But the Jets will take it. Wins this time of year are hard to come by and besides, it was not only Caldwell’s charity that garnered a win for the Green and White.

The Jets’ defense held Indy’s high-powered offense to 9 points in the first half and their ability to keep the game close into the third quarter was a contributing factor in the Jets’ win.

Good job of coaching by Rex Ryan. He understood the circumstances of this game beforehand and built his game plan accordingly.

Ryan knew Caldwell would want to rest Manning and other key starters. If the Colts could get out to a big lead, they could coast the rest of the way with backups. But Ryan’s defense did not let that happen.

They kept it close and soon after Manning’s exit, the wheels came off for the Colts.

Calvin Pace beat back up tight end Tom Santi to sack Curtis Painter and force a fumble on the QB’s second series. Marques Douglas fell on the ball in the end zone to give the Jets a 21-15 lead.

The Jets would add a Thomas Jones touchdown late in the fourth quarter and the Jets had themselves a 29-15 win. The TD was set up by an impressive 6-minute, 11-play drive with 10 of the plays being runs.

The most impressive was Jones’ 29-yard run off right tackle with Alan Faneca out in front. The Colts’ defensive front was overwhelmed on the play and never had a chance. The Jets’ entire offensive line got a “hat on a hat” and Tony Richardson laid a great lead block.

The Jets’ running game amassed 202 yards on the day with much of that yardage coming in the second half. They clearly had more running room once the Colts yanked their starters but a win is a win and you can’t knock the Jets for taking care of their business.

The next question for the Jets is, can they take this success and carry it over into their finale against the Bengals? The Jets had similar opportunities earlier this season to claim their spot among the top teams in the conference but were unable to seal the deal.

Their losses to Jacksonville and Atlanta were glaring examples of a team poised to win but unable to seal the deal. Against Cincinnati they are expected to face back up QB J.T. O’Sullivan as the Bengals have already locked up their division and may rest many of their starters.

But I would like to see the Bengals starters play most of this game. The Jets should earn the postseason.

After a disappointing showing for their fans this year (the Jets are 3-4 at home), a hard-fought win to earn a playoff spot would not only endear them to Jets Nation, it might just set a winning tone for a team that has lacked a killer instinct all season.

Will it really matter if the Jets make the playoffs only to be ousted in their first game?

The Jets will have achieved a winning record and that is important but it is hard to imagine this team going on a roll. They have trouble scoring points and their defense is good but not dominant enough to take over games and score points on its own.

A Super Bowl run, therefore, is highly unlikely. It is more important that this team learns how to win and the best way to accomplish that is to face another team’s best, not their back ups.

It is not the Jets’ fault that Caldwell rested his starters. They seized an opportunity and are still alive but Jets fans should not get overconfident.

The Jets won yesterday primarily because Peyton Manning was not allowed to finish what he started. You could see the pained expression on his face, watching helplessly as his team gave away a game they would have probably won if he were allowed to compete.

The Jets took advantage of a third string quarterback who was in over his head. The Colts’ would manage only 42 yards of offense, 3 “three and outs”, 3 punts and one fumble returned for a touchdown after Manning was removed.

On defense, Darrelle Revis had a few rough patches, particularly an illegal contact call against Reggie Wayne, but he still held the Pro Bowl WR to 3 catches for only 33 yards.

In fact, the entire Jets’ defense kept the Colts’ biggest playmakers in check. The biggest play of the game for their starters was a 29-yard catch by Austin Collie, who had his way with Lito Sheppard all game.

It was not until the third quarter that the Jets were able to contain Collie but that was because Revis had switched to the rookie after Wayne was removed. But the Colts continued to pick on Sheppard who allowed two completions to back up Hank Baskett for 16 yards.

All told, Sheppard allowed 8 catches for 110 yards to the two receivers and showed once again that he could not contain the opposition’s number two receiver.

Dwight Lowery on the other hand did a nice job of containing Dallas Clark, Manning’s favorite target this season. Lowery broke up two balls to Clark and grabbed a key interception at his own 35 with five minutes to play and the Colts driving.

But Lowery’s was not the biggest play of the day. That honor went to Brad Smith who took a line drive kick 6-yards deep in his own end zone and ran it back for a touchdown and gave his team a 10-9 lead, and some much-needed momentum, to start the second half.

Smith also did a nice job running the option and gained 16-yards on a keeper around left end. Give Rex Ryan and his coaching staff credit for deploying Smith in more effective roles than previous regimes.

After trying to make his name at WR, Smith is now a specialty quarterback (and awesome special teamer), capable of delivering big plays.

Mark Sanchez had an unspectacular day but that was exactly what the Jets needed. He did a nice job of throwing balls away when he was in trouble and did not take unwarranted risks.

Sanchez finished the day 12-19 for 106 yards with no touchdowns but more importantly, no interceptions. That will be, for the foreseeable future, how Sanchez will be measured – by how well he can protect the football.

He made a nice throw to Cotchery on a short out while rolling to his left that kept a drive alive but it was in incompletion that was perhaps his best throw of the day.

On a 2nd and 10 from the Colts’ 25-yard line, he threw a beautiful ball to Cotchery but he could not get both feet down. This would have been an unbelievable catch by Cotchery.

He did a nice job of dragging his back foot but was unable to get his first foot down. Even though this was an unsuccessful play, it showed great concentration by Cotchery and the big play potential of their young quarterback.

In a win or go home scenario, the Jets will be playing Cincinnati in prime time on the season’s final weekend. With Marvin Lewis expected to rest many of its starters, the Jets should have another opportunity to win against an opponent’s second string.

But like some Jets fans, I hope the Bengals play to win and the Jets come out on top anyway. The Jets still have not learned how to win and what better way to start a winning tradition than in late December, in front of your own fans, on national TV with a post-season berth hanging in the balance?