1 Will Sanchez be at full strength?
It was impossible to tell how Mark Sanchez’s shoulder was holding up as the Jets’ quarterback threw just one pitch in the season finale vs. the Bills last week.
Sanchez, who injured his throwing arm Week 15 in Pittsburgh, played through the pain in the win over the Steelers and then performed well in Chicago the next week. The second-year quarterback looked good in practice this week and was zipping the ball downfield. He may not be 100 percent Saturday, but the shoulder shouldn’t alter his game.
“I think the weekend off … was kind of good for him,” said offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. “He has been real into it, real sharp.”
2 Can the Jets ground and pound the Colts?
Jets coach Rex Ryan said his running backs are rested and ready to give a pounding, something that he couldn’t say this time last year. In fact, Ryan gave LaDainian Tomlinson the option to rest last Sunday or go for 1,000 yards.
“That’s not important to me,” Tomlinson said. “What’s important to me is playing in this tournament and having that opportunity to win the championship.”
Shonn Greene ran for a team-high 41 yards in last year’s 30-17 AFC champion-ship loss to the Colts before suffering a game-changing injury in the third quarter. Even if Greene runs four quarters this time, it’s on Sanchez to win this game, as Indy hasn’t allowed a 100-yard rusher in its last three games.
3 Will the key additions make the difference?
The Jets reset their personnel in the offseason to get personal with Indy’s multiple receivers. How the Jets control Austin Collie, Pierre Garcon and Reggie Wayne, who have combined for 236 catches this year, will make or break this game.
“From a starting standpoint and depth standpoint, we probably feel better about it this year than we did a year ago,” defensive coordinator Mike Pettine said.
Keep in mind, the Jets’ biggest strength — run defense — is nullified because Indy doesn’t care to run the ball.
