New York pounded the Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. on Sunday. It was the 8-5 Jets’ third straight win, pushing them into the sixth seed in the AFC playoff window. The victory featured the proper mix mixture of a potent offense and shutdown defense.

“When you have an offense that puts up 35 points,” said cornerback Antonio Cromartie. “We feel like we can sit back and then apply pressure to the quarterback and make him try to make erratic throws. It makes things a lot simpler for us.”

The Jets began Sunday’s game with a timeout before their first play from scrimmage. That could have been indicative of how the afternoon would go for New York, but it was actually quite opposite. A 31-yard run by Shonn Greene after the timeout set the momentum for the rest of the drive, which was capped off by Sanchez’ 1-yard touchdown run.

Wide receiver Santonio Holmes said putting up points to start the game always proves beneficial, especially at home.

“It’s fun man,” said Holmes. “It gets the crowd involved in the game. Everybody’s worried about the weather on the outside but once we get going on the inside and get our big guys up front blocking well, running backs running hard, receivers on the perimeter blocking, I think that gives us a fast start and we’ll take it.”

New York’s offense kicked it up a notch in the second half. Safety Jim Leonhard picked off Chiefs quarterback Tyler Palko on the Kansas City 38, setting up the Jets with great field position. Three plays later, Sanchez hit Holmes for a 4-yard touchdown.

Leonhard had to leave the game after his pick with what the team is classifying as a knee injury. He’s scheduled to receive an MRI on Monday. After the game, several players said they believe Leonhard will miss the rest of the season. It would be the second year in a row a knee injury would cut Leonhard’s season short.

Seven minutes after Holmes’ touchdown, Greene scored from seven yards out. His running back partner, LaDainian Tomlinson, later hauled in a 19-yard pass for the Jets’ fourth score of the half. Tomlinson and Greene led New York both on the ground and in the air heading into halftime up 28-3.

“The backs ran extremely hard,” said guard Matt Slauson. “It was great to see the execution in the receiving corps down on the perimeter and on the safeties. Everybody did a great job today.”

“We just couldn’t cover their backs,” said Chiefs head coach Todd Haley. “To me the backs just killed us in the first half. Their backs did a better job than we did of covering them.”

The Jets defense also had major success in the opening two quarters. On top of Leonhard’s interception, they had three sacks and only surrendered four yards of Chiefs offense and one first down. They would add one more sack and a safety before the afternoon was through.

“We knew that we wanted to come into this game and have a dominant performance,” said defensive end Aaron Maybin. “We knew we didn’t want to just come in and squeak by.  We didn’t want to just come in and play a game, keep it close and win it in the end. “

Kansas City (5-8) further began to fall apart in the third quarter. This was most evident on the Jets’ second possession of the half when the Chiefs had 81 yards in penalties. Notably, an unsportsmanlike conduct on coach Todd Haley and two pass inference calls set up Sanchez’ second rushing touchdown of the afternoon. The Jets quarterback became the first player in team history to throw and run for two scores in a single game. He also finished 13 of 21 for 181 yards.

“We wanted to come out and play them hard,” said receiver Jeremy Kerley. “Regardless of how they reacted, we were going to play them hard.”

Palko finally got the Chiefs into the end zone at 12:58 in the fourth when he found Jerheme Urban from 24 yards out. It would be the Chiefs only touchdown of the game. Palko finished 16 of 32 for 195 yards, the touchdown and one interception. He now has two touchdowns to seven interceptions in four starts this season.

“I thought we did bounce back and play better in the second half,” Haley said. “But we just have to play better.”

The Chiefs quarterback situation has been in disarray since early November when they lost starter Matt Cassel for the year with a hand injury. Palko filled in until Kansas City obtained Kyle Orton off waivers from Denver, but he injured his finger last week. Asked afterwards whether he considered bringing in rookie backup Ricky Stanzi, Haley said he did, but didn’t want to put him in this type of situation.

Greene rushed for a game high 129 yards on 24 carries. The third-year back also had three catches for 58 yards to lead the Jets. Dwayne Bowe topped the Chiefs wideouts with six catches for 69 yards.

This showing by New York should add only a slight intimidation to their upcoming matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. While this was New York’s most complete performance of the season, it came against a struggling Chiefs team. The Eagles will pose more of a test, especially with Michael Vick and LeSean McCoy playing so well.

“The whole thing for us is to build on it and build on this week,” said Cromartie.

The Jets, once on the playoff bubble, now control their own postseason fate. With three games to go, they’re projected to be in. Their play will now dictate if they stay there.

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They also have a short tradition of ending each other’s seasons.

The Blue Shirts knocked the Devils out of the postseason three times before New Jersey returned the favor in the 2006 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.  This year the Devils ruined the Rangers chances of home ice, and now they’re looking to send them — 14 miles away — packing.

New Jersey has made the playoffs 11 straight years and are the only team in the league to win two Stanley Cups since 2000.  The Rangers haven’t drank from the Cup since 1994.

Let’s face it: These teams do not like one another.  Goalies Martin Brodeur and Henrik Lundqvist aren’t exactly best friends.  The Rangers’ main fist, Sean Avery, will look to pick up some much-deserved penalty time.  Heck, the blood inside Devils fans’ boils when they see a New York license plate in a Prudential Center parking lot.

The Rangers vs. Devils, it has the makings of a great playoff series — and it will be.

Here’s a look at three important faceoffs beginning tonight:

Brodeur vs. Lundqvist: In a Sports Illustrated interview earlier this year, Brodeur called Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist “weird.”  The future Hall of Famer wasn’t talking about the Swedes’ haircut, but his style of play.  As if Lundqvist needed more motivation to beat the legend.

Brodeur and Lunqvist met in net eight times this year and saying the season series was lopsided is an understatement.  The  Rangers won seven straight before Sunday’s shutout loss.  The Devils need to use that win as motivation heading into tonight’s contest.  After all, if it were eight straight losses, you can bet the Devils would be written off even more than they already are.

I like Brodeur.  Until Lundqvist can prove to me he can win some big playoff games, no one can argue with that pick.

Elias vs. Jagr?: Devils winger Patrik Elias loves the playoffs.  It’s where he’s made a name for himself, while picking up the big bucks.

In 121 playoff games, Elias has scored 35 goals and 104 points.  Look for Devils head coach Brent Sutter to get his skates on the ice as much as he can.

Jagr, a two-time Stanley Cup winner, has scored at least 10 points in each of the eight playoff seasons he’s been apart of.  The last three seasons, Jagr has played in 82 games, but his numbers have gone down each one of them.

Both are good leaders, but give me Elias.

Scott Gomez vs. Devils Fans: Rangers center Scott Gomez was a star in New Jersey.  He won two Stanley Cups and if not for Brodeur, would have been considered the face of the franchise.

Then he left.

He didn’t just go to Carolina, Colorado or Nashville.  Gomez fled through the Lincoln Tunnel and to the hated Rangers.

Gomez posted 16 goals, 54 assists and 70 points during the 2007-2008 season, all better than his last in Jersey.  You can bet the fans of the red and white will be making him feel blue by the end of the series.

Prediction: I don’t see this series going to seven games.  I’m going with the Devils in six.

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On this night, he sits down in front of his locker, sweat pouring down his blond hair that has signs of helmet head.

He strips off his pads and stacks them next to him.  His skates, they’re resting on the floor, as is his jersey.

This was an easy night for a guy who likes a challenge.  A guy who’s won three Stanley Cups and has been to the playoffs 12 of his 13 years in the National Hockey League.

What does a guy like Martin Brodeur do on the ice when his teammates are scoring six goals?

“I always look around,” Brodeur tells me. “We were watching the scoreboard.”

Brodeur and his teammates watch the scoreboard because it’s just as important as how they play.  Teams need to lose — the Pittsburgh Penguins need to lose.

“We slipped a lot of points (this season),” Brodeur says. “We need to get back on top of our division somehow.”

Defenseman Colin White believes the opposite of Brodeur.

“We just have to focus on what this team’s doing and get ourselves ready and we can’t be worried about what other teams are going to do.”

White has two Stanley Cups and is gunning for that third.  He knows his team is in second place and already in the playoffs, but that’s not good enough.  That’s not what he plays all year for.

The Devils are just four points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins in the standings.  With only a few games left, the Atlantic Division is within their grasps.

Defenseman Johnny Oduya tells me that “every game is a new game” to them.

The Devils have high hopes that some of those new games will be for the Stanley Cup.

The fourth for “Marty” the “Legend.”

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Martin Brodeur:

Scott: “As a fellow goaltender, Cam’s (Ward) started in ten straight games now.  Does that do anything for you, tired him out a little today. ”

Martin: “You know, I’m the wrong guy to ask because I play a lot.  It is what it is; you know, sometimes your team starts a certain way.  Sometimes when you get chances and you’re able to whether that storm you’re fine, but I don’t think fatigue has anything to do with it because I don’t think he could have done much with the goals he got scored on.”

Scott: “It’s back-to-back games now.  It was a tough loss last night, but today it was an all-around great contribution from everyone, the offensive and defensive side of things, that’s what you need, right?”

Martin: “Yea, you know, we looked at the scoreboard and saw the Rangers won, Pittsburgh won, we need to get back on top of our division somehow.  We slipped a lot of points so us coming back shows a lot of character today after a tough loss.”

Scott: “Were you watching the scoreboard when you were you there on the ice?”

Martin: “They played in the afternoon so we knew they won.”

Scott: “True, but with a 6-1 lead, you might be peering around.”

Martin: “(Laughs) I always look around anyway.”

Brent Sutter:

Scott: “At one point you guys had six goals in 20 shots.  That’s a pretty good percentage to take in.”

Brent: “Well, we threw pucks on net and we had guys go to the net.  You know, their goaltender, Cam (Ward), he never seen some of the shots either and that’s important and can make it difficult for goaltenders to make saves and stop the net.  We discuss quiet often with our players and tonight they did a good job of it.”

Colin White:

Scott: “Six goals at one point in only 20 shots at one point.  That’s a pretty good ratio in a hockey game, isn’t it?”

Colin: “Oh yea.  We got bounces tonight, but we also worked for them.  That’s usually how it goes; the team that works for the bounces gets them.”

Scott: “I know you’ve watched tape on these guys, are you kind of surprised with the way they played?”

Colin: “Oh, definitely.  We know they’re a better team than they played tonight.  They didn’t have their best game, but we did what we had to do and that’s our focus is what we have to do as a team, not what the opponent has to do.”

Scott: “And you play them another two times in the next eight games.”

Colin: “And they’re a good team.  You know it.  We know they didn’t have their best game.  Like I said, we just have to focus on what this team’s doing and get ourselves ready and we can’t be worried about what other teams are going to do.”

Johnny Oduya:

Scott: “You guys play them two more times in the next nine games.  With a win like this, what do you expect from them the next time out?”

Johnny: “I don’t think… every game is a new game.  They’re a good team.  You can’t really expect anything.  Obviously it feels good that we can play good about them and beat them.  Other than that, I think it’s a new game we play the next time and they’re probably going to come out even harder so it’s going to be a tougher game.”

Scott: “At one point it was six goals on 20 shots.  That’s a pretty good ratio to have in one night, right?”

Johnny: “Yea, we had a good night, a couple of goals there, early on.  We kept building on it.  So it’s always nice to get that good start and keep on going.  That’s what we wanted, what we talked about earlier, that we wanted to get that good start and that’s what we kept to.”

Paul Martin:

Scott: “At one point you guys had six goals in 20 shots.  That’s a pretty good ratio to have.”

Paul: “That is a good ratio.  Yea, sometimes it just finds the back of the net.  On a couple of them they were screens.  I don’t even think (Cam) Ward even saw the puck.  One went off a defenseman’s stick, one of their D’s stick.  So it’s tough for a goalie when you have traffic in front and a deflection.   Sometimes when it’s going to go in, it’s going to go in.”

Scott: “You’ve obviously been playing for a long time.  Do you like back-to-back games?”

Paul: “Yea, I don’t think there’s nothing wrong with them.  I think you get that first one then you come back the second night.  Obviously you’re right back into it, you don’t get those days off to think, you just go out there and play again.  You’re already lose from the night before.  Obviously sometimes it’s better than others.  I think we had something to prove as far as our disappointing loss last night to come out and give ourselves a good outing.”

(The following interviews are archived from “Scott Stanchak Exclusives” on ScottStanchak.com)

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