The Jets are one of four six-win teams chasing the 8-4 Broncos and 7-5 Jaguars for the two AFC wild-card berths. The 6-5 Ravens could move ahead tonight if they beat Green Bay.

The playoff hopes of the Jets have looked like a volatile stock chart this season - high when the team got off to a 3-0 start, plummeting as it lost six of its next seven, and back on the incline after winning two games over five days last week.

Even with victories last week over the Panthers and Bills, Gang Green is still a heavy underdog to make the postseason. Mark Sanchez's knee is a question mark, but the bigger issue is the Jets' schedule. Of the teams they're battling (Broncos, Jaguars, Ravens, Dolphins and Steelers) for the two wild-card spots, they have the toughest remaining schedule.

They face the hapless Buccaneers (1-11) this week in Tampa and the Falcons (6-6) in two weeks at the Meadowlands, but then the schedule turns from soft as Charmin to hard as asphalt.

Week 16 brings a trip to Indianapolis to face the Colts, who could be looking at 15-0 that week. Maybe Jim Caldwell will rest Peyton Manning if the Colts have home-field advantage wrapped up, which would give the Jets hope. Otherwise, it's hard to picture the Jets defense shutting Manning down.

The Jets close Giants Stadium the following week against the Bengals (9-3). This could be another situation where the game means nothing for Cincinnati if its playoff position is secure.

The Jets' remaining four opponents have a combined record of 28-20, the best of the six wild-card hopefuls. The Ravens (17-31) have the easiest path. Miami's win over New England yesterday gave the Jets a slim hope in the division, since they trail the Patriots by just one game, but Bill Belichick's troops have only one game left against a team with a winning record and a better record against the AFC East than the Jets , which would be the tiebreaker.

Tiebreakers present a major problem in general for the Jets in making the playoffs. If they finish tied with the Dolphins or Jaguars, they would lose out based on their losses to those teams this season. The Broncos and the Ravens, whom the Jets did not play, both have a better conference record than the Jets . Pittsburgh is the only team the Jets currently have a tiebreaker advantage over.

The Jets proved last year that playoff berths are not decided until December, when they collapsed down the stretch. With four games left, the Jets have a pulse, but they also have plenty of work left ahead of them.

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AFC playoff picture

TEAM RECORD

Division leaders

Colts 12-0

Bengals 9-3

Chargers 9-3

Patriots 7-5

Wild card leaders

Broncos 8-4

Jaguars 7-5

Contenders

Ravens 6-5*

Jets 6-6

Dolphins 6-6

Steelers 6-6

Texans 5-7

Titans 5-7

Records through Sunday's games

* game tonight at Packers

Jets schedule

DATE OPP

Sunday at Buccaneers

Dec. 20 Falcons

Dec. 27 at Colts

Jan. 3 Bengals

NFC playoff picture

TEAM RECORD

Division leaders

Saints 12-0

Vikings 10-2

Cowboys / Eagles 8-4

Cardinals 8-4

Wild card leaders

Eagles / Cowboys 8-4

Packers 7-4*

Contenders

Giants 7-5

Falcons 6-6

Records through Sunday's games

Giants schedule

DATE OPP

Sunday Eagles

Dec. 21 at Redskins

Dec. 27 Panthers

Jan. 3 at Vikings