Several Jets players yesterday acknowledged they came out of the season-opening, 37-31 overtime win over the Bills in Buffalo with an inflated sense of how good they were.

“It was an overconfidence,” DT Josh Evans said. “We came out of that game thinking we were a pretty good team. Then we came back the next week against New England and got our brains beat in.”

The 5-5 Jets, who play the 5-5 Bills again Sunday, this time at Giants Stadium, went on a frightening streak after they beat the Bills, losing consecutive games to the Patriots (44-7), the Dolphins (30-3) and the Jaguars (28-3).

“If my man [Chad Morton] wouldn’t have scored on those two kickoff returns we would have lost that game,” Evans said. “Going from that win to 1-4 puts you back in a regular frame of mind. Now we’ve got to keep going, keep fighting.”

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QB Chad Pennington, the top-rated passer in the AFC, yesterday was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for completing 21-of-26 for 257 yards, 4 TDs and an INT in the Jets’ win at Detroit Sunday.

Pennington, who leads the NFL with a .710 completion percentage, completed 80.8 percent of his passes Sunday, the second time in his six starts (four wins) he’s eclipsed the 80-percent plateau.

“The reason for the completion percentage is my teammates,” Pennington said yesterday. “They’re playing at a high level game after game and they never take a play off.”

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RG Randy Thomas sprained his right ankle early in the Detroit game and continued playing, it was revealed yesterday. Thomas, who’s listed as questionable for Sunday’s game, rode the stationary bike during practice yesterday and wasn’t in pads.

Meanwhile, veteran G Dave Szott, who was placed on the regular roster this week after rehabbing the torn ACL in his right knee, began rotating in with the offense yesterday, though he’s not going to suit up Sunday. The Jets are hoping he’ll play in Oakland next Monday night.

The only Buffalo player listed on the injury report is LB London Fletcher, who’s probable with a knee injury.

The Jets placed G Faaesea Mailo on the practice squad injured list with a knee injury. They signed T Matt Knutson to replace him on the practice squad.