The New York Jets' Super Bowl drought is set to enter its 43rd year, an absence from the Roman Numeral Rumble eclipsed only by the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions (neither franchise has ever reached the game). However the Jets have been on the threshold the past two seasons, appearing in consecutive AFC Championship Games for the first time in team history. Here are five questions facing Gang Green as it strives to win the conference for the first time while adding a second Lombardi Trophy more than four decades after its Super Bowl III title marked the signature triumph in the 10-year tenure of the AFL.

1. Can the Jets justify coach Rex Ryan's brash predictions?

Heading into his third season, Ryan has earned seeming unwavering loyalty from his players. He consistently assumes the burden of the team's expectations and shoulders the blame for its defeats while disseminating praise across the roster when the wins come.

But now that he's officially taken a page out of the Joe Namath playbook: "Last year I thought we'd win it. This year, I know we'll win it," Ryan said in February. Will the players cover Ryan's back?

New York has taken the wild-card route in the first two years under Ryan, winning four postseason road games before the AFC title game stumbles. Taking a different road map to the Super Bowl might help, specifically winning the AFC East to get a playoff home date(s), something the Jets haven't had since 2002.

"It's the same expectations we have, so I think it marries up perfectly. It's what we want, it's what we're working for," QB Mark Sanchez recently said of Ryan's braggadocio on NFL Network.

"He's the best coach to play for. He doesn't hide anything, he's brutally honest. … And he lets everybody know what your goals are."

And everybody -- those in the the Jets' locker room and outside of it -- knows what the goals are.

2. Will Sanchez maintain altitude in the regular season?

The 24-year-old quarterback has piloted the team to the playoffs in his first two seasons and already tied an NFL record with four postseason road wins. He compiled a sterling 94.3 passer rating along the way. Sanchez already has more playoff victories than Namath and every other quarterback in team annals.

But Sanchez hasn't been nearly as steady when the stakes are lower. His regular-season QB rating is 70.2; and even though he takes a lot of downfield shots, his career completion percentage is a woeful 54.4%. More importantly, he's admitted the need to quickly purge poor plays and bad games.

"Right now the name of this game and this next season -- third year, fourth year, fifth year coming up -- is just being more consistent," he said.

"You learn these first couple years playing, and now it's about getting rid of those negative emotions, moving on and getting ready to play each and every week and staying consistent."

With the powerhouse New England Patriots to contend with again, Sanchez doesn't have much margin for error if he wants to win his first AFC East crown -- the Jets have only won the division twice since 1970 -- and chart a less daunting course to the Super Bowl.

3. Whither Sanchez's supporting cast?

Offensive continuity would help Sanchez's quest for statistical stability and week-to-week consistency. But he may not have it in 2011.

After regularly caddying for Thomas Jones and LaDainian Tomlinson in his first two years, RB Shonn Greene could be the jumbo Jet in New York's ground game this year. Even with L.T. likely in a reduced role and the prospect of a new starter at right tackle -- Wayne Hunter and Damien Woody are unsigned -- Ryan's precious ground game should be fine.

The primary concern is Sanchez's wingmen. WR Braylon Edwards will be a free agent while WRs Santonio Holmes and Brad Smith could be as well, though they would be restricted if the NFL adopts the same market framework used in 2010 after the salary cap expired. But with the lockout still lingering, No. 3 WR Jerricho Cotchery and TE Dustin Keller are the only sure things at this juncture, and GM Mike Tannenbaum may have to choose between Edwards and Holmes.

The Jets' typically dynamic special teams would also suffer if Smith walks.

4. Despite CB Darrelle Revis' presence, will the secondary regress?

Statistically, New York's pass defense in 2010 was inferior to the 2009 unit that surrendered league lows with 2,459 passing yards and eight TDs. But that group was exploited in the postseason by Colts QB Peyton Manning, who placed his target reticle everywhere save Revis. CB Antonio Cromartie's arrival last season provided balance on the back end and helped enable the team to stymie Manning and league MVP Tom Brady in the playoffs.

But like Holmes, Cromartie needs a new contract after five years of service while the lockout clouds his free agency status. Kyle Wilson, the team's 2010 first-round pick, hasn't yet proven ready for a prominent role. Furthermore, S Jim Leonhard is coming back from a broken leg, and his sidekick has yet to be determined.

5. Can Ryan craft a championship-caliber defense?

Ryan's defense has been formidable since his arrival with the Jets. It rated No. 1 in 2009 (measured by fewest yards allowed) and third overall a year ago. However it hasn't been as consistently effective or intimidating as Ryan's Baltimore Ravens outfits.

The Jets have had their share of ugly lapses in the regular season -- Miami Dolphins QB Chad Henne has solved the defense more than once -- and most worrisome, it was manhandled on the ground by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the Super Bowl at stake a year after Manning tore it apart with his arm.

Tannenbaum drafted defensive linemen Muhammad Wilkerson and Kenrick Ellis with his first two picks this spring in an effort to upgrade the aging front. Not only do the Jets need the duo to stiffen the run defense, they must enable the front seven to generate pressure without forcing Ryan into calling the constant blitzes which expose the secondary to big plays.