New York Jets will be in the NFL playoffs in 2014 if…

If: The New York running game takes advantage of all of its options.

Let us flashback to 2009 and Ryan’s first season on the job. The 9-7 Jets would eventually wind up in the AFC title game, led by the top-ranked running game in the NFL. That made life so much easier for then-rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez, who helped lead the team to postseason wins over the Cincinnati Bengals and San Diego Chargers before falling to the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC title game.

One year later, the improved Jets were 11-5 and armed with the fourth-ranked ground attack in the league, once again made their way to the conference championship game before falling one game short of the Super Bowl.

This past season, a big reason Ryan and company were able to finish with a respectable 8-8 mark was due in part to the fact that only five teams in the NFL ran for more yards than the Green and White. The Jets averaged a bit under 25 running plays per game and managed a nifty 134.9 yards per contest on the ground. Hence, it was little wonder that the team had nearly as many rushing touchdowns (12) as passing scores in 2013 (13).

Chris Ivory (833) and underrated Bilal Powell (697) combined for 1,530 yards on the ground, while quarterback Geno Smith added 366 yards rushing and six scores. Now add former Tennessee Titans three-time Pro Bowler Chris Johnson to the mix. The six-year pro ran for at least 1,000 yards in each of his seasons in Nashville and gives offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg a home-run option out of the backfield.

Add an offensive line featuring left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson, center Nick Mangold and right guard Willie Colon and this team could once again be in the mix in terms of leading the league in rushing yards.