Whatever emotional level the Jets reached on that Giants Stadium field Monday night under the lights, they must elevate themselves to the same heights against the Bills on Sunday.

From whatever reserve that added fire and raw emotion came, it must be retrieved.

However the Jets got themselves to execute so consistently and efficiently in that benchmark win over the Titans, they must pack it in their suitcases for the Buffalo trip.

Without that fever-pitch emotion, fire and absolute determination to execute the coaches’ plans, the Jets will render that confidence-building victory over the Titans meaningless because they’ll get their butts kicked by the Bills.

A loss to the 5-7 Bills at this point in the season – just when the Jets are truly starting to believe they’re a pretty good team – would be a major setback, not to mention certain elimination from the playoff contention.

“You can’t live on what you did yesterday,” Herman Edwards said yesterday.

“Yeah, there’s a concern; we can’t have a letdown after that win over Tennessee,” cornerback Ray Mickens said. “It was a good win, but it’s important for us to understand what it really was: It was one win. We’ve got to go back this week and do the same things. We can’t be content with just beating the Titans. We know what it takes to carry over what we did Monday to the next game.”

Jets’ NT Jason Ferguson said carrying that emotion over is “something we’ve got to do, because when we play that way we’re a team to be reckoned with.

“We’ve got to keep that emotion,” Ferguson said. “We know what’s at stake. If we lose, we’re gone.”

Chad Pennington called carrying the team’s complete performance against the Titans to Buffalo “a big challenge.”

“We can’t have another Jacksonville game where we appear to be flat,” Pennington said. “We have to make sure we come out firing on all cylinders and that we play together as a team. That’s what we did Monday; we played well as a team and complemented each other on offense, defense and special teams.

“You have to remember, we’re 5-7 and there’s a reason why we lost seven games,” Pennington continued. “Though we’re improving, we’re by no means where we need to be as far as being the best we can be.”

Strong safety Sam Garnes, one of the stars of Monday night’s victory, scoffed at the notion that the Jets might have a letdown against the Bills.

“When you’re 5-7, you don’t have to worry about having a big head,” Garnes said. “It was a good win, but it’s important for us to understand what it really was: It was one win. We’ve got to go back this week and do the same things. We can’t be content with just beating the Titans. We know what it takes to carry over what we did Monday to the next game.”

Edwards’ message to the players in their morning meeting yesterday was about the importance of this game. The Jets have not won three in a row this season and a win Sunday would be three in a row.

There is a belief amongst the Jets’ coaching staff that if the Jets can win this game, they have a good chance to “run the table,” winning the rest of their final three games. After Buffalo comes a home game against the downtrodden Steelers. Then comes a Saturday night nationally-televised home game against the Patriots and finally a road game in Miami on Dec. 28.

The belief is that, if the Jets can beat the Bills, they can ride momentum the rest of the way with the playoff possibility gaining momentum.

“This is the most important game we have thus far,” Edwards said. “Any time you win against a good team like the Titans, a team that’s going to the playoffs, it helps your confidence. It takes a lot to understand you’ve got to play at a certain level.

“Now what you’ve got to be able to do is maintain that, take it to the next week, build on it and hold it. [The win over the Titans] is done. Now what are you going to do.”

Milestone Martin

Jets RB Curtis Martin needs:

(bullet) 131 rushing yards to become the second running back in NFL history with 1,000 yards in each of 1st nine seasons. (Barry Sanders did it his first 10 seasons).

(bullet) 7 rushing yards to surpass Bills legend O.J. Simpson (11,236) for 12th on NFL’s all-time rushing list.

Martin is also the career leader against the Bills in:

Rushing yards 1,403

Carries 371

100-yard games 5