Rex Ryan sees a lot of his own team in the Cincinnati Bengals.

A tough running offense? Check. A solid offensive line? Check. A stifling defense? Yep, check there, too.

"We're mirror images of each other, so it's going to be an old-fashioned, knockdown, dragout," the New York Jets coach said Thursday. "This is going to be a man-on-man type challenge."

The Jets are ranked No. 1 in the NFL in overall rushing, and have relied on the run more than any team in the league with their 550 attempts. They expect to stick to that game plan against the Bengals on Sunday night, despite the fact Cincinnati has the NFL's No. 2 defense against the run.

"Watching those guys on film, they play together and they don't ever miss tackles, that's the big thing," fullback Tony Richardson said. "They have a great scheme and what happens is they shut down teams' run and teams are forced to throw the football."

The Bengals are without playmaking rookie linebacker Rey Maualuga for the rest of the season with a broken ankle, but they have allowed just 87.7 yards rushing per game. Only two players _ Cleveland's Jerome Harrison and Kansas City's Jamaal Charles _ have rushed for 100 yards against them.

"For us, we need to stay patient and keep running," Richardson said, "and realize we might get 1 yard here, 3 yards there or a negative run, but we've got to continue to stay the course."

After all, that approach has gotten the Jets (8-7) to this point, where they'll make the playoffs for the first time since 2006 with a win.

Ryan promised a "Ground-and-Pound" approach when he was hired as coach, and he wasn't kidding. Behind one of the most consistent offensive lines in the league, New York is averaging 166.6 yards rushing per game. The Jets' 2,499 yards rushing are second-most in franchise history.

"We're an all-terrain type of offense," right tackle Damien Woody said. "We can play anywhere. You could put us in the Sahara Desert and we can go get it in."

Thomas Jones has led the way with 1,324 yards rushing, which ranks him fourth in the league. He's also just 12 yards away from surpassing his career high set in 2005 with Chicago.

"It would mean a lot," said Jones, who has been one of the NFL's most efficient running backs over the last five years. "Obviously, being 31 and a lot of people say, 'Hey, you're on the decline the older you get,' to me, I feel like I'm getting better and better each week and better and better each year."