New York Jets need to throw Peyton Manning off rhythm

What the New York Jets need to do to defeat the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC championship game Sunday (noon, Channel 2):

Make Peyton pause

Jets Coach Rex Ryan is a defensive mastermind, and he’s sure to draw up some new looks that alter the coverages and bring pressure from unexpected places. The goal is to get Colts quarterback Peyton Manning to either throw early, or have a hiccup of hesitation before he lets go of the ball.

“He’s going to figure it out,” said former Baltimore coach Brian Billick, now an NFL Network analyst. “But you want to get him to pause and think for a second to question where this pressure is coming from and what to do with it.”

Houston did a pretty good job of that in two games this season, intercepting three Manning passes and sacking him four times. Still, the Colts won both of those games.

Ryan devises some really exotic blitzes, some of which feature nine guys basically milling around the line of scrimmage. When the ball is snapped, six of them rush the passer and three drop into coverage. One blown assignment by the Colts and someone in green could be getting to Manning.

“I can watch their tape four or five games and just say, ‘What the heck is that coverage?’ Or, ‘What’s that blitz?’ ” NBC’s Cris Collinsworth said. “They’re very unique looks that they give a quarterback. So you get this brilliant defensive coordinator mind in Rex Ryan going up against Peyton Manning, and it’s going to be fun to watch.”

Give him a hand

Manning was sacked only 10 times this season -- Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers and Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger were each sacked an NFL-high 50 times -- because A) his offensive linemen are outstanding pass protectors and B) he gets rid of the ball quickly. So why not try a different tactic?

Said Collinsworth: “I’d tell my defensive linemen: ‘You’re not going to get to Peyton. So when you get to a certain point, stop and stick your hand up in the air and let’s see if we can tip one of these passes and somehow create a play, because he’s so good at getting rid of the football.’ Unless you’re going to send six, they’re not going to get to him. The Jets need something a little bizarre to happen.”

Shorten field, game

The Jets need to create turnovers -- probably at least two to pull off an upset -- and shorten the field for their offense. The offense can then “shorten” the game by using its top-ranked ground attack to consume the clock. That keeps Manning off the field, which is never a bad thing.

Believe

Ryan has already scheduled a Super Bowl parade. You get the feeling that’s not intended to incite other teams, but to make his own players believe they’re capable of hoisting that Lombardi Trophy -- even though they aren’t the darlings of this postseason.

So far, it’s working.

sam.farmer@latimes.com

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