Center Nick Mangold heard it while getting an oil change on his car yesterday as a Jets fan and Giants fan were engaged in a debate.

Fullback Tony Richardson got a taste of it when he took his SUV in for repairs and encountered an elderly man working there who had rummaged through boxes and dug out a crumpled original New York Titans hat from the 1960s.

Cornerback Darrelle Revis was walking in a New Jersey mall yesterday when he was approached by fans who wanted to take his picture and congratulate him on the Jets' victories against the Patriots and Tennessee Titans .

The first-place Jets (8-3), led by future Hall of Famer Brett Favre, are no longer a Football afterthought, a distant second to the Super Bowl champion Giants.

"I was kind of like surprised because usually people don't come out of the blue when you're just walking and come up to you and say, 'You guys are on a roll,'" Revis said yesterday.

If their recent play - and upcoming schedule - are any indication, the Jets better start getting used to the well-wishers. The AFC East title, a home playoff game and a possible dream Super Bowl matchup against the Giants (10-1) are all right there for the taking.

The Jets, winners of five straight and in this league and hard to win on the road. It's hard to win at a place that's 10-0, it's hard to win at Foxborough. We found a way to do it."

The Jets have won five in a row and seven of their past eight, and they maintained their one-game lead over the Patriots in the AFC East.

"A lot of people thought we were going to come in here and lay an egg," said safety Kerry Rhodes.

Said linebacker David Bowens: "I think we did take it a bit personal. We wanted to show everyone in the AFC that we're a team to be reckoned with, too."

The consecutive victories over the Patriots and Titans (10-1) - on the road, no less - are the most impressive back-to-back road victories since they ended the 2002 season with a win at New England and a home victory over the Favre-led Packers to win the AFC East title. This is their first five-game winning streak since the start of the 2004 season.

"I've never been a part of a team like this," said right guard Brandon Moore. "People talk about chemistry, people talk about getting on a roll. I think guys are starting to understand what kind of team we can be, what it takes for us to win and be dominant."

The Jets scored a touchdown on their opening drive - the sixth consecutive game they've scored on their first drive - and were in command the entire game. The Titans, who entered the game with the league's seventh-ranked running game and sixth-ranked total defense, were never really in it.

The Titans didn't drive inside the Jets' 20-yard line until early in the fourth quarter, closing to within 20-6 with 12:50 left to play on a 49-yard field goal. But the Jets responded immediately with Leon Washington's 61-yard touchdown, further evidence of how the Titans' run defense, ranked first in the NFL coming in, was pushed around all afternoon.

"We got embarrassed at home," said Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck. "We definitely wanted to keep it going. Hats off to the Jets. They came out and played a great game."

The Jets attacked the Titans' vaunted defense with a short, quick passing game engineered to near perfection by Favre. He repeatedly threw bubble screens to his receivers, hit tight end Dustin Keller in key third-down situations and found running back Thomas Jones on screen passes to temper the Titans' pass rush. Tennessee entered the game with 28 sacks (sixth in league). Favre was sacked just twice.

Wide receivers Laveranues Coles (seven catches for 88 yards and a TD) and Jerricho Cotchery (6-55-0) and Keller (6-42-0) drove the passing game. Coles caught a 2-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter to give the Jets a commanding 20-3 lead, and Keller caught three third-down conversion passes and got another three first downs on pass interference penalties against the Titans' injury-depleted secondary.

"We wanted to get the ball out of Brett's hands so he wouldn't have to take any licks," Coles said.

The Jets' running game delivered the licks yesterday. Jones (27 carries for 96 yards) was the workhorse, and Washington (eight carries, 82 yards, two touchdowns) was the finisher. Washington scored on runs of 61 and 4 yards, both in the fourth quarter.

In the past three games, the Jets have rushed for 206, 140 and 192 yards. They punted only once yesterday.

"We feel like we can play any team, anywhere," said tight end Chris Baker. "I think we relish going on the road and quieting the crowd. Winning in a hostile environment these last two weeks was definitely a confidence-builder for us.

"This is the first time in a while we've been able to get in first place and vie for a home playoff game. In the past, we've always had to make a mad dash just to try to make the playoffs. Now, it's a different feeling."

Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@starledger.com