National Football League

Backups lead Indy-bound Jets past Bills 38-7

Published Jan. 3, 2011 2:20 p.m. ET

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The swagger is back, and the New York Jets are bringing it with them to Indianapolis.

Again.

A few hours after a 38-7 rout of the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, the Jets found out their first-round playoff opponent would be familiar foes: Peyton Manning and the Colts. Yep, the same bunch that kept them out of the Super Bowl a year ago.

''It's going to be a big challenge for us, but we're ready for it,'' cornerback Marquice Cole said. ''Hope to get some payback from last year.''

The Jets (11-5) play the Colts (10-6) next Saturday night, squaring off a bit earlier in the playoffs than they did last year. New York led midway through the third quarter of the AFC championship game before Manning took over and sent Rex Ryan's team home disappointed. The Jets have other plans this time around.

''I thought we'd win it last year,'' Ryan said. ''I think we're going to win it this year, so we'll see. Regardless of who we play, we think we're better than any team out there. We have to go prove it, though.''

Nothing like a confidence-boosting performance right before the playoffs.

''We are ready to go do what we set out to do,'' Ryan said. ''If somebody is going to beat us, then they must be really good.''

Taking it easy while resting his sore right shoulder, Mark Sanchez played one series without throwing a pass before giving way to Mark Brunell, who threw two touchdown passes - his first since 2006 - in a lopsided tuneup as backups starred in the victory over the lowly Bills.

''That was great,'' Sanchez said. ''It was fun for me to watch.''

Sanchez wasn't the only one who got some pre-playoff rest, as LaDainian Tomlinson, Shonn Greene, Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie all sat this one out. But New York still earned the fourth 11-win season in franchise history, and first since the 1998 team went to the AFC championship game.

Rookie Joe McKnight ran for a career-high 158 yards and New York's defense was dominant after a few subpar weeks, forcing the Bills (4-12) into six turnovers, including Cole's 35-yard interception return for a touchdown.

''This game was about getting back to what we do,'' linebacker Calvin Pace said, ''stopping the run, getting turnovers and getting some pressure on the quarterback.''

The Jets swarmed Brian Brohm, starting for Ryan Fitzpatrick, all game. New York intercepted Brohm three times and sacked him three times. Buffalo was held to 162 total yards, compared to New York's 388, and the Bills gained just 37 yards on the ground.

''Offensively, it was an awful performance,'' Buffalo coach Chan Gailey said. ''We couldn't protect the passer, we couldn't run it. We never got any kind of consistency at all. When you turn it over that many times, your defense has no chance.''

The Jets took control early, even with Sanchez not throwing any passes. Ryan said during the week that Sanchez would start so he could maintain the rhythm he had the last few weeks, but wasn't sure how long he'd play. Turned out, if you blinked, you missed him. After his nine handoffs - one was called back for a penalty - Sanchez was replaced by Brunell to start the Jets' second offensive series, and it was all New York the rest of the afternoon.

''I was keeping the streak alive,'' a smiling Sanchez said of his cameo appearance. ''Look out, Brett.''

Sanchez said his shoulder is ''all right, it's ready to play,'' but this week served as a way to get an extra week of rest without sitting out completely. He said he doesn't know if the shoulder will need surgery after the season, but insisted he can play well through it the rest of the way.

''We're in a good place on offense and we wanted to keep that rolling,'' he said, ''and I think we did.''

Brunell finished 6 of 12 for 110 yards and touchdowns to Santonio Holmes and Braylon Edwards. He also threw an interception, which accounted for Buffalo's only points as Jairus Byrd returned it 37 yards for a score early in the third quarter.

One of the biggest cheers came when Kellen Clemens, the Jets' third quarterback, scrambled 10 yards for a touchdown to put New York up 31-7 with 9:18 left.

McKnight, making his first NFL start in a disappointing rookie season, got the bulk of the work on the ground, rushing 32 times while Tomlinson and Greene watched from the sideline.

''It felt good just to go out there and play ball,'' said McKnight, who had only 31 yards on seven carries entering the game.

The loss capped another lousy season for the Bills, who will miss the playoffs for the 11th straight year, tied with Detroit for the NFL's longest active drought.

''It hurts,'' Gailey said. ''It does. It's not the way you want to finish.''

Meanwhile, Ryan and the Jets won't be satisfied unless their season ends with them holding a trophy in Dallas as champions.

''I said the day I took this job, that I came here to win Super Bowls,'' Ryan said. ''That's the truth. I have none right now, but I know one thing: Whoever we play is going to get my best shot. They're going to get this team's best shot. And let's see if we're not good enough to win this whole thing.''

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