards rushing, just 28 from topping his
career high set last season with four games to go.

“Really?” Greene said, his eyes widening. “Wow, I guess that’s true.”

Not bad for a season that had such an ominous start.

Greene was aware of all the expectations people had for him, and he had the
same hopes. But there was a domino effect working against him. The Jets were
enamored with their passing game, the offensive line wasn’t playing up to its
usual high level, All-Pro center Nick Mangold was injured and Greene couldn’t
perform consistently.

So, doubts started seeping in from fans and media wondering if he was really
capable of being a starting back in the NFL, or merely a complementary player.

“I don’t look into any of that stuff at all and I don’t listen to it,” he
said. “There are a lot of people on the outside looking in that say this, that
and the other. But, you know what? We’re all family in here. We know what we’ve
got and who’s capable of what. So, if they didn’t think I was capable of doing
the job, I wouldn’t be here.”

As difficult as it was, Greene stayed positive, leaning on Tomlinson, among
others.

“L.T. has rushed for a lot of yards in his career and had a few years where
things didn’t go quite his way or not as well as he wanted, like in his last
year in San Diego,” Greene said. “He was just like everybody else, though,
telling me, `Hey, be patient.”’

The Jets went back to the run-first approach on offense in Week 5 against
New England, Mangold returned from a sprained ankle to anchor the offensive
line, and Greene has gradually become a force on the ground again.

“It’s been a thing where not just Shonn, but the offensive line has done a
great job of continuing to work on their skills and opening up the holes,”
fullback John Conner said. “Shonn has been really patient, though. He has been
practicing hard and just being him, running the ball hard.”

Despite playing with injured ribs that limited him to three carries at
Denver three weeks ago, Greene ran for 88 yards and the three scores on a
season-high 22 carries last Sunday.

“That was impressive,” Ryan said. “We’ll sign up for that each week.”

For Greene, it felt like old times.

“Man, that game was just like it was when I first got here and my first two
years, like it’s supposed to be here, you know, `Ground-and-Pound,’ right?” he
said. “It’s getting there. We’re working on it, and we’re getting better each
game.”

The first score last Sunday came on a 1-yard run in the opening quarter as
he lowered his shoulders and get across the goal line. The second came in the
fourth quarter when he took a direct snap, waited a split-second for the
blocking and then went up the middle for 9 yards.

“It’s patience to the hole, we call it, and then speed through the hole,”
Schottenheimer said. “You have to be patient getting to the sprint spot. Then,
once it opens, you have to accelerate through it. It was just a terrific run.”

The third was a 25-yard sprint that sealed the 34-19 victory. Greene
celebrated by simply tossing the ball to Mangold and then hugging his teammates.

“Oh, man, it was great,” Greene said. “I’m telling you, it was just a
great feeling. I had only two touchdowns all year, so it was so good to get in
there. Just a good overall win. I was excited, definitely fired up. I’m not even
going to lie about that. I was happy, man.”

His ribs are still sore, but he doesn’t care about any of that. Greene also
isn’t concerned that he has only one game over 100 yards rushing this season:
112 against San Diego in Week 7. The Jets are in the middle of a playoff race,
and he’s a big reason—again.

“Stats and all that, none of that really ever gets to me,” he said.
“Seriously, I just want to win games. With each game, we’re progressing in the
run game. Hopefully we can keep the momentum going that we have now and by the
end of the season, we’ll be exactly where we want to be.”

Notes: WR Plaxico Burress says the Jets have what it takes to be a playoff
team. “No doubt about it,” he said. “I think we’re one of those teams
nobody’s going to pay attention to.” … Tomlinson entered the locker room to
one player blasting his “LT Style Electric Glide” song from his days with the
Chargers. A good sport, Tomlinson laughed and then gave his teammates a brief
demonstration of the moves from the song’s video, which was a YouTube sensation.

What are your opinions.

Note: The opinions expressed here are my takes on each player’s individual matchup. As always, use your best judgment and conduct your own research on who to start or bench each week. You know your individual team and/or league situation better than anyone else.

Mark Sanchez(notes), QB

Averaging just 15.70 fantasy points per game, Sanchez is better suited for leagues that start two quarterbacks. He scored just 10.70 fantasy points last week against the Washington Redskins and appears to have a similar matchup this week against the Kansas City Chiefs. Kansas City is allowing 15.13 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season leading me to believe Sanchez will score his average at best this week.

Shonn Greene(notes), RB

Greene had a monster game last week scoring 29.40 fantasy points against the Redskins. While it is unlikely he will enjoy the same success this week against the Chiefs, it still appears to be a very favorable matchup. Kansas City is giving up 20.23 fantasy points per game to running backs this season so expect a solid game this week.

Plaxico Burress(notes), WR

Burress has not seen the fantasy success expected of him this season. He has had a handful of solid games but most have been average at best. He scored just 3.30 fantasy points last week against the Redskins and this week’s matchup against the Chiefs does not look that much better. Kansas City is allowing only 19.59 fantasy points per game to wide receivers this season leading me to believe it would be wise to explore other options this week if available.

Santonio Holmes(notes), WR

Holmes has been more consistent than Burress this season and is averaging 9.00 fantasy points per game in the last four weeks. He scored 11.80 fantasy points last week against the Redskins but shares the tough matchup this week with his fellow receivers. Given his recent performance, he is worth the risk as a No. 3 receiver this week.

Dustin Keller(notes), TE

Averaging 6.70 fantasy points per game, Keller is your standard tight end from a fantasy perspective. He has had a few big games this season but most have been average at best. He had a rough outing last week against the Redskins scoring only 1.20 fantasy points but hopes to rebound this week against the Chiefs. Kansas City is allowing 9.10 fantasy points per game to tight ends this season so he is definitely worth consideration if you need him.

Nick Folk(notes), K

Like Keller, Folk is an average kicking option. He had a strong game last week against the Redskins but will likely return to his 7.00 fantasy point average this week against the Chiefs. A better option is likely available on your waiver wire.

Defense

The New York Jets’ team defense is one of the best in fantasy football averaging 10.20 fantasy points per game. They had a standard performance last week against the Redskins scoring 9.00 fantasy points but look to increase that performance this week against the Chiefs. Kansas City is allowing 10.00 fantasy points per game to team defense this season making it safe to assume their performance will be at average or better this week.

Sources:

All data provided by Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football

Paul Rados is an avid fantasy football participant and a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @PSRados or leave him a message on Facebook. For a complete look at his freelance work please visit his Blog.

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Thanks for reading! .

Note: The opinions expressed here are my takes on each player’s individual matchup. As always, use your best judgment and conduct your own research on who to start or bench each week. You know your individual team and/or league situation better than anyone else.

Mark Sanchez(notes), QB

Averaging 15.80 fantasy points per game, Sanchez is better than some, and a great option in leagues who start two quarterbacks. He scored 22.70 fantasy points last week against the Buffalo Bills but has a tough matchup this week against the Washington Redskins. Washington is allowing only 15.06 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season so I would not expect a huge performance from Sanchez this week.

Shonn Greene(notes), RB

Green had a solid performance last week scoring 9.00 fantasy points against the Bills and has a fairly positive matchup against the Redskins who are giving up 18.14 fantasy points per game to running backs this season. However, LaDainian Tomlinson(notes) should see some action this week to ease the burden on Green who has been playing through a rib injury. I would not expect huge numbers from either of these guys this week.

Plaxico Burress(notes), WR

Averaging 9.00 fantasy points per game, Burress has proven to be a solid fantasy receiver this season. He scored 11.40 fantasy points last week against the Bills and appears to have a favorable matchup this week against the Redskins. Washington is giving up 17.45 fantasy points per game to wide receivers this season leading me to believe he will have a game near his average this week.

Santonio Holmes(notes), WR

Averaging 7.50 fantasy points per game, Holmes has proven to be a stable No. 2 or No. 3 fantasy receiving option this season. He scored 11.00 fantasy points last week against the Bills but I have some concerns with his performance of only two receptions on nine targets last week. If Sanchez and Holmes can work out their issues, Holmes could have another strong game this week.

Dustin Keller(notes), TE

Keller had a fantastic game last week against the Bills scoring 18.10 fantasy points in that contest. He has a good matchup this week against the Redskins who are allowing 7.81 fantasy points per game to tight ends. Expect a good but not overwhelmingly strong performance from Keller this week.

Nick Folk(notes), K

Folk is about as average as they come in terms of fantasy kickers. He scored just 4.00 fantasy points last week against the Bills but has a favorable matchup this week against the Redskins. Washington is giving up 9.73 fantasy points per game to kickers this season allowing me to believe he will have an improved performance this week over last.

Defense

Averaging 10.30 fantasy points per game, the New York Jets’ team defense are one of the top in fantasy football. While they scored just 3.00 fantasy points last week against the Bills, they should rebound against the Redskins who are allowing 10.55 fantasy points per game. Expect a vastly improved performance this week.

Sources:

All data provided by Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football

Paul Rados is an avid fantasy football participant and a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @PSRados or leave him a message on Facebook. For a complete look at his freelance work please visit his Blog.

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — A sense of urgency is driving the struggling Buffalo Bills and New York Jets these days.

Mounting losses. Injuries. Fading playoff chances.

They’ve all combined to turn a pair of promising teams that once appeared poised to dethrone the New England Patriots in the AFC East into scuffling squads desperate for a victory.

“It’s a must-win game for us,” Jets wide receiver Santonio Holmes said. “We know what’s at stake right now. We have to come out firing just like we did against these guys the last game we played them.”

The Jets (5-5) host the Bills (5-5) at MetLife Stadium in a game New York coach Rex Ryan said marks the start of his team’s playoff push. It was only three weeks ago that the Jets won their third straight game by dominating the Bills 27-11.

Neither team has won since. Two bad losses by New York; three straight for Buffalo.

“They’ve been in a little slump, as well as we have,” Holmes said. “We know it’s another game on the schedule and they get paid just as well as we do, so they’re going to be ready to come out and put a real good stamp into our playoff chances right now. So we have to be on high alert right now.”

That’s for sure. But, so do the Bills. As far as both teams are concerned, their playoff chances depend on it.

“I think especially the last (few) weeks have been hard on us,” Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick said. “The biggest thing for us is we’ve really fallen down early, fallen behind and taken big deficits. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to come back from those.”

Fitzpatrick’s play has been one reason. Since signing a six-year, $59 million contract extension Oct. 28, he has mostly struggled with four touchdowns and eight interceptions in four games after a terrific start. In Buffalo’s past three losses, the Bills have been outscored 106-26 — including a 35-8 thrashing at Miami last Sunday.

“Well, we’re not playing the way we were playing earlier in the season and it’s not necessarily (Fitzpatrick), even though I think he believes he can play a little bit better than he has been playing,” Bills coach Chan Gailey said. “But we can all do better, every one of us can, me included. I watch him play and it seems like we’ve had a different offensive line in there each week for the last three or four weeks and it seems like we’ve had different receivers going out there each week, so it’s been hard on him.”

There will be some more of the same lineup-shuffling this week for the Bills as running back Fred Jackson, their biggest offensive star, was placed on injured reserve with a broken bone in his lower left leg. That means the speedy C.J. Spiller will get more playing time in the backfield instead of at wide receiver, where he has been lined up a lot this season.

“We lost a great player, but this season’s far from over,” Spiller said. “I’ve just got to elevate my game to a higher level. I’ve got to play at kind of a level that Fred was playing at. Of course, we won’t replace him, that’s obvious. So we’ll just have to try our best and go out there and execute.”

Andy Levitre struggled to replace the injured Eric Wood at center, so Kraig Urbik will be moved to center this week while Levitre slides back to his normal left guard position. Starting cornerback Terrence McGee and wide receiver Donald Jones were placed on injured reserve because of injuries, and starting safety George Wilson (safety), wide receiver Naaman Roosevelt (shoulder) and kicker Rian Lindell (shoulder) are sidelined for the game against the Jets.

“We’ve had a good amount of guys go down, but to be honest, the way that this team is structured, a lot of the guys that have gotten the chance to play and to prove themselves had to do it by waiting their turn in line,” Fitzpatrick said, trying to put a positive spin on things. “A lot of young guys that are hungry and ready to get out there are really looking forward to the opportunity.”

The Jets are a significantly healthier bunch than the Bills, but running back LaDainian Tomlinson and rookie wide receiver Jeremy Kerley were both questionable with sore left knees that kept them out of New York’s last game.

Both are understandably itching to play, especially with how important the team considers today’s game. The Jets are in the middle of a muddled AFC playoff picture, but have some winnable games on the schedule — starting with this one.

“If we win the rest of our games, we’ll be fine,” linebacker Calvin Pace said. “I think that’s the mindset we have to have going in. Stop putting ourselves in a hole, hoping somebody kind of slips up.”

They’re in this position again, as it seems they are every year under Ryan, where they need to play their best football down the stretch just to get into the playoffs.

“That’s the story of our seasons these past three years,” Pace said. “We’ve had to make these miraculous pushes at the end when it should’ve never come to that.”

After all, finishing 5-1 and 10-6 overall might not be good enough this season.

“Six-and-oh,” Pace said of the team’s goal. “Sometimes when you get caught losing to teams you’re not supposed to lose to, you end up kicking yourself in the (butt) saying, ‘Man, we put ourselves behind the 8-ball. These are games we should win.’”

The Jets are still trying to get over letting one slip by them Nov. 17, when Tim Tebow drove the Broncos 95 yards for the winning touchdown. The defense insists it’ll be better, as does the offense with a fired-up quarterback, Mark Sanchez, whom Ryan took a few snaps from in practice as a motivational ploy — which worked last season.

Both the Jets and Bills know if they lose this game, the focus suddenly will be on looking ahead to next season rather than finishing in the playoffs.

“Whether people believe about the Jets on the outside or not, we believe in ourselves, and we’re going down swinging,” Ryan said. “If we go down, we’re going down swinging. But we think that we have a good enough team to where we can right the ship and get back to winning and get in those playoffs. That’s what it’s all about.”

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