FOXBOROUGH — A ticked off and snippy Rex Ryan stood at the podium after
what was presumably his last game at Gillette Stadium as head coach of the
Jets, having to put a heartbreaking loss into words.
His fate had probably been sealed long before Thursday, but at 1-6 there’s no coming back, despite the brave faces in the Jets locker room.
The Jets lost to the Patriots, 27-25, on the road. Again. And it hurt. Again.
Ryan has suffered tough losses before, tough losses to the Patriots before, but with his team at 1-6 and the season essentially over two weeks before Halloween, he was more agitated than ever, firing back smart-ass retorts to reporters’ questions.
“It’s ridiculous to stand here after a loss and think where our team’s at,” Ryan said. “I’m not shell-shocked at all, I’m a little upset. Because our record is what it is.”
The Jets fought and scratched and kept it close with their rivals Thursday night, and in the end, Geno Smith had the Jets driving in the final minute, down two points. They got just far enough for a 58-yard field goal attempt for Nick Folk, but they never got the chance to see if it would be good. The left arm of Chris Jones — the same man who played a part in Ryan’s win over the Pats last season when the Patriots defensive lineman was called for a pushing penalty that nullified a missed kick — stopped the kick before it barely got off the ground, swatting away the win and — for all intents and purposes — the Ryan era.
“He wanted this one,” David Nelson said of Ryan. “We all did. Not only because it was New England but because we were 1-5 coming into this.”
The fact the Jets dominated time of possession and the action at times and came so close seemed to infuriate the coach even more. “The fact that we’ve had three opportunities against this team at this building,” Ryan said. “Three games in a row that we’ve battled and had a great chance to win and came up short each time.”
The players wouldn’t give up hope on the season since they aren’t mathematically eliminated, but they know the score on Ryan’s future.
“It’s not a good feeling with Rex,” Calvin Pace said. “He’s taking a lot of blame on himself but he shouldn’t because he doesn’t play. We haven’t done enough as a team, the players haven’t done enough.”
A lot went right for the Jets on Thursday: they bowled over the New England defense with Chris Ivory powering his way to 107 yards and Smith adeptly using his legs. The Jets had the ball for more than 40 minutes. The Patriots were hurting themselves with penalties. And the Jets hung on to the ball, not surrendering a turnover.
But the Jets made mistakes too: penalties in the red zone and stalling out for only field goals on their first four drives. Worst of all was a blown coverage on the fourth play of the game that turned into a 49-yard touchdown reception for Shane Vereen. “You can’t make mistakes against New England,” Pace said. “Maybe somebody else, but Tom Brady always finds a way to find that guy who’s open.”
Smith played well, keeping possession of the football and completing 20 of 34 passes for 226 yards and a touchdown while keeping the sticks moving with his legs. He added 37 yards on seven rushing attempts. But he also had an opportunity to tie the game with 2:31 left on a two-point conversion and sailed a pass beyond Jace Amaro’s reach.
“Not good enough,” Smith said of his own performance.
But it was close. Ultimately, the Patriots defeated the Jets for the
eighth time in 12 tries facing Ryan. They’ll probably get just one more shot.
“We’re gonna keep on fighting for Rex,” Pace said.
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