Now it’s up to Gang Green to close the deal once and for all and earn the right to most likely face the same Bengal team a week later in Cincy.

The Giants got blown out last week in their farewell to a stadium that has been kind to them in it’s 33 year history. Three Giant Super Bowl teams were borne out of the purported hallowed burial ground of Jimmy Hoffa in this time. For the Jets, the Meadowlands has been home to so many crash landing endings that many Jet fans will be happy to see the team move next door in 2010. A chance at a fresh start with the opportunity to put their own stamp on things, will come shortly.

For now, the Jets hope to give themselves and their die hard fans one great memory in a stadium that has housed at least a few over the years.

The Monday night Miracle in 2000 with Jumbo Elliot’s TD catch capped off the greatest Monday night football comeback in history. Beating the Brett Favre led Packers on the last day of 2002 propelled the upstart Herman Edwards Jets into the playoffs. Their 41-0 dismantling of the Colts in the Wildcard was arguably the loudest Jets fans ever got in the Red and Blue seated stadium.

Of course there were nightmares. Too many to count. The bigger ones that come to mind are the day Dennis Byrd was partially paralyzed against the Chiefs in 1992. Who can forget the Dan Marino fake spike play in 1994 that left the then 6-5 Jets shocked? The wild loss sent them into a “same old Jets” Jet  tailspin, ending Pete Caroll’s tenure as head coach after just one season. This ushered in the Rick Kotite years of 1995 and 1996. Enough said.

Sunday night is about a lifetime of redemption for the franchise that, aside from Super Bowl III, seems to struggle most when the spotlight is the brightest. Although the Jets have fared well in “win or in ” games over the past decade, the stigma associated with monumental collapses contain ghosts that float close to the surface. Apparitions that seem ready to bring bad karma to Gang Green at any time.

This week has had its share of pre-game drama already. Chad Ochocinco and CB Darelle Revis have been going at it in a friendly fun way on twitter. Ochocinco has been boasting that Revis won’t be able to cover him. Don’t bet on it. Revis has covered all of the top receivers this year and has shut them all down. WR Braylon Edwards pulled a “Broadway” Joe guaranteeing the win saying that team is too focused and wants it too badly to lose.

Then there’s the issue of motivation. The Bengals can’t improve their playoff situation with a win. in fact they can only hurt it by adding any top player to the injury list in a game that has no ability to make their path to the Super Bowl any easier. Will coach Marvin Lewis let QB Carson Palmer and the oft injured RB Cedric Benson play for the duration? Backup QB  JT O Sullivan is a former starter with the 49ers, and should fare alot better than Curtis Painter did for the Colts last week, should the Bengals choose to keep Palmer on the sidelines. One or more of the AFC teams on the bubble between Miami, Houston and Pittsburgh will be watching Sunday night praying that the Bengals  go out and be competitive. The jury’s out as to how Lewis will play it.

If the Pats, who publicly claim Tom Brady and co. will be on the field (if you choose to believe Bill Belichick), beat the Texans at 1pm, the Bengals would own the 4th seed. This would be regardless of the outcome against the Jets. A Pats loss and the Bengals would move to No. 3 with a win but beating the Jets could force Cincy into facing division rival Baltimore or Pittsburgh in the opening round.

Many wonder if Cincy will tank just to win the right to take on rookie Mark Sanchez and his 26 interceptions, back to their place instead.

The stage is set. A stadium farewell. A win or else scenario. A national tv audience.

What a dramatic way to end what has been a roller coaster first season for coach Rex Ryan and the rookie Sanchez. 60 minutes away from the playoffs, the question is, can the Jets put it all together? It’s up to Gang Green now. They control their destiny. They are the owners of the chance to give Giants stadium one last glorious ride before it fades into the sunset. Before the Jets 2009 season fades into the sunset as well.

KEYS TO THE BENGALS:

Defense, It’s Time To Peak  For the Jets to keep the season going past Sunday and to make any sort of serious run in January , it’s going to have to be on the defense. The Defense , ranked 1st in the NFL in yards given up, must now grow into a turnover and sack machine. The foundation is there. The pressure has been solid all year. The interceptions have risen in the past five weeks. Now can the Jets D elevate into a unit that creates short fields and scores points. Sunday the Jets will need some help from the D as once again Sanchez will be asked to manage the offense, not carry it.

Shonn Greene: Can Greene develop here on the stretch drive as well? The fumble prone rookie has proven that he can be a big time aid to a run game already churning with RB Thomas Jones as long as he holds onto the rock. If Greene can come into his own, the template may be set for the rest of 2009. Jones, Greene, a few throws mixed in, and a stifling D.

Night Time is the Right Time: The nutty Jet fan base combined with the final game in Giants stadium,and a “Win and in” game” has to prove to be an energy force all its own. Fireman Ed, get your game face on, this one’s big. As big of a game as Gang Green has ever played in a stadium short on memories for the Jets. Alcohol sales have been banned for the game. The Meadowlands knows better than to lend Jet nation more fuel to a fire that may help carry the Jets over the edge and into the postseason.

They moved closer to the first-place Dallas Cowboys by beating them at home last week, and Dallas fell even further to New York by losing again, at home to San Diego, earlier in the day on Sunday.

So, it was there for the taking on Sunday night.

Follow up one big NFC East win over Dallas with another over the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Giants would regain the division lead they once held over both Dallas and Philadelphia after their very promising 5-0 start to the 2009 season.

However, it wasn’t meant to be.

The franchise that will go down as the winingest visiting team in the history of the current Giants Stadium, found yet another different way to defeat Big Blue at the Meadowlands, this time, in a 45-38 shootout, on Sunday night.

Although the Giants have certainly had the best of the Eagles during the course of one of the NFL’s best rivalries of all-time, the Eagles have found some very creative ways to break the hearts of Big Blue supporters at Giants Stadium over the years.

In 1978, it was Herman Edwards’ Miracle At The Meadowlands touchdown. Ten years and a day later, Clyde Simmons’ fumbling, game-winning score off of a Giants’ blocked field goal made Giants’ fans again shake their collective heads in heartbreaking disbelief. In 2003, it was Brian Westbrook’s 84-yard punt return with 1:16 left in the game which stole another late Giants Stadium win for the Eagles.

And, on Sunday night, in the 154th game between the Giants and Eagles, Philadelphia (9-4) scored, and scored, and scored some more, to hold off a prolific scoring effort by New York, in the highest scoring meeting ever between the two teams in their 76-year-old rivalry.

If anyone leading up to the game was still cringing and complaining over Giants’ quarterback Eli Manning’s poor performance or Plaxico Burress shooting himself out of the lineup in last year’s divisional home playoff loss to the Eagles, they weren’t pointing their fingers that way this time.

Although the Giants fumbled five times, losing four, while the Eagles turned the ball over just once, two of the lost fumbles didn’t matter, and the Giants put up enough offense to win had their defense not let them down like it has so many other times this season.

In a game which featured five touchdowns of 60 yards or more, New York amassed 512 yards of offense (outgaining the Eagles by 138 yards), controlled the ball for a healthy 34:46

Unlike last year’s playoffs, Giants fans can’t pin this one on Manning or on the offense he directed.

In fact, had the Giants’ defense shown up at all in any number of big spots, the game might have gone down as one of the best of Manning’s career. The Giants’ signal caller finished with a 130.5 passer rating, spreading the ball around to eight different receivers, completing 27 of 38 passes for a career-high 391 yards, while throwing three touchdowns and no interceptions. He also led New York to 27 first downs (to Philadelphia’s 20) and a comeback from two different 14-point first-half deficits and a 13-point third-quarter hole, only to see the Giants’ inept defense immediately give the lead back for good later in the same period.

To put all of that in its proper perspective, the Giants’ 38 points marked the most they have ever scored in a home loss in their long and storied history, and it was their highest point total in any loss in 43 years, since a 49-40 defeat in Cleveland, in 1966. It was also the most points ever allowed in a loss by a Tom Coughlin-coached team.

In a game like this, you usually ask if anyone is capable of tackling, but even that’s difficult to do when you can’t get close enough because you’re putting virtually no pressure on the opposing quarterback, and covering wide open receivers even worse.

The Giants’ defense allowed the Eagles to open the game by marching 67 yards on six plays in 3:27 for a quick 7-0 lead.

Four plays later, the crazy Meadowlands luck of years past continued for the Eagles, when Giants’ running back Brandon Jacobs had the ball knocked free. Before hitting the ground, the ball hit the heel of Giants’ tight end Kevin Boss (who was blocking ahead of Jacobs), and caromed high to a waiting Sheldon Brown, who took it 60 yards the other way for a 14-0 Philadelphia lead just 5:20 into the game.

The Giants’ offense responded though with a drive for a Lawrence Tynes 26-yard field goal in the first quarter, and then 1:53 into the second period, Manning hit rookie Hakeem Nicks, who made a nice spin move to break a tackle and streak 68 yards for a touchdown to pull New York to within 14-10.

But then, the Giants’ defense allowed a twelve-play, 75-yard drive for a field goal before Big Blue’s special teams broke down, allowing the speedy DeSean Jackson to wait for the Giants’ coverage team to overrun him, turning seemingly nothing into a 72-yard punt return for a touchdown to put Philadelphia ahead, 24-10.

Once again, the Giants’ offense kept New York in the game. Manning led an eight-play, 67-yard drive that was finished by running back Ahmad Bradshaw’s 3-yard touchdown run, to get the Giants back to within 24-17 with 1:30 left in the opening half.

However, the Eagles then came right back on the Giants’ porous pass defense again. New York inexcusably allowed a 44-yard completion from quarterback Donovan McNabb (17-26, 275 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT) with the Eagles facing a third-and-20 from their own 32-yard line.

Three plays later, McNabb found tight end Brent Celek for another 23-yard chunk of yardage, setting up a one-yard touchdown run by Michael Vick (PAT missed) ten seconds before the half, for a 30-17 halftime lead for the Eagles.

It was the second time in as many games against the Giants this season that the Eagles posted a 30-spot in the first half against New York. The Giants trailed 30-7 at the half in a 40-17 Week 8 loss in Philadelphia. The 85 combined points were the most any team has scored against the Giants in one season since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, and that type of scoring allowed the first Eagles’ sweep of the Giants in five years.

The game also marked the first season since 1973 that the Giants have given up at least 40 points or more in at least three games.

Giants’ defensive end very bluntly admitted, “Our defense, we just played like crap. Our offense, for them to put up that many points, and we can’t come out with a victory, we just can’t have that.”

And still, the Giants’ offense wouldn’t let its team go away quietly in such a big divisional game.

New York took the opening kickoff of the second half and drove 74 yards on eleven plays, with Manning completing a 23-yard pass to Boss and a 20-yarder to Nicks, to help set up a Jacobs one-yard touchdown plunge on fourth-and-goal, to draw the Giants to within 30-24.

Then, the Giants’ defense finally came through for a short while.

Linebacker Jonathan Goff intercepted McNabb, giving New York great field position at the Philadelphia 29-yard line, but Manning fumbled on a controversial call when he dove head first and the ground caused the ball to pop loose and be recovered at the Eagles’ 14-yard line.

The play didn’t hurt New York much though, because the Giants’ defense actually responded with, get this –- a three-and-out, and Manning took advantage right away, with a 61-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Domenik Hixon, to give the Giants their only lead of the game, 31-30, with 5:12 left in the third quarter.

That’s when the New York defense went from Big Blue to Big Bust again, allowing Philadelphia to regain the lead for good, 37-31, just 15 seconds later on a 60-yard touchdown pass from McNabb to Jackson, who not only torched the Giants for 178 yards on six catches, but he embarrassed them on that play, losing the New York secondary so badly, that he danced backwards into the end zone for the final few yards before scoring.

It was the eighth touchdown of 50 yards or more for Jackson, which tied an NFL record.

In the fourth quarter, the Giants, still down just six points, had Philadelphia backed up at its own 9-yard line after a good punt by Jeff Feagles.

So naturally, rather than getting the ball back with good field position for a Giants’ offense that was humming, the New York defense allowed a game-clinching twelve-play, 91-yard touchdown drive which ate up 7:24. And, for good measure, they allowed the ensuing two-point conversion, as well, putting Philadelphia ahead, 45-31.

The Giants’ offense still battled back, scoring on a four-yard Manning touchdown pass to Boss with 1:31 left, but an onside kick attempt failed, and the Eagles held on for their fourth straight win over the Giants and their third in a row over New York at Giants Stadium.

Prior to the Giant’s final touchdown, with 2:21 remaining and two timeouts left, the Mario Manningham just missed getting his left toe inbounds on what was very nearly a 28-yard touchdown catch from Manning.

Had that play been a touchdown, the Giants could have used the two-minute warning as a third timeout to get the ball back and score again to force overtime.

But, did that many in the building have any confidence that if that scenario took place, and the Giants needed a big stop, that the defense would actually come through?

The way it actually did play out, the Giants’ defense caused New York to miss a big opportunity.

And yet, the Giants might still have everything still set up okay. Maybe no longer to win the NFC East, but at least, to make the playoffs, since Dallas is in the midst of its annual December swoon, started by that Giants’ victory over the Cowboys last week.

New York (7-6) trails Dallas (8-5) by a game in the standings, but it holds the tiebreaker having swept the Cowboys this season, and the Giants appear to have a significantly more manageable schedule over the final three weeks of the regular season.

A disappointed yet realistic Coughlin said, “We still have a lot to play for.”

Meanwhile, Tuck said, “That’s what thing I know about this team. We won’t ever quit.”

After losing another game to the Eagles, the Giants can’t afford to.

Everyone involved with the UFL keeps using the catch phrase “alternative entertainment,” but I prefer to use the term “football at a price everyone can afford to watch.”  With seats priced at levels even lower then most college football games, everyone should be taking advantage of the chance to see professional football.

If you tally the cost of going to an NFL Game (even if you have tickets you purchased at regular face value), you would have already priced the average person out of their rent or mortgage payment for a month. With the going price for a UFL seat at $20 per, a family of 4 can have an affordable day or night of football.

While Thursday’s game was another loss for New York, they continue to improve in every facet of the game. Recent additions to the roster include former NFL Punter Scott Player, who wears a faceguard out of the 1950’s era.  When I asked New York head coach Ted Cottrell about player’s faceguard (as I’m an ex-kicker/punter and wore a similar one as a youth player in the 1960’s and 70’s), he lit up that great smile of his and told us, “they’ve (the team) never seen it!”

California would win this game by a 20-13 score, but New York kept it more then interesting, considering they had given up 17 points in the first half. Give the New York coaches and players credit for not packing it in early, as you could almost hear echoes of Herman Edwards famous “you play to win the game” quote along with his infamous (to Giants fans) fumble recovery for a touchdown throughout the halls of the building that will soon be torn down.

Personally, I spent many years learning about football In the Meadowlands, as both a fan sitting in section 311(row 25, seats 6-10), and later as I began my sports writing career. It holds a special place for me, and having the opportunity to cover the first UFL game here just made this last year of the building’s existence and my memories of it that much sweeter for me.

Both coaches have a wide array of feelings about the building as well. Redwoods head coach Dennis Green was asked about it and told us, “It was exciting to be at Giants Stadium, but once the game starts, you don’t notice. All the players were excited.”

He also made mention of the famous “Open Doors” Incident that he felt cost him a win over the Giants when the facilities staff would open the doors on the field level to allow the wind to aid a Giants’ field goal attempt or punt and then make sure they were closed for the opposing team In the same situation.

Coach Cottrell offered some other thoughts on the positive side:  “It was great to be in the area we’re locating to. I wish it (the game) had come out another way.” He went on to tell us “This ball park is great for fans. The new one (stadium) is going to be even better.” He still holds a deep fondness for the area from his time as a Rutgers assistant coach, and as the Jets defensive coordinator, but also recounted his famous quote as a Bills assistant when his defensive players talked about coming to New York to play the Jets, “It’s not New York, it’s East Rutherford New Jersey.”

All that being said, the stadium with the skyline of Manhattan in clear view will be missed by many people, but will be remembered for many great moments, including the launch of the UFL in the NY area.