To play or not to play, that is the question.

New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan as predicted in a previous post will not name a  starter until at least Friday which gives the team the ability factor in a Jacksonville win or loss as part of the decision making process.

While Mark Sanchez took a lion's share of snaps today in anticipation of a Colt victory, and Indianpolis loss might cause the Jets to rethink putting Sanchez on the field with a healing knee.

The Jets, notorious for keeping their cards close to the vest are waiting for the results of tonight's match-up between the 13-0 Colts with nothing to play for and the 7-6 Jaguars who are all but eliminated from playoff competition with a loss that would drop them to 7-7.

As usual, Ryan was vague and non-commital in his analysis of the situation an d whether the Jets would stay with Kellen Clemens or go back to Sanchez. 

While the prognosis for recovery seems excellent for the young rookie, is the team prepared to put him on the field if the team's chances are slim and none for a playoff berth, especially if Jacksonville upsets the Colts?

This game of football has become a game of chess this week as whatever decision is made by the Colts to play starters will have a direct impact on the whether or not the Jets can secure a Wildcard slot. Should Peyton Manning play just the first half in a game that's competitive could lead the way for the Jaguars to win by default.

Others believe because the Colts are 13-0 and have a shot at an undefeated season is exactly the reason why Manning & company will go all out for victory unless the game gets out-of-hand. A Colt win coupled with a Raven loss, Dolphin loss and Jet win would secure the final Wildcard berth for New York at 8-6 with two games to play.

That scenario would leave the Jets with controlling there own playoff prospects.

Look for the Jets to start Mark Sanchez on Sunday if the Colts win tonight. If not, we might have seen the last of Mark Sanchez for 2009.