The Jets were done before they started in 1995 and '96 under Rich Kotite, when they went 3-13 and 1-15. Parcells stepped into that morass and turned it into a Super Bowl contender in two years.

"Two years ago, we were not good at all and were going home," Pro Bowl receiver Keyshawn Johnson said. "We're going to be around in January."

They might even have a bye in the playoffs. If Jacksonville, which plays at Minnesota and is home for Pittsburgh, loses either game, New York (11-4) will have a week off.

The Jets, who beat division contenders Buffalo, Miami and New England on the road, had lost three straight and eight of 10 at newly named Ralph Wilson Stadium. On this day, they slayed those demons and their history of underachievement behind the revitalized Vinny Testaverde.

Pro Bowl quarterback Testaverde threw touchdown passes of 71 yards to Dedric Ward and 7 to Wayne Chrebet.

"One of the reasons I came to New York is coach Parcells," said Testaverde, signed as a free agent in June. "The way he coaches and the standards he sets for his team ... if I made one right decision this year, it was to come to the Jets."

The Bills (9-6), who lost a fumble and an interception, dropped several passes and failed to get in-bounds on others, must go the wild-card route to make the playoffs. They were hurt by Victor Green's controversial interception on a tipped ball with 3:52 to go; replays showed he dropped the ball.

Testaverde finished 14-for-23 for 184 yards and was not intercepted on a blustery day that clearly affected Buffalo's Pro Bowl QB, Doug Flutie. He was 14-for-38 for 220 yards.

"It was very frustrating," said Flutie, who lost at home for the first time in his 12 NFL starts spanning more than a decade. "We did move the ball up and down the field."

When the Jets' fifth consecutive victory ended, the players doused Parcells with Gatorade.

"It's one of the biggest turnarounds in pro sports," tight end Kyle Brady said. "We endured a lot around here. We went from chumps to champs."

Buffalo was moving smartly on its first possession, but Antowain Smith fumbled at the Jets 21.

The Jets then used a 16-yard pass and 25-yard run by Johnson, plus Testaverde's 16-yard scramble and David Meggett's 22-yarder on a draw play to set up Chrebet's TD catch.

Kevin Williams' diving 22-yard third-down catch sparked a 79-yard second-quarter Buffalo drive that Jets nemesis Thurman Thomas capped by going 25 yards on a screen pass to tie it.

The Bills later drove from their 1 to the New York 5. But with one second remaining in the half, usually accurate Steve Christie missed a 28-yard field goal wide left.

"I was impatient, I just got into it too quick," Christie said.

The Jets took the ball to start the third quarter instead of the wind at their backs. It paid off early when John Hall nailed a 48-yard field goal.

But the Bills came back with an eight-minute drive, with only two passes. Smith ran eight times for 38 yards and Christie atoned for his earlier miss with a 44-yarder, tying it at 10.

Only 57 seconds later, Ward made the longest reception of his career on a perfect pass from Testaverde to break the tie.

"I knew I had him," said Testaverde, who has 25 TDs and only six interceptions and leads the AFC in passing. "It was just a matter of making a good enough throw. Dedric was patient on it."

Christie's kick into the wind became more impressive when Hall was eight yards short on a 46-yard try early in the fourth quarter. But the Bills could threaten only once with the wind in the final period, and Green's interception ended that.

And gave the Jets their first title of any kind since joining the NFL.

Notes: Buffalo had won six straight at home ... The Jets have two 1,000-yard receivers for the first time since 1986. Johnson has 1,056 yards and Chrebet has 1,039 ... Bills DE Phil Hansen sprained his right knee ... Buffalo's Andre Reed set a team record with his 204th game and Bruce Smith appeared in his 200th.