The countdown is on. This Sunday afternoon, the New England Patriots get back to work with a 4:30 kickoff against the Jets. Is anyone surprised?

It seems the two teams were destined to meet one another in the playoffs. We’ve been waiting for this one ever since late summer, when Rex Ryan was hamming it up for HBO cameras and the Patriots were as buttoned-down as ever.

With their contrasting styles, the Patriots and Jets couldn’t be more different. In spite of their differences – or, perhaps, because of them – the rivalry between the two teams has become one of the best in sports over the past few years.

The Red Sox/Yankees rivalry is still the gold standard by which all sports feuds in our region will be measured. It probably always will be. But, with the Celtics and Lakers visiting one another in two of the last three Junes, there has been competition for the Best Rivalry tag.

Now, with the brash Jets coming north to play New England in Bill Belichick’s boardroom, it’s time to put this Boston/New York rivalry up there with the best.

There was a time when we simply called this the Border War. Bill Parcells bolted for East Rutherford, and the league had to step in to keep the two sides from going to court. In the end, New England got four draft picks for the Tuna. Later, Curtis Martin followed his former coach, and the Pats got another two picks.

It has been a one-sided rivalry for the past 10 years, with New England enjoying the historical role of the Yankees. The Patriots have been the hammer; the Jets the nail. Not much of a rivalry there.

All that changed in last year’s playoffs. The Pats got embarrassed in the first round by the Ravens while the Jets – who made the postseason because the Colts didn’t care about the 16th game of the regular season – went all the way to the conference championship before losing to the Colts.

Some said the Jets didn’t even belong in the playoffs, let alone the AFC Championship Game. Nonetheless, the Jets entered this season picked by many as the division favorites. They strutted their stuff on HBO’s Hard Knocks and took the tabloids by storm by stepping into one controversy after another.

Then, on Sept. 19, the Jets showed us all they are for real with a 28-14 win over the Pats. Mark Sanchez threw a career-high three touchdown passes as New York rallied in the second half for the victory. The Jets got off to a 5-1 start and were looking like the team to beat.

Meantime the Pats looked like a team in transition. That transition didn’t last long. Laurence Maroney was soon traded away, replaced by Jets castoff Danny Woodhead. Randy Moss and his baggage (literal and figurative) were sent on a tour of the NFL and Deion Branch – a once-favorite target of Tom Brady – took his place. A defense that seemed too young soon became a big-play D with energy and athleticism.

All of that led to the Monday Night Football rematch between the two teams, a game that was over before most people settled into their seats. New England demolished New York 45-3 on the way to finishing the season with the best record in the NFL.

The Jets looked impressive in Saturday’s win over the Colts. They finished the regular season with the third-best defense in the NFL, giving up less than 292 total yards a game. They’ve been through pressure in the playoffs, and are now 3-1 in the postseason under Ryan.

You can bet Ryan will be very open about the importance of this game, and about the simmering feud between the two teams. You can also bet that Belichick will have none of it. In the end, style doesn’t matter. Substance does. And both of these teams have what it takes to be great. That’s why this rivalry has become so much fun.

Tom Caron is the studio host for Red Sox broadcasts on the New England Sports Network. His column appears in the Press Herald on Tuesdays.