I've been racking my brain a little bit this morning trying to think of the last home game that holds the kind of weight that Sunday night's game has. In terms of what's on the line, I suppose I can't blame anyone for saying "obviously the Win and We're In Game was the most crucial in years" but I'm fairly confident that we would have stomped them on the road before returning back for the playoff game. But even so, aside from that game, any huge Jet games have generally taken place on the road, be it playoff games or crucial regular season games. I'm thinking Sunday might be the biggest since the '02 Colts Wild Card game. Wouldn't mind seeing the numbers in the same places on the scoreboard either! Whatever you guys think, I can say one thing for sure, I'll be in my seats loud as always...and this is gonna be the slowest work week in a long time.
06- Win and in vs Oakland 08- Pats and Jets both 6-3, game for first place in division on MNF (Favre leads Jets to victory) 09- Win and in vs Cincy
I thought of the Oakland game as well, last game of the year also. I'm still a little unsure though. The New England game was actually a Thursday night game in Foxboro
The Oakland and Cincy games were the first ones that came to my mind too. Oddly, we ended up playing them both the following week in the playoffs.
This games a lil different though. in 02 the Patriots werent that DOMINATE force in the NFL, they werent the dynasty yet. This game will have a much larger meaning if we can beat the Patriots. A win would put us in great position to put an end to the Brady-Belichick dominance for the last decade. I think win and in games will always be much more exciting, but this is definately going to be an epic night. Especially because its on Sunday Night Football.
we played at NE in 2006 in the WC rd. I would say '04 vs. NE late in the year & '09 vs. Cincy were the 2 biggest late season home games we have had since that great '02 run.
definitely the biggest mid-season game i could ever remember. hard to compare it to a win-and-in game, because obviously it doesnt have that magnitude. however, i believe this is not only a must win for the division, but is more of a statement game. we need to stomp the life out of them while their down. this would break their spirits and put them in a HUGE hole. this is our division for the taking. i got my tix to this game a few weeks ago and so happy i did... CANT WAIT!
The Pats are down, Rex asked other teams to beat them. Guess what the last 2 teams did, now they are staggering around after getting up before the 10 count. Its time to punch them in the face and body until they fall down and don't get up. We want the division, here it is. The Bills are playing at 1pm and will lose to the Boys so by the time the first beer is opened in the lot, its gonna be a 2 team race. The crowd should be the loudest ever at Jet Life Stadium. I am leaving the lot at 7 pm and taking my time to get in and plan on being in my seat when the boys come out of the gate. CANT WAIT!!!!! Then I hope Tebow plays ok next week so we get to face him. Then we get 10 days to rest for the Bills. That's the plan.
People forget that 2004 NE game the day after Christmas because we lost and ended up a Wild Card, but going in it was big. Pretty sure a win would have kept us alive for the division, we were 10-4 after a 5-0 start and surviving Chad's injury. The 2006 Oakland game was big but I thought Cincinnati in 2009 was much more dramatic, they were a playoff team, granted with nothing to play for, but Oakland if anything was better off losing the 2006 finale.
It really must just be the combo of the Pats and Sunday Night Football (although I've grown to despise all the Prime Time games) that has me jacked up for this game. I remember going to the Oakland game on New Year's Eve in '06, and freezing my tail off in the Cincy game two years ago. Sunday feels like another level all together.
Was thinking about this precise question this morning. I'm not sure I can honestly proclaim that it is bigger than either of the two "win and you're in" games we have played at home since 02: 06 - Oakland and 09 - Cincy. It's really a hard question because we have played SO MANY huge ROAD games over this past decade. If my math is correct, we've played NINE road playoff games since 2002. However, having pointed out how many road playoff games we have played, it should come as no surprise to anyone that I feel like this game IS bigger than either of the aforementioned season finale's at home (even though it really isn't). I have this intense feeling that we NEED to win the division. We just do. It's been too long. As awesome as upsetting NE was last year in their building, I still say we need to win more games than New England to finally surpass them as the clear number 1 team in the division. Until we do, we will always be looked at as the underdog and always be looked at as the 'other' good team in the division. If we win this game, I really think it could propel us to great things. And i mean great things: a division title and a 11-13 win season with a possible bye (and one home playoff win away from making back to the AFC Championship game). If we lose it, we aren't winning the division and we probably end up 10-6 and the 6th seed again. I honestly can't concentrate on my schoolwork. I'm consumed with the idea of winning this division. Consumed by it. I was very disappointed in the 2-3 start and I am just so pumped that we have the opportunity that we have before us. Big game Sunday night . . . BIG GAME.
