2010 AFC Championship Game: Rex Ryan Bowl? Why Inevitable May Be Reality

Heading into the 2009 playoffs, the AFC wild card race had been the talk of the league for the past month. Eight teams had a shot at two wild card spots, most of them needing much help.

In week 16 of the regular season, the wildcard took an unexpected turn when the New York Jets put themselves in position of win and get in. After the controversial win over the previous undefeated Indianapolis Colts, followed by losses from the Ravens, Jaguars, Dolphins, and Broncos, New York sneaked into the playoffs in the final week of the season.

The final seed in the playoffs was obtained by the Baltimore Ravens, who showed signs of promise along with inconsistency.

With the victory over the Oakland Raiders, Baltimore for the second straight season, entered the playoffs as a sixth seed. During wildcard week, Jets head coach Rex Ryan brought up the possibility of a Rex Ryan bowl in the AFC Championship game between the Jets and Ravens, and according to him, "they would defeat the Ravens and move on to the Super Bowl".

At first, the odds looked slim to none. Both teams would need to win out, which would include the top two seeds and arguably the best two teams in the league in the Colts and the Chargers.

However, after last week's performances, we are a few days away from possibly seeing  these two teams facing off in the Meadowlands for the right at a title birth in Miami.

The New York Jets opened the postseason with a victory over the Cincinnati Bengals 24-14.

New York was mostly in control during the course of the game, but a few missed opportunities by Cincinnati made the path much easier for gang-green.

The Baltimore Ravens pulled off the playoff shocker by eliminating the New England Patriots 33-14. Baltimore was up 14-0 five minutes into the game, and they never lost the lead. A solid running game along with a good defensive performance by the purple and black did the job.

Both the Ravens and the Jets are both in similar situations, and use the same winning formula to advance in the playoffs: good running games, and shutdown defenses.

Even with these victories, the normal scenario is one would be lucky to see either of these teams advance, none the less, both.

However, history proves that while the Ravens and Jets have a shot, the Colts and Chargers have been on the other side of the equation.

The Colts currently are winless with Peyton Manning as quarterback when coming off the bye week. The clubhouse has answered this question multiple times, saying their practices have been one of the more intense ones all season.

But to say there will be no rust on this Colts roster is untrue, and with the surging Ravens coming into town, they need to get on the board pretty quickly.

The San Diego Chargers overall in the past five years have shown to quickly falter in the playoffs, even after the countless winning streaks to end the season. San Diego finished the regular season on an 11-game winning streak, and yet you still have to think of the doubts?

Why? Because it is the post season. The NFL playoffs has proved to be the most exciting system in sports. Finishing with one of the best records in the NFL does not guarantee you a shot in the title game anymore.

It has been a long time since a No. 1 seed has won the entire thing, and the closest team in recent years has been the 2008 New England Patriots, who faltered against the New York Giants in Arizona.

Overall, a Baltimore Ravens-New York Jets AFC Championship would be a one-way publicity stunt, especially in the New York papers.

I would say without a doubt the Ravens playing against the Jets is what the people want to see, and in these NFL playoffs, this possibility is more then hope.

In fact, in a just a few short days, we could be seeing reality on our hands, by watching two of the elite clash in the closing of one of the more older stadiums in football.

Matt Miselis is a Baltimore Ravens Featured Columnist for BleacherReport.com. He can be contacted at [e-mail] . Also follow him at twitter @ twitter.com/MattMiselis.