first in 2009) and 11th for total yardage (up from 20th in 2009). He continued to move up the NFL's career rushing yardage leaderboard during the season, passing Tony Dorsett and Eric Dickerson to reach sixth place. He received the Dennis Byrd Award as the Jets' most inspirational player after a vote of his teammates. The Jets opened their postseason campaign with a 17–16 win at Indianapolis in the AFC Wild Card Round. Tomlinson rushed 16 times for 82 and both Jets touchdowns, and New York won on a 23-yard Nick Folk field goal as time expired. Tomlinson recorded his best rushing output since Week 5. Next, the Jets travelled to New England for the Divisional Round. They were heavy underdogs, having lost 45–3 to the Patriots in Week 13; Tomlinson spoke of the matchup as an opportunity to redeem himself after having to leave the AFC Championship Game against the same team three seasons earlier. He rushed ten times for 43 yards, and caught a seven-yard touchdown from Mark Sanchez in a 28–21 win. In the AFC Championship Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Jets were down 24–10 in the fourth quarter when Tomlinson was unable to score a touchdown on a fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line. The Jets went on to lose 24–19; Tomlinson finished with nine carries for 16 rushing yards. 2011 season Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum said after the 2010 season that he expected Tomlinson back for 2011 but "things could change." With Greene designated as the starting running back for 2011, Tomlinson began the season as a third-down back with more emphasis on being a receiver. In the season-opening win over the Dallas Cowboys, he rushed only five times for 16 rushing yards but caught six passes for 73 receiving yards in the 27–24 victory. Tomlinson, who was 32 years old at the start of the season, said that running routes out of the backfield was something he'd always wanted to do as he got older, and that he embraced the change. The opening game set the pattern for the season, as he went on to gain more yardage by receiving than rushing in nine of the fourteen games that he played. In Week 3, Tomlinson had the third 100-yard receiving game of his career, catching five passes for 116 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in a 34–24 loss in Oakland to continue