Like their quarterback, the Jets gimp home from Buffalo to play the NY football Giants in an away game for the first time since the pre-season. The major difference between that 20-12 victory and this one is……this one counts.

The other major difference is that it seems these football teams are going in opposite directions. After an 0-2 start, the Giants have rebounded with two big division wins, one on the road in Washington and last Sunday against a usually-tough opponent that they made look like a junior varsity foe.

Meanwhile, the Jets are 1-3, with their only win coming against quite possibly the worst team in football, and facing two tough NFC East opponents in the next two weeks.

The Giants are riding high and will certainly use their momentum to motivate themselves above .500 when they strap on their helmets at the Meadowlands on Sunday. The Eagles will then come into town following their bye, when Andy Reid is at his best.

That makes this Sunday’s game even more critical for the Jets to win. If they don’t, they could be looking at an almost insurmountable 1 – 5 record and heading to Cincinnati to face a quarterback who will certainly pick the defense apart if given unlimited time to make passes like most of the Jets’ opposing QB’s have been granted.

Last week, the Giants sacked Donovan McNabb an NFL record-tying 12 times. I don’t care how beat-up and battered the Eagles’ offense was, 12 sacks is 12 sacks. With an immobile-Chad Pennington, the Giants could have a record-breaking day.

This is the last game that counts between these two suite-mates in Giants stadium. The next matchup will be in the new, yet-to-be-named, Xanadu-like fortress. My guess is by then there will be no additional Super Bowl trophies to make room for, one less starting QB with the initials C.P., and a new head coach wearing blue, red and white. And Bill Parcells will be affliliated with at least one of the teams.

But for now, the focus has to be this Sunday. The Jets have to find a way to put pressure on Eli Manning and keep the pressure off Chad Pennington. Those two things, simple in concept, will be the difference between a step in the right direction and a step toward planning for next season.

Eric Mangini was quoted as saying he’s seen 1-3 teams come back and make the playoffs. And he’s right. But the reality is, if the Jets don’t win this weekend, they could be looking at 1-6 before their next winnable game.

No matter how you look at it, home or away, the Jets have a giant game ahead of them.

Jon Buzby is a nationally-syndicated columnist who can be reached through his website at www.jonbuzby.com.