The Todd Bowles mantra has not changed. While there are two possible scenarios where the Jets could earn a playoff berth on Sunday, Bowles only sees one. Beat the Buffalo Bills.

"There is no pressure on us. We know we have to win," he told reporters during a Monday conference call. "We've been having to win the past four weeks, five weeks, so it's no different going into Sunday."

If New York's AFC representative runs its win streak to six, the Jets will indeed gain playoff entry as an AFC wild card. But the Jets also will be eligible for postseason play if they fall in Buffalo and the Pittsburgh Steelers lose/tie to the Browns Sunday in Cleveland. But Bowles has never been concerned about any team other than his own club, a group that has dramatically turned things around after a pre-Thanksgiving 24-17 loss to the Texans left the Jets with a 5-5 mark.

"I just remember we weren't playing well. There was a point where we were going back and forth. You can't be a .500 team," he recalled telling the players. "You either have to tread water and get worse or you can be get better as a team. We started playing better after that. I don't know if (the speech) was the reason, but we started playing better after that."

Behind an offense that has averaged 27.2 points and 423 yards during this five-game win streak, the Jets have become a well-balanced football team hitting its stride as December closes.

"Well, it's still a work in progress. I think we're playing better and they're coming together themselves," Bowles told reporters. "As a coach, all you try to do is make them see what the vision is and then work towards getting there. A lot of that has to do with them trusting each other. Obviously they have to know what you're talking about from a coaching standpoint as a player, but them trusting each other and them believing each other and getting that type of comradery and chemistry takes a while. I do see some of that coming together."

Heading into Week 17, the Jets are the AFC's No. 6 seed. With a win/tie they would face one of the following four teams on Wild Card Weekend: Cincinnati, the AFC West Winner (Denver/Kansas City) or Houston. Just to give you an idea of how tight things are right now, the Broncos could earn the No. 1 seed or the No. 6 seed.  While fans can tinker with various playoff machines, the Jets are well into their preparations for the Bills.

"We understand what we are going up against and we understand what happens this week, so we know that fully well," Bowles said. "We have to continue to do the things that we have been doing. If we try to do anything else, then we won't have a chance to win."

The Todd Bowles mantra has not changed. While there are two possible scenarios where the Jets could earn a playoff berth on Sunday, Bowles only sees one. Beat the Buffalo Bills.

"There is no pressure on us. We know we have to win," he told reporters during a Monday conference call. "We've been having to win the past four weeks, five weeks, so it's no different going into Sunday."

If New York's AFC representative runs its win streak to six, the Jets will indeed gain playoff entry as an AFC wild card. But the Jets also will be eligible for postseason play if they fall in Buffalo and the Pittsburgh Steelers lose/tie to the Browns Sunday in Cleveland. But Bowles has never been concerned about any team other than his own club, a group that has dramatically turned things around after a pre-Thanksgiving 24-17 loss to the Texans left the Jets with a 5-5 mark.

"I just remember we weren't playing well. There was a point where we were going back and forth. You can't be a .500 team," he recalled telling the players. "You either have to tread water and get worse or you can be get better as a team. We started playing better after that. I don't know if (the speech) was the reason, but we started playing better after that."

Behind an offense that has averaged 27.2 points and 423 yards during this five-game win streak, the Jets have become a well-balanced football team hitting its stride as December closes.

"Well, it's still a work in progress. I think we're playing better and they're coming together themselves," Bowles told reporters. "As a coach, all you try to do is make them see what the vision is and then work towards getting there. A lot of that has to do with them trusting each other. Obviously they have to know what you're talking about from a coaching standpoint as a player, but them trusting each other and them believing each other and getting that type of comradery and chemistry takes a while. I do see some of that coming together."

Heading into Week 17, the Jets are the AFC's No. 6 seed. With a win/tie they would face one of the following four teams on Wild Card Weekend: Cincinnati, the AFC West Winner (Denver/Kansas City) or Houston. Just to give you an idea of how tight things are right now, the Broncos could earn the No. 1 seed or the No. 6 seed.  While fans can tinker with various playoff machines, the Jets are well into their preparations for the Bills.

"We understand what we are going up against and we understand what happens this week, so we know that fully well," Bowles said. "We have to continue to do the things that we have been doing. If we try to do anything else, then we won't have a chance to win."