Playoff review: Jets are in the AFC Championship Game (No, really. They are)

Moments after their Week 15 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, New York Jets' head coach Rex Ryan did not believe that his 7-7 team had a chance to make it to the playoffs, let alone the Super Bowl.

Five weeks later, thanks to the generosity of San Diego Chargers' kicker Nate Kaeding, who went 0-for-3, and a punishing running game, the J-E-T-S are one game away from the Super Bowl after beating the San Diego Chargers 17-14.

Running back Shonn Greene and defensive back Darrelle Revis provide stability to a team that reminds me of the 2007 Chicago Bears that reached the Super Bowl that year.

I went 2-2 picking games again, bringing my overall picks record to 4-4, but I believe I get extra credit for picking the Jets and nailing the score of that game. Keep in mind that they hadn't won back-to-back postseason games since 1982. That's right, 1982, I wasn't even born then.
Here is a short review of the other three games this weekend:

Cowboys 3-Vikings 34: The Cowboys made me look bad. I trusted Tony Romo, and even worse, I forgot about kicker Shaun Suisham, who along with Kaeding should start looking for employment elsewhere for missing two make-able field goals in a dome. Props to Brett Favre and the Vikings for imposing their will on both sides of the ball and going for the Cowboys' jugular at all times.

Saints 45-Cardinals 14: The Saints remembered what made them go 13-0 before losing their last three games of the regular season. Offense, offense, and more offense. If your offense looks unstoppable, then it puts more pressure on the other team to keep up with you, and then turnovers happen. The Cardinals' defense was MIA again, but Kurt Warner couldn't bail them out this time.

Colts 20-Ravens 3: This game was all about presence. The Ravens aren't intimidated by many teams, but the Colts rattle their cage like no other team. If you are looking for an example, look no further than Ed Reed's two interceptions in the third quarter being wasted by Reed fumbling in the first one, and a penalty negating the other. The Ravens were trying to do too much, and the Colts slowly but surely made them pay for it.

How ironic would it be if the Jets, the same team that the Colts' allowed to sneak into the postseason by pulling their starters against them, prevents them from reaching the Super Bowl? My previous post still stands, and Karma could still bite the Colts in the butt, but more about that on Friday's championship picks post.