The New York Jets may be able to skip their Houdini act this week. It helps when the opponent has already disappeared.
The Jets will look to stay atop the AFC East when they go for their fourth consecutive victory against the reeling Cincinnati Bengals on Thanksgiving Day at the New Meadowlands Stadium.
Cincinnati (2-8) staggers into town riding a seven-game losing streak that has it tied with the Buffalo Bills for the worst record in the AFC.
The defending AFC North champions have been among the league's biggest disappointments this season - and the team most responsible for their spiral may be the Jets (8-2).
New York squeaked into the playoffs last season, rolling to a 37-0 rout of a Bengals team that had nothing to play for in the regular-season finale.
The teams had a rematch in the wild-card round of the playoffs one week later, and again the Jets got the best of Cincinnati with a 24-14 victory. The teams have been going in opposite directions since.
The Jets have been living on the edge this month, registering three straight teeth-gnashing victories, including back-to-back overtime victories at Cleveland and Detroit.
New York extended the winning streak to three Sunday by rallying for a last-second 30-27 victory over the Houston Texans. Mark Sanchez's 6-yard scoring pass to Santonio Holmes with 10 seconds to play provided the margin of victory.
It didn’t appear any late theatrics would be needed after the Jets went ahead 23-7 nine seconds into the fourth quarter, but Houston ripped off 20 unanswered points, forcing Sanchez to drive New York 72 yards in the final 49 seconds for the winning touchdown.
The Texans’ fourth-quarter comeback underscored some of the problems of the Jets’ defense, which has allowed just five of their last six opponents to score at least put up at least points.
It may not matter against the injury-riddled, demoralized Bengals, who hit a low point last week when they coughed up a 31-14 halftime lead and allowed the one-win Bills to outscore them 35-0 in the second half.
Cincinnati lost three-quarters of its defensive backfield to injuries in the game and was powerless to stop Buffalo’s passing game. The Bengals signed two cornerbacks – Jonathan Wade and Fred Bennett – off the street Monday and Tuesday.
The defense has been in shambles overall for Cincinnati, allowing 262 points in 10 games after surrendering 291 for the entire 2009 season, when it went 6-0 against AFC North foes.
Quarterback Carson Palmer was in a walking boot Tuesday but is expected to start against the Jets. He was 18 of 36 for 146 yards with one touchdown and one interception in last season’s playoff loss to New York.
One of the bright spots for the Bengals this season has been the play of wideout Terrell Owens, who has 62 receptions for 897 yards and a team-high eight touchdowns.
Owens will renew his rivalry with Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, who called him a “slouch” following a pair of matchups last season.