The Rundown: One Play Away

The latest issue of ESPN: The Magazine includes an article entitled "In Memoriam: NFL Parity". Perhaps the ESPN editors should check the AFC wild card picture.

No fewer than eight AFC teams -- half the conference -- are separated by a single game in the running for the conference's two wild card spots. One of those teams is the New York Jets, who missed out on a golden opportunity to seize control of their playoff destiny on Sunday.

The Jets led the Atlanta Falcons, 7-3, with under two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Gang Green had been riding its defense all day, as Bart Scott and Co. had kept the Falcons out of the end zone and on their heels all day. Now Atlanta had a fourth-and-goal from the six, one last chance to play spoiler and torpedo the Jets' playoff hopes.

The Falcons have a very straightforward short-yardage offense: run the ball and hope Tony Gonzalez gets open. The veteran tight end and future Hall of Famer has 81 career touchdowns, the most in NFL history among tight ends. So... it might be a good idea to blanket cover him on the most important play of the season.

Instead, the Jets went zone, with no one specifically assigned to guard Gonzalez. The tight end found a hole in the zone, and Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan found him for the go-ahead score.

The touchdown proved to be the game-winner in a heartbreaking 10-7 loss for the Jets. Gang Green is one game behind the Broncos and Ravens at 7-7 and faces the undefeated Colts and playoff-bound Bengals in the season's final two weeks. Only a Christmas miracle can save Rex Ryan's squad now.

NEW YORK GIANTS: The Cowboys' monumental upset win over the Saints puts the G-Men on the razor's edge of playoff elimination. Though the Giants own the tiebreaker over Dallas, they are a game and half behind the 'Boys and must beat the Redskins tonight to keep their wild card hopes alive.

Tomorrow, I'll break down the game that was. Until then, I'll leave you New York sports fans with this Grinch-y prediction: Redskins 21, Giants 16.

NEW YORK YANKEES: They got Curtis Granderson. They got Nick Johnson. They're looking at Ben Sheets. Pretty good three weeks for the reigning champs, eh?

NEW YORK KNICKS: This week, the Knicks were only as good as their fourth quarters. In their two wins, they protected a slim lead and forged ahead in a game where they trailed by 20 points. In their two losses, they blew a 17-point second half lead and an eight-point fourth quarter lead. The Knicks were outscored 57-30 in the fourth quarter of their two losses, while they outscored opponents 45-43 in their two wins. Enough said.

ST. JOHN'S: Don't look now, but the Red Storm are 9-1 after their 72-60 win over Hofstra on Sunday. The catalyst for the early surge -- yes, it's a surge even though their biggest win so far is against Georgia -- is junior guard D.J. Kennedy. Far and away the most productive player on the team, Kennedy leads St. John's with 16.4 points and 3.8 assists per game. The junior has been Mr. Consistency for the Red Storm, reaching double figures in points every game this season. With a nine-point loss to No. 7 Duke the lone blemish on its card, St. John's will have a chance to prove itself NCAA-tournament worthy once Big East play begins in January. Until then, it's cupcake time (minus a marquee showdown against Cornell tonight, of course. Multiple family members of this scribe bleed Big Red, and I certainly wouldn't want to belittle the best team in the Ivy League.)