Jets need to beat Patriots before thinking AFC playoffs

Guess who is up next for the Jets? Tom Brady (r.) and the Patriots.Before Jets fans start worrying about the possibility of going 11-5 and missing the playoffs, the team needs to clear a major hurdle. It’s their old nemesis, the New England Patriots.

Gang Green has come close but fallen short against the Patriots so many times in recent years. And that was the case again in Week 7 this season, when the held a 4th quarter lead but blew it against their hated rival.

But now the Jets are hot, on a four-game winning streak, and fighting for an AFC wild card spot. And so Todd Bowles is hoping it’s the newest version of his Jets -- the one that makes plays down the stretch rather than surrendering…