The Jekyll and Hyde New York Jets continue to love playing at home and their brash head coach seems to equally enjoy playing the San Diego Chargers.

While Jets’ head coach Rex Ryan may not have convinced many that he’d have won a pair of Super Bowls with the Chargers in the past, he once again was able to beat the coach who earlier beat him out for a head coaching job on the nation’s other coast.

Scoring the game’s final 17 points to erase a 21-10 halftime deficit against the Chargers (4-2), the Jets (4-3) won a second consecutive game at home for the second time this year (sandwiched around a three-game road losing streak), while cooling off hot San Diego, which entered Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Sunday riding a four-game winning streak.

Storming back in the second half was necessitated by another slow start for New York, as San Diego’s defense accounted for the game’s first score on the fourth play from scrimmage when linebacker Donald Butler (4 tackles, 1 fumble recovery, 1 TD), a California native, scooped up a fumble by Jets’ tight end Dustin Keller (4 catches, 53 yards, 1 lost fumble) after a four-yard reception and raced 37 yards for a touchdown to put San Diego ahead 7-0, just 1:49 into the game.

The Jets immediately answered with a 35-yard field goal by kicker Nick Folk, which capped an eight-play, 64-yard drive and pulled New York to within 7-3 with 8:25 left in the opening quarter.

But, two Chargers’ possessions later, San Diego turned the game’s second turnover into another touchdown after another California-born Charger stopped the Jets’ offense.

Safety Eric Weddle (6 tackles, INT) intercepted quarterback Mark Sanchez (18-33, 173 yards, 3 TD, INT, 2 sacks) at the San Diego 25-yard line, to cut short a New York drive that traveled 42 yards on seven plays.

Weddle’s pick sparked a 14-play, 75-yard trip which used 6:28 and culminated with a two-yard touchdown throw from quarterback Phillip Rivers (16-32, 179 yards, TD, 2 INT, sack) to tight end Antonio Gates (5 catches, 54 yards, TD, playing for the first time after missing three games) to extend San Diego’s lead to 14-3 with 12:11 left in the first half.

Again, the Jets responded with a score on their next possession, but only to have the Chargers counter with one of their own the next time they touched the ball.

New York embarked on its longest drive of the game, going 77 yards on eight plays to cut San Diego’s lead to 14-10 on a three-yard touchdown pass from Sanchez to wide receiver Plaxico Burress (4 catches, 25 yards, 3 TD) with 7:18 left in the half.

The Chargers came right back with the game’s longest drive, going 87 yards on 11 plays in 5:56, to increase their lead to 21-10 on a one-yard touchdown plunge by running back Mike Tolbert (11 carries, 58 yards, TD) 1:16 before halftime Tolbert also had a key 29-yard run in the drive.

The second half was a far different story, as New York’s defense harassed and hurried the three-time pro bowler Rivers, who at one point, threw six straight incompletions during the third quarter while finishing the game with 128 passing yards below his season average.

San Diego punted on all three of their third-quarter possessions, during which they ran only 11 plays and gained a total of just 17 yards.

During the fourth quarter, the Chargers’ offense struggled even more, as Rivers was intercepted twice, each time, leading to a Jets’ score, before New York held San Diego on a final last-ditch drive.

New York’s offense meanwhile, took advantage of a short field to score three times in the second half.

A Jets’ drive of 43 yards on seven plays stalled at the Chargers’ 48-yard line, but punter T.J. Conley pinned San Diego at its own six yard line, from which the Chargers could gain nothing and were forced to punt.

A ten-play, 55-yard drive followed, finishing with a 4-yard touchdown pass from Sanchez to Burress, that brought New York to within 21-17 with 2:57 remaining in the third quarter.

Two Chargers’ possessions later, Rivers’ first interception stopped a San Diego drive at the New York 17-yard line, as cornerback Darrelle Revis (2 tackles, INT) intercepted his third pass in two weeks and returned the ball 64 yards to the Chargers’ 19-yard line. Six plays later, Sanchez threw to Burress for another 3-yard touchdown pass that gave the Jets the lead for good, 24-21, with 8:41 left in the game.

Five plays later, Rivers was intercepted again, this time, by cornerback Kyle Wilson (2 tackles, INT), a New Jersey native playing in his home state, who returned the ball ten yards to the Chargers’ 47-yard line.

With running back LaDainian Tomlinson getting a rare start (and early exit due to flu symptoms) against his ex-team (with whom he was a five-time pro bowler) but struggling (just 5 carries for 14 yards on Sunday), the Jets used 3:47 to go 35 yards on nine plays, staying on the ground for five of those plays with running back Shonn Greene (20 carries, game-high 112 yards).

Folk finished the drive with a 30-yard field goal that pushed New York’s lead to 27-21 with 1:36 remaining.

Starting at the Chargers’ 24-yard line with no time outs left, Rivers desperately tried to rally his team for a last-minute, game-winning score.

He completed three straight passes to take San Diego to its own 49-yard line, but he threw incomplete twice, the second time, on fourth down, with just three seconds left.

Though he was limited and not involved that much in his team’s victory, the win was a memorable one in a couple of ways for Tomlinson, who was facing his former team for the first time since the Chargers let him go after the 2009 season.

“I’d be lying if I said this didn’t add some satisfaction,” he admitted. “Just moving on, you never really get to close that chapter until you face them, and the win makes it even better.”
Tomlinson also added three catches for 37 yards. His first, a six-yard reception prior to Folk’s first field goal, made the 2006 league MVP only the fourth running back in NFL history to reach 600 career receptions.
He was unable to find the end zone however, which prevented him from joining wide receiver Terrell Owens as the only players to score against all of the NFL’s current 32 teams.
Ryan, who can relate to the Chargers not wanting Tomlinson, credited his running back with giving all he could despite being sick. “Before the game, he was ill, it looked like NASCAR coming in,” Ryan said of Tomlinson. “Like getting four tires and gas, they were all working on him.”
Along with Tomlinson, Ryan again got the last laugh on Sunday after causing a media stir earlier in the week. Ryan, who was overlooked for the Chargers’ head coaching job in favor of San Diego’s current head coach Norv Turner in 2007, asserted on Wednesday that he would have pair of Super Bowl rings by now had the Chargers hired him instead of Turner.

While neither coach can claim a Super Bowl title yet, this was the second head-to-head meeting between the two as head coaches, with Ryan’s Jets taking both games, including a big divisional round playoff upset of Turner’s Chargers in San Diego two years ago.

Far from a clinic at times, the game featured 21 penalties (13 by the Chargers) for 155 yards (95 for San Diego), but it was certainly a win that New York, seeking its third straight AFC title game appearance (and more) will gladly take as it searches for more consistency.

The Jets now head into their bye week, presumably to try to figure out how to do on the road this season what they’ve only been able to do at home – win a football game.

New York finishes the season with five of its final nine regular season games away from home, starting with a trip upstate for the first of two meetings within four weeks with AFC East rival Buffalo (4-2) on Sunday, November 6th, at 1 pm ET.

There were several reasons New York Jets’ head coach Rex Ryan was looking forward to Sunday night’s showdown against his old defense on Sunday night.

First, it was Ryan’s first visit back to the place where he made a name for himself as a coordinator while building one of the NFL’s most feared defenses.

Second, Ryan wanted to pay back his former team for locking down his new team during the Baltimore Ravens’ 10-9 victory over the Jets’ in the teams’ season opener at the Meadowlands last year.

And, finally, after starting this season with a pair of home victories before losing in Oakland last week, and with a divisional showdown looming with New England next week, the Jets simply needed a win.

But, in an unconventional, record-setting game, Ryan’s offense couldn’t do much against his old team for a second straight year, during a 34-17 loss at M& T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.

While the Jets got two returns for touchdowns and held the Ravens’ offense to just 13 points, 16 first downs, and only 267 total yards, New York’s offense was even more anemic in a game that featured seven turnovers and an NFL record five touchdown returns.

Last year, the Ravens (3-1) held the Jets (2-2) to just six first downs and 176 total yards.

This year, Baltimore was only slightly more generous in allowing eight first downs, but the Ravens were even stingier than a year ago when it came to yardage allowed, giving up just 150 total yards.

Baltimore came after New York quarterback Mark Sanchez (11-35, 119 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 2 sacks) early and often.

On the Jets’ first play from scrimmage, Sanchez was hit by veteran pro bowl safety Ed Reed and fumbled. Linebacker Jameel McClain returned the loose ball six yards to give Baltimore a 7-0 lead 3:02 into the game.

Kick returner Joe McKinght however, took the ensuing kickoff back 107 yards to tie the game, 7-7.

The Ravens responded on their next possession, going 70 yards on nine plays for a 38-yard field goal by kicker Billy Cundiff, to take a 10-7 lead with 6:27 left in the opening quarter.

A Jets’ three-and-out on New York’s next drive, led to an eight-play, 59-yard drive that ended with a three-yard touchdown run by running back Ray Rice (25 carries, 66 yards, 1 TD; 2 catches, 64 yards), to give Baltimore a 17-7 lead with 1:14 left in the period.

In a game that saw over 50 points being scored, that was surprisingly the only touchdown scored from scrimmage.

Sanchez fumbled in New York territory on the Jets’ next possession, leading to another 38-yard field goal by Cundiff, which pushed Baltimore’s lead to 20-7 with 13:19 left in the first half.

The teams then traded punts before Sanchez fumbled again after another hit, as defensive tackle Haloti Ngata (a 2006 first-round pick by the Ravens) sacked the Jets’ battered quarterback, allowing linebacker Jarrett Johnson to race 26 yards with a fumble return that extended Baltimore lead to 27-7, with 8:11 left in the half.

While the Jets’ offense couldn’t score, their defense decided to put some points on the board instead.

Three plays after another New York three-and-out, Ravens’ quarterback Joe Flacco (10-31, 163 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 2 sacks) was intercepted by linebacker David Harris, who returned the ball 35 yards for his first career score to trim Baltimore’s advantage to 27-14, with 6:17 remaining before halftime.

The Jets then forced a Ravens’ three-and-out before New York finally mounted its first scoring drive, going 25 yards on seven plays for a 40-yard field goal by kicker Nick Folk that drew the Jets to within 27-17, with 2:14 left in the half.

Neither team could move the ball much in the second half, as the only scoring of the half came on a 73-yard interception return by cornerback Lardarius Webb off of a Sanchez pass, with 8:49 left in the third quarter.

New York is in the midst of its first three-game road swing since 1982. Although they’ve had a lot of road playoff success each of the past two years, judging by the way the past two weeks have gone, if the Jets don’t turn things around at New England (3-1) next Sunday at 4:15 pm ET, they might hope for at least another 29 years before having to play three straight regular season road games again.

Once the current road stretch is done, the Jets will finally return to play at home (against Miami and San Diego) for two straight weeks before their bye week.

It had been way too long – 16 games, to be exact – since the last time the New York Jets’ offense scored a first-quarter touchdown.

Gang Green (actually clad in its throwback navy blue and gold uniforms in tribute to the franchise’s original New York Titans days) not only put the ball in the end zone in the opening period, but the Jets did so on the game’s initial drive on Sunday.

With New York’s defense allowing just 203 total yards while grabbing four interceptions (two by cornerback Antonio Cromartie), the game-starting score was all the Jets (2-0) needed in a convincing 32-3 throttling of the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1) at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

When the Jets win the pre-game coin toss, head coach Rex Ryan normally starts with his team’s strength and puts his defense on the field first.

On Sunday however, Ryan changed things up and the Jets’ offense quickly made Ryan look smart, needing just 3:23 to go 64 yards on six plays, taking a 7-0 on a 17-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Mark Sanchez (17-24, 182 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT, 1 sack) to wide receiver Santonio Holmes (3 catches, 42 yards, 1 TD), who entered the game as questionable with a slight knee issue

Moments later, a very tough day for Jacksonville starting quarterback Luke McCown (6-19, 59 yards, 0 TD, 4 INT, 1 sack, 1.8 passer rating – a franchise record for the Jets’ defense) was just beginning

Three plays into the Jaguars’ first possession, the first NFL sack for rookie first round pick Muhammad Wilkerson (from Temple) resulted in the Jets’ next score as Wilkerson tackled McCown in the end zone for a safety, giving New York a 9-0 lead 4:27 into the game

Sanchez was then intercepted by New York City native, cornerback William Middleton, but the Jaguars went three-and-out (the first of nine times in 13 possessions that a Jacksonville drive lasted just four plays or less)

The Jets then punted and a 15-yard fair catch interference call gave the Jaguars the ball on their own 44-yard line, a break which Jacksonville used to go 20 yards for a 55-yard field goal by kicker Josh Scobee, to trim the Jaguars’ deficit to 9-3, with 3:02 left in the opening quarter

New York immediately answered, going 39 yards on eight plays, to push its lead to 12-3 on a 38-yard field goal by kicker Nick Folk, 1:32 into the second quarter.

Following another Jacksonville punt, Sanchez was picked off again, looking deep up the left side for Holmes, but on the next possession, Cromartie intercepted McCown.

That pick didn’t lead to any further damage for the Jaguars, but another interception (by safety Eric Smith (4 tackles, 1 INT) on the Jaguars’ next drive, resulted in a 45-yard field goal by Folk, putting the Jets up 15-3, with 26 seconds to go in the half

New York put the game out of reach on its second possession of the third quarter, with an eight-play, 75-yard drive that ended with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Sanchez to tight end Dustin Keller (6 catches, game-high 101 yards, 1 TD) that gave the Jets a commanding 22-3 lead with 3:50 left in the third quarter

Cromartie intercepted McCown again on the next drive, returning the ball 26 yards to the Jaguars’ 1-yard line, to set up a one-yard touchdown run by running back Shonn Greene (16 carries, team-high 49 yards, 1 TD) that gave New York a 29-3 advantage with 1:30 left in the third period.

McCown was picked off yet again on the very next play, by undrafted linebacker Josh Mauga, who retuned the ball 11 yards to the Jacksonville 18-yard line. That led to a 23-yard field goal by Folk to close the scoring with 14:03 left in the game, capping a run of 17 Jet points in a span of only 4:47.

While the Jets were of course pleased with the easy victory, there remains some concern over a high ankle sprain suffered in the game by center Nick Mangold, who has made the Pro Bowl each of the past three years. X-rays taken after the game were negative but Mangold will undergo an MRI on Monday

The win was New York’s second straight home victory to start the season, a beginning that was desperately important for the Jets who now embark on their only multiple-game road stretch of the season. A brutal AFC swing will take New York through Oakland next week, followed by trips to a pair of fellow Super Bowl contenders in Baltimore and AFC favorite and hated divisional rival New England.

Sooner or later in the young regime of head coach Rex Ryan and quarterback Mark Sanchez, the New York Jets might realize how to put together more than one good half of football in an AFC title game.

And, they might even discover how to reach that game without having to do it the hard way.

For the second straight year however, an end to the Jets’ long Super Bowl drought wasn’t meant to be.

One year after New York surprisingly rode a five seed to the AFC championship game only to get outscored 17-0 in the second half of a 30-17 loss to Indianapolis, the sixth-seeded Jets (13-6) ran out of road miracles in a 24-19 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers (14-4) after falling behind 24-0 late in the first half of this year’s AFC title game at Heinz Field on Sunday.

Several times this season, New York looked like it might be a team of destiny, and for a while, it again appeared that way against the now Super Bowl-bound Steelers.

Six times this year – including five times on the road, once in the playoffs, and once, five weeks ago against Pittsburgh – the Jets had rallied from second-half deficits to pull out unlikely victories.

This time, the hole was just too big for New York to dig out of despite a terrific effort that turned a first-half laugher into a serious situation for the Steelers down the stretch.

The physical Steelers took it to the Jets in the opening half, pushing the New York’s offensive and defensive lines around with ease.

Behind a stout defense and an unstoppable running game, Pittsburgh outgained New York, 231-50 (135-1 on the ground), and held the ball for 21:04 to New York’s 8:56, while getting 16 of the game’s 21 first downs during the first half.

The tone was set early, on the game’s first drive.

Although the Jets began a Week 15 win in Pittsburgh with a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, Ryan decided to defer the opening kick, a decision for which New York would pay by subsequently allowing a long, punishing Pittsburgh drive.

The Steelers consumed 9:06 before the Jets touched the ball, going 66 yards on 15 plays to take a 7-0 lead on a first-down, one-yard touchdown plunge by running back Rashard Mendenhall, who rushed for a game-high 121 yards (95 in the first half) on 27 carries.

Pittsburgh then forced a punt on New York’s first possession and moved 55 yards to the Jets’ 32 yard-line, but a 4th-and-1 pass by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (10-19, 133 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT) deflected off of Mendenhall’s hands and was caught by linebacker Bryan Thomas for the first turnover of the game.

The Jets then had their first of three consecutive three-and-outs, the last of which, ended with what proved to be a decisive fumble return for a touchdown.

Before that, the Steelers would score on two straight possessions.

Pittsburgh went 60 yards on eight plays in 3:41, to lead 10-0, on a field goal by kicker Shaun Suisham with 6:54 left in the half, and traveled 66 yards on seven plays in 3:57 to extend its lead to 17-0 on a two-yard touchdown run by Roethlisberger with 2:05 to go in the half.

The backbreaker came three plays later for the Jets, as Sanchez (20-33, 233 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT) fumbled after being hit from behind on a blitz by cornerback Ike Taylor. The only New York turnover was scooped up by cornerback William Gay, who raced 19 yards into the end zone to give the Steelers what eventually became an insurmountable 24-0 lead with 1:13 remaining before halftime.

Sanchez, who left the field after the play, holding his non-throwing left arm in considerable pain, showed some great toughness, immediately directing the Jets on their first scoring drive of the game.

He completed four passes to move New York 44 yards on seven plays in just 1:04, to set up kicker Nick Folk for a 42-yard field goal attempt which hooked left before fading right, just inside the left upright.

The kick trimmed the Steelers’ lead to 24-3, nine seconds before halftime, and just as importantly, gave the Jets a much-needed emotional boost which they carried into the second half.

Taking the second-half kickoff, New York struck quickly, going 90 yards on five plays in just 2:47, with half of the drive coming on a 45-yard touchdown bomb up the right side to wide receiver Santonio Holmes (2 catches, 61 yards). The former Steeler whose game-winning catch as a Super Bowl MVP won Super Bowl XLIII for Pittsburgh, pulled the Jets to within 24-10, just 2:38 into the third quarter.

The play was just the beginning of a second half that flipped around New York’s disastrous first half and gave the Jets some realistic hope late in the game.

New York outscored Pittsburgh 19-0 and outgained the Steelers 239-56 after halftime.

Roethlisberger moved Pittsburgh 35 yards and into Jets’ territory, but he was intercepted by safety Brodney Pool, and New York took over at its own 14 yard-line.

The teams then traded punts, before the Jets embarked on their longest drive of the game, only to come away empty.

The Jets went 80 yards on 17 plays in 8:06, as Sanchez threw incomplete on second and third down before running back LaDainian Tomlinson (9 carries, 16yards) was stopped on 4th-and-goal with 7:44 left in the game.

However, with starting center Maurkice Pouncey lost to an injury earlier in the game, a bad exchange on the next play led to Roethlisberger covering the ball up in the end zone for a safety in the same end zone in which the Jets had a key safety in the fourth quarter that helped them beat the Steelers in Week 15.

Trailing 24-12, New York drove for another score to get even closer, going 58 yards on ten plays in 4:32, cutting Pittsburgh’s lead to 24-19, on a four-yard touchdown pass from Sanchez to wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery (5 catches, 33 yards) with 3:09 remaining.

The Jets had all of the momentum and needed one more stop to give Sanchez and New York’s offense an opportunity to send the Jets back to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1969.

But, it never came, as Roethlisberger, who hadn’t completed a pass In over 21 minutes, connected on a pair of 14-yard throws to clinch the win for the Steelers.

A completion to tight end Heath Miller (2 catches, team-high 38 yards) gave the Steelers a first down at the Jets’ 44 yard-line, and facing a 3rd-and-6 from the New York 40 yard-line with two minutes left, Roethlisberger completed to rookie wide receiver Antonio Brown (his only catch) for a first down to the Jets’ 26 yard-line.

Three Roethlisberger kneel-downs ran out the clock and ended the Jets’ dreams of once again defying long odds to reach their elusive Super Bowl.

The Steelers’ win marks the eighth straight year that one of this season’s top three AFC seeds, each with Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks – New England, Pittsburgh, and Indianapolis – has represented the AFC in the Super Bowl.

The Jets were trying to finish off beating that trio of teams on Sunday, after playoff wins over Peyton Manning in Indianapolis, and over Tom Brady in New England, to reach Pittsburgh.

Instead, it’s a fairly safe bet that New York Jet fans, some of whom have been waiting as long as 42 years to finally see their team back in the Super Bowl, might be thinking, “If only the Jets could have put together last year’s first half and this year’s second half over the past two AFC title games, we wouldn’t be waiting anymore.”

But, as Sanchez said after the loss, “You can’t play 30 minutes in a game of this magnitude.”

Next, year, the Jets will again try to win the AFC East and avoid the tough road route to the Super Bowl, especially after starting last season 7-7 and winning two road playoff games each of the past two years only to come a game short of the Super Bowl in each year.

Just after Brown’s catch gave the Steelers the final first down they needed, Ryan ripped the headset off his head and threw it to the ground in disgust.

Reflecting later on, he said “I believe in our football team… We’ve got a lot of heart… Our team is resilient… I’m proud of our guys. We played a good half, we just never played a good game… There’s obviously a huge amount of disappointment… [but] our goal for next year won’t change… we’re going to chase that Super Bowl until we get it, and then we’re going to chase it again.”

When asked if he would have toned down the Jets’ brash, trash-talking nature, he responded defiantly, “I’d change the outcome of this game, that’s the only thing I’d change. We’ll be back and you’ll see… this football team’s going to be good for a number of years.”

Quite possibly, as the future for the Jets appears bright. But, for now, the team that very prematurely boasted of winning the Super Bowl since being filmed on HBO during the preseason, ends its season for a second straight year the way It began – with hard knocks, indeed.

In addition to writing for New York Sports Day, Jon Wagner contributes at Pro Football NYC (www.profootballnyc.com) and Giants Football Blog (www.giantsfootballblog.com

The New York Jets don’t just talk trash like some teams. No, for them, it’s done in such a bold and brash manner, it’s more like “brash-talking.”

And, when you do as much “brash-talking” as the New York Jets have done, it sometimes takes shocking the football world to back it up.

The Jets (13-5) did just that on Sunday, with the biggest turnaround (49 points) from the regular season to the postseason, against the same opponent, in the same year, in NFL history.

Making it much bigger?

The Jets’ redemption came in the their biggest game of the season, against their fiercest rival – the New England Patriots (14-3) – who were nine-point favorites at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, after crushing the Jets on Monday Night Football, 45-3, just six weeks prior.

After a week of spewing their usual bluster in the Patriots’ direction, the sixth-seeded, “brash-talking” Jets returned to the same site where they suffered their most lopsided loss in 24 years to eliminate the Super Bowl favorite, top-seeded Patriots in stunning fashion, 28-21, in an AFC divisional playoff showdown.

It was a huge departure from New York’s last trip to Foxborough, Massachusetts, when Jets’ head coach Rex Ryan said after his team was embarrassed by New England in a Week 13 Monday Night Football battle for first place in the AFC East, “It was the game of the year… and the NFL deserved a better game than that, but we weren’t up to the task.”

This time, the Jets were, and then some, with quarterback Mark Sanchez (16-25, 194 yards) throwing three touchdown passes, while New York avoided a turnover and closely blanketed the same New England receivers who torched the Jets in the teams’ last meeting.

Everything about New York’s game on Sunday was different since that night – even the Jets’ uniforms, which included green pants, for a little psychological ploy to help the Jets (who wore white pants their last time in New England) forget all the 42-point drubbing they took the last time they were on the same field.

New England head coach Bill Belichick tried his own mind trick by trying to immediately put pressure on the Jets’ second-year quarterback, when he deferred the opening kickoff despite the Patriots being the highest scoring team in the NFL with 518 points (79 more than the next highest scoring team) this season and the seventh highest scoring team of all-time.

While the Jets punted on their first possession, the move was the first of several for the New England that would fail to make sense.

New York meanwhile, which confounded the Patriots’ offense by showing mixed coverages and a lot more zone looks than the man-to-man defense the Jets played in Week 13, set the tone early, by forcing the game’s only turnover on New England’s opening possession.

The Patriots drove 53 yards to the Jets’ 31 yard-line, but linebacker Calvin Pace (3 tackles, one sack) pressured Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady (29-45, 299 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT) into just his fifth interception of the season, as linebacker David Harris picked Brady’s pass and returned it 58 yards to the New England 12 yard-line.

The Jets failed to capitalize as kicker Nick Folk missed wide left on a 30-yard field goal attempt, but Brady was rattled enough to know that unlike six weeks earlier, the Jets had arrived in New England to compete on Sunday – especially since prior to the interception, the Patriots had set an NFL record with just ten turnovers during the regular season.

New England then moved 63 yards on 11 plays, in 5:44, taking a 3-0 lead in a 34-yards field goal by kicker Shayne Graham, with 1:12 left in the opening quarter.

The Patriots outgained the Jets 104-36 in the period, but only had a slim lead to show for it.

The teams then traded punts before the Jets took their first lead in the second quarter.

After failing to score despite being in New England territory on their first three possessions, the Jets finally broke through on their fourth.

On 3rd-and-6 from the Patriots’ 45 yard-line, Sanchez completed a 37-yard pass to wide receiver Braylon Edwards (2 catches, 52 yards) to the Patriots’ 8 yard-line on the third play of a five-play, 54-yard drive.

That set up a 7-yard touchdown pass to running back LaDainian Tomlinson (10 carries, 43 yards), who on the play, scored his first postseason touchdown of his ten-year career, to put the Jets ahead, 7-3, with 10:24 left in the first half.

Again, the teams traded punts before the usually very composed Belichick gambled and gave New York an absolute gift.

Still trailing just 7-3, with the first half winding down, Belichick opted for a direct snap to Patrick Chung on 4th-and-4 from the Patriots’ 38 yard-line.

Chung fumbled and recovered, but the Jets took over at New England’s 37 yard-line and quickly took advantage of the short field.

Tomlinson ran 16 yards, and then six, to the Patriots’ 15 yard-line. Two plays later, Sanchez completed a short pass to Edwards, who scored on a 15-yard touchdown reception to give the Jets a 14-3 lead with 33 seconds left in the half, causing New England to play catch-up for the remainder of the game.

A Patriots team that finished with NFL’s best record was booed off field at halftime, having failed to score a touchdown in first half for first time since Week 4, when New England trailed 7-6 at the break before using some big special teams plays to win, 41-14, in Miami.

Each team punted twice to begin the third quarter before the Patriots finally scored their first touchdown to get back in the game.

Embarking on the longest drive of the game, New England went 80 yards on eight plays, in 3:51, with Brady throwing a two-yard touchdown pass to tight end Algie Crumpler (3 catches, 39 yards, 1 TD), who dropped a pass in the end zone prior to the Patriots’ earlier field goal.

Fullback Sammy Morris then rushed to convert a two-point conversion to pull New England to within 14-11, with 13 seconds left in the third quarter.

But, the Jets quickly came right back on their longest drive the game, going 75 yards on five plays, in just 2:13, helped by a short pass over the middle that wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery (game highs of 5 catches and 96 yards) took up the right sideline for 58 yards to the Patriots’ 13 yard-line.

Three plays later, Sanchez lofted a ball to the far left side of the end zone, where wide receiver Santonio Holmes (3 catches, 20 yards, 1 TD) made a brilliant catch that was reminiscent of his tip-toeing end zone grab to win Super Bowl XLIII for the Pittsburgh Steelers – ironically the last AFC team in the Jets’ path toward reaching Super Bowl XLV.

Outstretched, Holmes got his right knee down before dragging his left toe in the end zone while falling of bounds, to give the Jets a 21-11 lead with 13 minutes left in the game.

Sanchez, who has taken New York to the AFC title game in each of his first two years in the league, showed remarkable poise and patience for a 24-year-old quarterback who had eight turnovers for a team that was outscored by a combined 76-17 in Sanchez’s previous two visits to New England.

“I needed to be smart and take what [New England] gave me,” Sanchez said. He also added, that he couldn’t worry about hearing that he couldn’t win at Gillette Stadium, saying “When someone says you can’t [accomplish something], you want to do everything you can to prove them wrong.”

New York’s defense felt the same way.

While Sanchez avoided a sack, the Jets’ tight coverage created five sacks of Brady, two by defensive end Shaun Ellis and one each by Pace, defensive tackle Sione Pouha, and cornerback Drew Coleman (who was doubtful earlier in the week).

Shutting New England down was something not many had done this season, although the Jets did beat the Patriots at home, 28-14, in Week 2.

During an eight-game winning streak which the Patriots rode into Sunday’s game, New England allowed just 1.5 sacks per game and scored 37.4 points per game, while scoring no fewer than 31 points during that span.

After Sanchez’s third touchdown pass, the Patriots moved into Jets territory, but puzzlingly took their time doing so with a methodical lack of urgency.

New England went 48 yards on 14 plays, but ran the ball eight times, chewing up 7:45, perhaps in part, in deference to the fact that Brady had trouble finding open receivers all game. The Patriots ended the drive by foregoing a long field goal and instead, failing to convert on a 4th-and-13 pass from the Jets’ 34 yard-line.

The Patriots forced a three-and-out though, and moved 26 yards on seven plays, in just 1:32, for a Graham 35-yard field goal that brought New England to within 21-14, with 1:57 left.

However, once again bad decision making hurt the Patriots at the end of that drive. With just two time outs left, New England needed to kick the field goal prior to the two-minute warning, so the Patriots could use the official time out as a third time out and kick the ball deep on the ensuing kickoff.

Instead, the Patriots completed for one yard, to the right, to wide receiver Wes Welker (7 catches, 57 yards) on third down, on a route that didn’t give Welker a chance to get out of bounds and stop the clock.

New England appeared confused and unorganized in trying to get the kicking team on the field and boot the field goal prior to the two-minute warning.

As a result, the Patriots were forced to try an onside kick, and they paid dearly for it.

Fittingly, Antonio Cromartie, who had some heated, profanity-laced words through the media for Brady and the Patriots earlier in the week, made the play that sealed New England’s fate, by picking up the onside kick and returning it 23 yards to the Patriots’ 25 yard-line.

Just two plays later, running back Shonn Greene (17 carries, game-high 76 yards, 1 TD) scored on a 16-yard run to give the Jets an insurmountable 28-14 advantage, with 1:41 remaining.

Brady quickly drove New England 59 yards n seven plays, in just 1:17, cutting New York’s lead in half, to 28-21, on a 13-yard touchdown throw to wide receiver Deion Branch, with 24 seconds left, but the New Eric Smith recovered the ensuing onside kick and Sanchez took a knee to finish off one the greatest upsets in Jets’ franchise history.

Just after the clock expired, Edwards, who was arrested on a Driving While Intoxicated charge in New York City prior to the Jets’ Week 3 win in Miami, did celebratory back flips on the field.

All that was left then, was for the Jets to do some more talking. But then, after upsetting the NFL’s best to advance to with a game of the Super Bowl, they earned that right.

With a sarcastic dig at those who still compare his team to the Jets of old, Ryan said “So, we’re moving on, same old Jets, moving on to the AFC championship game two years in a row. The only difference is, we plan on winning this one.”

Not that the Jets didn’t try to win when they lost last year’s AFC title game in Indianapolis.

“I’m proud of the way the team played,” Ryan added. “Outstanding effort… we believed… we worked too hard to get back here, and we came here for a reason. We thought we were the better team. Clearly, that Monday night game, they were clearly head and shoulders better than we were. But, I knew that if we applied ourselves and we played the way we were capable of playing, we could beat ‘em, and that’s exactly what happened.”

Ryan, who limped down the sideline to congratulate Greene on his game-icing touchdown run, later added, “We’re trying to win a Super Bowl… we’ve still got a long way to go… but, maybe I’m not always wrong on everything I say.”

Linebacker Bart Scott, who came to the Jets with Ryan from Baltimore last year, angrily said, “Anybody could be beat! We know we’re a much better team than we came up [to New England] and represented ourselves [as in Week 13] and we were pissed off… people gave us no chance… we’re a good football team!”

He added, that the Jets played with anger for “All [of the] non-believers [who] disrespect us… [but] we’re the third best defense in the league! All we hear about is [the Patriots’] defense, 25th in the league, can’t stop a nose bleed, and we get disrespected!”

Looking ahead, the Jets’ link to the second-seeded Steelers (13-4) this season is as ironic as Holmes’ connection to his former team.

New York won in Pittsburgh, 22-17, in a Week 15 game that came down to a Steeler incompletion in the end zone on the game’s final play. It was the Jets’ only win during a four-game stretch that began with the Jets’ aforementioned loss in New England.

Without that win in Pittsburgh, all other results being the same, the Jets would have missed the playoffs.

Now, they get to return to the Steel City with the AFC title on the line.

Holmes warns that the Jets shouldn’t be taken lightly again, saying about his team’s upset over the Patriots, “All week long, we heard, ‘The Jets are going to lose.’ Guess what? We’re moving on to the AFC championship. See you in Pittsburgh.”

Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30pm ET next Sunday, at Heinz Field.

Notes: The loss was the Patriots’ third straight in the postseason… New England became only the fourth team in NFL history to win at least 14 games and lose its first playoff game of the season… The Jets are trying to become the fourth team in NFL history to reach the Super Bowl with three straight playoff road wins in the same season… the last to do it was another New York team – the Giants, who ironically ended the Patriots’ attempt at a achieving a perfect 19-0 season three years ago… A bit more irony: the 2005 Steelers last accomplished the feat prior to the Giants, as a six seed (like the Jets are now)… if the Jets win Super Bowl XLV, they’ll have to beat history: the Steelers have won the most Super Bowls (6) of all time, while the NFC title game features the two teams with the most NFL titles in league history (Green Bay has 12, and Chicago 9).

In addition to writing for New York Sports Day, Jon Wagner contributes at Pro Football NYC (www.profootballnyc.com) and Giants Football Blog (www.giantsfootballblog.com).

If the Jets win the Super Bowl then all NFL head coaches and their wives will make fetish videos! Then again, Rex Ryan is more likely to win an Adult Video News Award than the Lombardi Trophy. Hustler, Nugget and Gallery are now assigning reporters to cover the Jets!

Enough with the rimshots. The puritanical family values crowd should be applauding Rex and his wife Michelle for still having the hots for each other after 23 years of marriage and who keep their romantic flame going with some creative role play.

You have to believe that Tom Coughlin would gladly prefer making a bondage video that went public than enduring another humiliating nightmarish loss a la what the Giants suffered at the hands of the Eagles on December 19.

The Knicks have become relevant again even if they are not quite among the NBA’s elite teams just yet. Their games at Madison Square Garden against both the Celtics and the Heat just before Christmas had a playoff-like atmosphere, something that has been missing there for years.

The concern is whether the Knicks will be able to stay healthy. I asked head coach Mike D’Antoni if he was worried about accelerated depreciation (an accounting term for the loss of value through wear and tear) occurring in his players because he plays his starting five for almost the entire game. “These are young men who can play 40 minutes; but yes, I will keep an eye on them,” he said prior to the Knicks’ blowout win over a very good Oklahoma City Thunder team led by Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

I asked backup Thunder point guard, Royal Ivey, who grew up in Bayside and graduated from Cardozo High School, about whether he has adjusted to living in Oklahoma City. “I have gone from the city that never sleeps to the city that sleeps,” he said with a chuckle.

Speaking of Queens hoops stars who played in the NBA, former Knicks and Nets forward Anthony Mason has started a big men’s clothing company called Custom Kings. “I am looking for a distributor and I’ll be at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Lincoln Center in February trying to get a deal done,” Mason told me after the Celtics-Knicks game.

Pat Summerall, John Madden and George Steinbrenner (who started the largest regional sports network in the world, YES) were among the inductees at the fourth annual Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame that is run by the Sports Video Group. The Hall of Fame is looking for a permanent home and there are rumors that it will wind up at the American Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria.

When the Yankees announced that they would be inaugurating a college football bowl game at Yankee Stadium on December 30, few took the event seriously. To their credit though, the Yankees lined up two teams with solid followings, Syracuse and Kansas State; lined up a title sponsor, New Era; signed up a Super Bowl-like halftime show with the cast of “Rock of Ages” performing three numbers; and held numerous press events to bring public awareness. The end result was an advance ticket sale of over 40,000. The Yankees also donated 6,000 tickets to various local kids groups.

“The New Era Pinstripe Bowl is contracted to be at Yankee Stadium for the next three years,” Yankees chief operating officer Lonn Trost said when asked about the rumor that the NHL wanted to have its annual New Year’s Day Winter Classic held there. “If the NHL wants to hold the Winter Classic at another time, we’d be interested,” Trost added in his no-nonsense manner.

The NHL may have to turn to Plan B. Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon has not hidden the fact that he would love for Citi Field, which is dormant after the baseball season ends (some may claim that it is still dormant during the baseball season), to host a Winter Classic with the Rangers as the home team.

Cliff Lee’s CPA must be even more upset than Yankees fans are that the pitcher signed with the Phillies. I am sure that he urged Lee to stay with the Texas Rangers because there is no state income tax in Texas and the real estate taxes in even the poshest Dallas-area neighborhoods are fairly low. Every athlete knows that the Philadelphia tax collector’s office is relentless in getting revenue from them and that Pennsylvania’s income tax structure is similar to that of New York. In addition, the real estate taxes of posh Philly suburbs as the various Main Line towns and ritzy South Jersey locales as Cherry Hill and Marlton are quite high.

SNY Mets analyst, and the greatest first baseman in the team’s history, Keith Hernandez, made a public appearance at Strawberry’s Grill in Douglaston the week before Christmas. I asked Keith if he was surprised about where Cliff Lee wound up. “I don’t think about baseball during the off-season,” he harrumphed. Mets fans would be wise to follow his advice.

It was about time that the Islanders recalled center Josh Bailey from the Bridgeport Sound-Tigers. Why should he play for a minor league team in the American Hockey League when he can play for a minor league team in the NHL?

Speaking of the Isles, when is goalie Rick Di Pietro, who was once again put on the injured reserve list, going to finally announce his retirement? The word is that the arrogant Di Pietro has a degenerative hip condition. That’s not good for anyone, let alone a goaltender.

New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur has been hurt most of the year and that is one reason that the team has stunk this season. Devils GM Lou Lamoriello had the right to engage in one of his favorite activities–firing his head coach. At age 38, Marty is unlikely to regain his all-star form. Lou should look into his farm system and bring up Queens native Dave Caruso who is tending the nets for the Trenton Devils.

Anyone who has spent time in a press box was deeply saddened by the sudden passing of radio producer and East Meadow resident Joel Blumberg. Among those who attended his standing room only funeral at West Babylon’s Star of David Chapel were Knicks’ voice Mike Breen, Rangers’ play-by-play man Kenny Albert, Mets broadcasters Howie Rose and Gary Cohen, Sirius XM hockey guru Ashley Scharge, and veteran local radio sports anchors Ed Ingles, Barry Landers, Todd Ant and Marc Ernay.

Note to MSG College Sports VP Joel Fisher: it’s time to make the Holiday Tournament a local affair. Northwestern and Davidson University drew flies to the Garden although it was fun to watch Davidson forward/center Jake Cohen play. Cohen has NBA potential and would make Jewish hoops fans proud if he were to make it to the pros. Currently the only Jewish player in the league is New Jersey Nets guard Jordan Farmar.

The Holiday Tournament would sell more tickets if local schools as Columbia, LIU, Fordham, St. Francis, Iona, Monmouth, Hofstra could play each other. Currently the only NYC college that always plays in the Holiday Tournament is St. John’s which won this year’s trophy.

Ski season is here and the nearest slopes can be found in the Poconos. The area is home to gaming as the old Mount Airy Lodge has been renovated from top to bottom and is now the Mount Airy Casino. While there is no downhill skiing on the premises, there is snowmobiling.

Mount Airy’s spa is certainly worth a visit.

What I always hated most about the winter was the bundling up. Thanks to 21^st century technology it is now possible to stay warm without having to put on bulky sweaters and jackets. Columbia Sportswear’s Titanium jackets with Omni Heat technology and Lands End’s Squall parkas keep you quite warm on the most frigid days and still make you look and feel as if you are wearing a windbreaker.

Despite some typical early growing pains, the New York Jets have been very lucky to have had second-year quarterback Mark Sanchez leading their offense.

Sanchez came through as a rookie during a surprising playoff run that had the Jets 28 minutes from Super Bowl XLIV in last year’s AFC title game in Indianapolis.

This year, overcoming some struggles earlier in games, Sanchez repeatedly helped the Jets pull out several dramatic wins in the final moments, helping New York to a 9-2 record.

But after a 45-3 defeat in what was supposed to be a first-place showdown in New England, and a disappointing, rain-soaked, 10-6 loss to division rival Miami (7-6), Jets’ head coach Rex Ryan may not be feeling so lucky to have Sanchez and his signal caller anymore.

Prior to the Jets’ meeting with the Dolphins at the New Meadowlands Stadium on Sunday, Ryan said “I think (the New England) loss was just a bump in the road. We’ll respond really well and we’ll know a lot about our team after these next four weeks.”

That “bump” just became a pretty big hill to climb as Ryan considered benching Sanchez during the third quarter of the Jets’ fourth single-digit offensive output (all losses) of the season.

The Jets’ offense has operated in extremes this year.

With Sanchez and the Jets’ offense clicking, New York (9-4) scored between 23 and 38 points, averaging 27.2 points per game, in their nine wins this season.

The Jets needed Sanchez and the offense to step up and bail out a defense that hasn’t been nearly as dominant as it was last year, when it was the top-ranked defense in the NFL.

In those nine victories, the Jets allowed 20 or more points six times.

The losses however, have been a completely different story, and that seems to have gotten to Ryan after the Jets’ first multiple-game losing streak of the season.

In three of the Jets’ four losses, New York’s defense did look like last year’s version, allowing just 10 points twice and nine points once, but Sanchez and the Jets’ offense was shut out once and never scored more than nine points in any of their four losses.

It’s now been more than nine quarters and over 139 minutes since the Jets last scored an offensive touchdown in the third quarter of a home win against Cincinnati on Thanksgiving night.

Sunday’s inaccurate and mistake-prone performance by Sanchez, affected by a steady rain throughout most of the game, was enough to prevent the Jets from beating the Dolphins even though New York held Miami to just five completed passes, 55 yards passing, and 131 total yards of offense.

It was the second time in as many seasons that Miami – which used two kickoff returns of at least 100 yards and a fumble return for a touchdown last year – beat the Jets on the road while being held to a little more than 100 yards of total offense (Miami beat New York 30-25 at Giants Stadium last November, while gaining just 104 total yards).

On Sunday, the Dolphins took a 10-0 first-quarter lead off of two Sanchez turnovers.

On the Jets’ second possession of the game, Miami converted a Sanchez interception into a 47-yard field goal. Sanchez then fumbled the next time the Jets had the ball, and Miami turned that break into the game’s only touchdown, a 6-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Chad Henne to wide receiver Brandon Marshall.

That would prove to be all the Dolphins would need, with Sanchez and the Jets’ offense sputtering for most of the game.

New York managed only 280 yards of offense themselves, while managing only a field goal in the second quarter and another in the fourth, in fifteen possessions. In addition to committing a couple of turnovers, the Jets punted eight times and turned the ball over on downs three times.

Sanchez finished the game just 17 of 44 for 216 yards, while being sacked six times.

Forty year-old quarterback Mark Brunell, who once enjoyed a successful NFL career for several years with Jacksonville before later having a sixth 3,000-yard passing season with Washington in 2005, doesn’t appear to be a better choice over Sanchez, having thrown just 31 total passes since the 2006 season.

But, that might just be how much Ryan’s level of faith has quickly diminished in his young first-string quarterback.

It would appear that it might not get any easier for Sanchez and the Jets next week, as New York travels to face a tough defense in AFC North-leading Pittsburgh (10-3), the AFC’s only team to allow less than 200 points (15.9 per game) this season.

The Steelers, winners of four straight, mostly shut down the run, however. Against the pass, Pittsburgh ranked 23rd, allowing 239.3 passing yards per game, entering this weekend. So, there may be some opportunities for Sanchez to once again prove to Ryan that he needs to stay on the field to help the Jets return to their earlier winning form.

In addition to writing for New York Sports Day, Jon Wagner contributes at Pro Football NYC (www.profootballnyc.com) and Giants Football Blog (www.giantsfootballblog.com).

It was billed as this season’s NFL  game of the year.

The New York Jets and the New England Patriots.

A pair of 9-2 divisional rivals with a history of hating each other. Each well-rested after ten days off. An AFC East showdown of epic proportions. First place in the division, and the lead for home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs at stake.

It was all on the line, before a national television audience, on ESPN’s Monday Night Football.

There was just one problem… only the home team showed up.

Avenging a 28-14 road loss to the Jets in Week 2, New England thoroughly dominated New York, 45-3, at Gillette Stadium, in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

It was the type of game that Jet fans and their brash, outspoken, and unapologetic head coach Rex Ryan had pointed to since the summer, when he repeatedly told anyone within shouting distance of his loud voice that the Jets would play in Super Bowl XLV.

A potential statement game for the Jets to make their mark on their hated rival, on their division, and on the National Football League as a whole.

But, what we all might have learned is that the Jets’ 9-2, albeit with an early season victory over the Patriots, wasn’t nearly on par with the Patriots’ 9-2.

Perhaps, the Jets’ 9-2 record might have been as over-inflated as their egos, with four of their nine wins coming by virtue of last-minute, Harry Houdini-like escapes, all against teams with losing records.

Sensational at what he does (as one of best broadcasters around) notwithstanding, Jets’ radio play-by-play voice Bob Wichusen, moments before kickoff, echoed the sentiments of many Jets fans and even, much of the New York media for days, leading up to Monday night’s contest. Wichusen said that the Jets might have been on the verge taking the mantle from the Patriots as the new team to beat in the AFC East, if they could beat New England on its home field and force the Patriots into second place in the division.

But, what Monday night’s mismatch might have ultimately proved is that although the Jets are a good team, and still one of the better ones in the NFL, they’re not the Patriots, who adapted and improved far more than the Jets since the teams’ Week 2 meeting.

The Jets are not yet an elite team, and not yet ready to accomplish what many overconfident, and even cocky Jet fans believed, after buying into and following Ryan’s arrogant cue.

If you talk like the Jets, you had better also walk the walk.

Yet, the team that talked, and talked… and… talked… since August, as if it was a collective birthright to play in this year’s Super Bowl, was ironically silenced. And, embarrassed.

For all we heard about how great the Jets would be in games like Monday night on their HBO “Hard Knocks” special, it was the Jets who took the hard knocks themselves, repeatedly, from the Patriots, until New England knocked all of the swagger and bluster right out of the Jets, sending them back to New Jersey with nary a whimper.

“I thought we were going to play a great game, I really did,” Ryan said, after what he also called “the biggest butt-whooping” he’s ever taken during his coaching career.

Instead, the moment appeared much too big for the Jets to handle, as they suffered their worst loss since November 24th, 1986, when New York lost by the same score to the Miami Dolphins, also on Monday Night Football (those two games are tied with others for worst losses in MNF history).

The team that told everyone how great it was all preseason, and which reminded us of their “invincibility” as it barely got by, time after time, during the regular season this year, appeared overwhelmed in one of the biggest games in its franchise’s history.

As a result, the Jets allowed their biggest rival to shine far brighter with a white-hot spotlight glaring on one of the most anticipated Jets-Patriots games ever.

New England jumped to a 17-0 lead after the first quarter, and scored the first four times they touched the ball en route to a 24-3 halftime lead. And, it only got worse from there for the Jets, as the Patriots scored on their first three possessions of the second half.

Quarterback Tom Brady played a near-flawless game, going 21 of 29 for 326 yards, 4 touchdowns, no turnovers, and a 148.9 quarterback rating, while winning his 26th consecutive regular season game at home, to extend the longest such streak in NFL history, as the Jets lost for the first time in nine regular season road games.

In stark contrast, Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez often looked lost, completing just 17 of 33 passes for 164 yards and a 27.8 quarterback rating, while throwing three costly interceptions, off of which the Patriots scored a touchdown each time.

The first pick was the only one that really mattered. The Jets still had a chance to get back in the game, down 24-3, early in the third quarter, when Sanchez forced a ball that he shouldn’t have thrown for the Jets’ first red zone turnover of the season.

The last two interceptions merely allowed the game to go from a sound beating to humiliation.

Give Ryan credit at least, for not making excuses. Second-string safety Eric Smith, who was pressed into action due to a broken leg suffered by starting safety Jim Leonhard, committed a key 36-yard pass interference penalty, when he mugged rookie tight end Rob Gronkowski in the end zone, setting up the Patriots’ first touchdown of the game.

Leonhard’s loss was felt all game, yet Ryan insisted, “We’ve got a lot of good players and they needed to step up. Jim Leonhard wasn’t going to make a 45-point difference [defensively].”

Very true, especially when the Jets allowed more passing yards (304) than the total yards they gained (301).

If you read between the lines a little bit, Brady seemed to have taken some satisfaction in the Patriots’ far different style under New England head coach Bill Belichick’s dramatically different, stoic, business-like approach quieting the over-confident Jets.

“We take after our coach,” Brady said. “He always says, when you win, say little, and when you lose, say less.”

One could almost infer from that comment that Brady is indirectly telling the Jets they need to finally keep quiet for a while after losing a battle for first place in the conference by 42 points.

Rubbing salt into the Jets’ wounds, was undrafted, 5-foot-9, all-heart running back Danny Woodhead, whom the Jets cast off after one game this season. Woodhead hurt New York with a career-high 104 receiving yards and a career-high-tying 115 total yards, including a 50-yard catch and run that set up New England’s fifth touchdown.

The Jets also failed to spoil what became a special night for the Patriots on two accounts.

The win was the 107th in the Brady-Belichick era, which ties the duo with Terry Bradshaw and Chuck Knoll for second place, just nine behind Dan Marino and Don Shula, for most NFL victories for a quarterback-head coach combination.

New England’s win also came on Teddy Bruschi night, as the Patriots honored one of the best linebackers in their history, at halftime.

“It was fun to be a New England Patriot on Teddy Bruschi Night, I’ll tell you that,” Brady said with a wide smile. “He’s someone I’ve always looked up to and admired… he’s just a great person… No one had a bigger [heart] than Teddy.”

Belichick added, “That was the best sixty minutes of football we played all year. I’m glad it could be on Teddy Bruschi Night. He was a big part of a lot [of games] like this. I think we got some inspiration from that.”

As humiliating as Monday night’s loss was, Ryan reminded everyone that his team shouldn’t be written off just yet. “You talk about the resiliency of this team, we’ve got the history to back it up,” he said.

That’s the one thing about Ryan’s Jets. They may not have been good enough to cash the huge checks written by Ryan’s mouth on Monday night, but as Belichick said of the Jets, “I’m sure we haven’t heard the last from them.”

They’re both right. Just when we think we won’t hear from them again, we do (see last year’s 3-0 start, followed by a 4-7 slump to a 7-7 record, when Ryan subsequently declared his team out of the playoffs, before the Jets rebounded to come within about 28 minutes of reaching Super Bowl XLIV).

On that note, the Jets will try to pick up the pieces and regroup against the same franchise that last beat New York as bad as it lost on Monday night. The Miami Dolphins (6-6) come to the New Meadowlands stadium to face the Jets on Sunday, at 4:15 pm EST.

In addition to writing for New York Sports Day, Jon Wagner contributes at Pro Football NYC (www.profootballnyc.com) and Giants Football Blog (www.giantsfootballblog.com)

The primary reason that the New York Jets (7-2) remain Super Bowl contenders in the AFC has been their uncanny ability to rescue victory from the grasp of defeat on the road this season.

Twice already, the Jets could have, and probably should have, lost away from home.

On Sunday, New York had its closest call yet, pulling out yet another dramatic road win just seconds before settling for what would have been a tie in Cleveland.

This time, the heroes were cornerback Drew Coleman (who forced a huge fumble) and the duo of quarterback Mark Sanchez and wide receiver Santonio Holmes, when the two connected on a game-winning touchdown with just 16 seconds left in overtime to give the Jets a thrilling 26-20 victory over the Cleveland Browns (3-6).

Instead of a mediocre 4-4-1 season, the Jets, who got help from the Broncos during the final moments in Denver, and who had the Lions gift wrap an overtime game for them in Detroit last week, moved to a perfect 5-0 on the road to stay in the hunt for AFC’s top playoff seed, holding a tiebreaker edge for the moment, over New England (7-2), which lost in Cleveland last week.

Such is the fine line sometimes, between success and either mediocrity or failure in the National Football League.

It’s a line that the Jets have been walking all season, partly because they’ve been playing from behind early in road games.

Once again, that was the case on Sunday, as the Browns, led by former head coach Eric Mangini and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan (the brother of Jets’ head coach Rex Ryan), took first-half leads of 3-0, 10-3, and 13-10 before the Jets battled back each time.

For the fifth time this year, the Jets — whose defense has been good, yet not nearly as dominant as the league’s top defense it was last season — won despite allowing at least 20 points, thanks to their own resilience.

Cleveland got on the board first, taking the opening kickoff 69 yards on 11 plays in 5:01, settling for a 3-0 lead on 34-yard field goal by the Browns’ franchise-leading kicker in Phil Dawson.

New York immediately answered on the ensuing drive, going 33 yards on 9 plays in 3:59, to tie the game, 3-3, on a 27-yard field goal by kicker Nick Folk.

The Jets were then unable to capitalize on the first of two Browns’ turnovers. Running back Peyton Hillis (19 carries, 82 yards, 1 TD, 1 fumble) coughed the ball up, but New York could gain only a yard before Folk missed a 48-yard field goal.

The teams then traded scoring drives, with the Browns marching 62 yards in just 5 plays, to score on 12-yard touchdown run by Hillis in the first quarter, and the Jets answering with Sanchez (27-44, 299 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 2 sacks) capping a 9-play, 76-yard drive on a 25-yard touchdown strike to wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery (3 catches, 43 yards, 1 TD) in the second quarter.

Each team only touched the ball once more before halftime, with each scoring. The Browns took a 17-13 lead on a Dawson 23-yard field goal after 10-play 66-yard drive stalled at the Jets’ 5 yard-line. New York came right back with a nice 11-play, 80-yard drive in 4:50, to take a 17-13 halftime lead on a one-yard plunge by Sanchez with 23 seconds left in the first half.

The Jets held the Browns in check during a scoreless third quarter, limiting Cleveland to just 11 yards on 7 plays on two drives.

New York meanwhile, punted on one drive in the quarter after an earlier a long, methodical drive which yielded nothing. The Jets took the opening kickoff of the second half and traveled 60 yards on 10 plays in 9:58, only to have Folk miss a chip shot 24-yard field goal attempt.

In the fourth quarter, the Jets were able to sustain another long drive, going 56 yards on 13 plays in 7:45, with Folk redeeming himself by making a 25-yard kick to push New York’s lead to 20-13 with 2:42 left.

The Jets’ defense was unable to get the stop it needed to put the game away though, as Browns’ rookie quarterback Colt McCoy (18-31, 205 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 3 sacks) directed 10-play, 59-yard drive in 1:51, tying the game, 20-20, on a 3-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi with 44 seconds left in regulation.

New York got won the coin toss to begin overtime, but punted quickly.

The Browns then appeared to be in great position to win after moving 28 yards on 6 plays and close to field goal range, but former Jets wide receiver Chansi Stuckey, after already picking up a first down, was stripped by Coleman while fighting for a few extra yards. The fumble was recovered by Jets’ cornerback Antonio Cromartie.

While the Jets couldn’t turn that into victory just yet, it prevented a good chance for the Browns to end the game, especially with a good kicker like Dawson on the sidelines.

Speaking of a kicker ending things, Folk got another opportunity, but missed his third kick of the game, pushing a 47-yard attempt wide right after the Jets took Stuckey’s fumble and went 35 yards on 9 plays in 5:13.

The Jets then forced a three-and-out but were pinned back at their own 9 yard-line with 3:06 left in the game, but Sanchez moved the Jets into Cleveland territory.

A holding penalty moved New York back to its own 46 yard-line, however, and on 3rd-and-14, Sanchez went for the win, but he was intercepted at the Browns’ 3 yard-line with 1:35 left by rookie first-round pick, cornerback Joe Haden, who made a game-high tackles while producing the Jets’ only turnover.

While not satisfied with a tie yet not wanting to risk a loss, the Browns weren’t in a position to be aggressive at that point. McCoy attempted a short pass to move the ball, but it fell incomplete. The Browns then rushed Hillis for two yards, before McCoy gladly took a sack after escaping a near game-ending safety in the end zone.

The Jets then took over at Cleveland 37 yard-line with 24 seconds left after an 18-yard return by Jim Leonhard.

They only needed one more play from there, which was a good thing for them, with time running out and Folk having already missed three field goals.

For the second straight week in overtime, Sanchez and Holmes made a late play to finish off a big win, as Sanchez hit Holmes (5 catches, game-high 76 yards, 1 TD) on a crossing route and the speedy receiver did the rest, blowing by the Browns’ defense and into the end zone on a 37-yard touchdown.

Giving Sanchez and the Jets’ passing game some nice balance, was a rushing game that outgained the Browns 172-107, while helping New York dominate the ball for 47:08 to Cleveland’s 27:36. The Jets were led by running backs Shonn Green (20-72), LaDanian Tomlinson (18-57), and out of the wildcat, Brad Smith (5 -39).

“You talk about how resilient this team is, that’s two road games in a row in overtime,” Rex Ryan said. What Ryan didn’t know at the time he uttered those words, was that the Jets had become the first team in NFL history to win consecutive overtime games on the road.

Once again, pulling out an improbable win.

The Jets will try to make things easier on themselves next week, when they host Houston (4-5) which has lost three straight.

In addition to NYSD, Jon Wagner contributes at Pro Football NYC (www.profootballnyc.com) and Giants Football Blog (www.giantsfootballblog.com)

When New York Jets’ head coach Rex Ryan decided to risk a fake punt on 4th-and-18 from his team’s own 20 yard-line during a scoreless game in the first quarter, he did so believing his defense was good enough to allow at worst, a field goal –- and that his offense would more than make up for that.

It turned out that Ryan was partially right, as the Jets’ defense kept the Green Bay Packers out of the end zone and limited them to just three points after the Jets failed to turn the fake into a first down.

But, the last thing that Ryan ever envisioned at that moment was that the field goal would be the game’s only points until past the halfway point of the fourth quarter.

It was just one of several mistakes that haunted the Jets (5-2) on a day when Gang Green’s offense was frighteningly ineffective, in a 9-0 horrow show of a loss to the Packers (5-3), who won their second straight game on a windy Halloween Sunday afternoon at the New Meadowlands Stadium.

Ryan would make some other decisions later on that would also backfire, but the Jets were also done in by an inability to protect the ball and by a couple of calls that didn’t go their way, like the way you find in online sports betting.

First, there was the faked punt.

With neither offense getting much of anything going early, each team’s punters were the stars of the game, each averaging 50 yards or better in the first quarter, giving each opposing offense poor field position to start their drives in the period.

The one time that didn’t happen however, was when Jets’ punter Steve Weatherford, concluded the Jets’ third possession of the quarter with the aforementioned fake. Weatherford stepped out of bounds at the New York 36 yard-line, with the ball at the 36-and-a-half, about a yard-and-a-half short of the first down marker.

On the next play, Green Bay wide receiver Greg Jennings (6 catches, 81 yards) took a pass over the middle from quarterback Aaron Rodgers (15-34, 170 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT, 2 sacks, 59.7 rating), and turned it into a 30-yard gain to the Jets’ 6 yard-line.

At the time, no one in the building would have imagined that play would have already been enough to win the game, but in essence it was. The Jets’ defense held through three Packer cracks at a touchdown, but a 20-yard field goal by kicker Mason Crosby with 4:41 left in the first quarter, to give Green Bay a 3-0 lead, would stand up for the rest of the game.

Although the Jets, running 29 times, outgained the Packers 119-81 on the ground, they weren’t able to run quite effectively enough to open up a passing game that like Green Bay’s, was severely affected by the infamous Meadowlands wind which picked Sunday’s holiday to play tricks on both quarterbacks.

The Jets also held an advantage in passing yards (241-156), but aside from the fake punt, their other possessions ended in with five punts, three turnovers, a missed field goal, and two other times that they turned the ball over on downs.

Green Bay wasn’t much better, punting eight times and missing a field goal of their own, despite adding two more fourth-quarter field goals to ice the game.

With the offense struggling to score, the Jets, appropriately for the date, resorted to further trickery, but each time, it wouldn’t work.

Having moved from their own 30 yard-line to the Packers’ 36 yard-line after Green Bay’s first field goal, New York tried to run Brad Smith out of the wildcat offense, but Smith fumbled.

Ryan challenged the call, which was a good one, and Green Bay was correctly awarded possession, which would end in yet another punt, but one that pinned the Jets back at their own 10 yard-line.

It was one of five times on the day that Green Bay punter Tim Masthay, an undrafted rookie out of Kentucky, forced the Jets to start from inside their own 20 yard-line.

New York also began four other possessions between its own 20 and 27 yard-lines.

Later in the second quarter, one play after running back LaDanian Tomlinson (16 rushes for 54 yards) joined Walter Payton as the only two players to ever reach at least 13,000 rushing yards and 4,000 receiving yards in a career, Tomlinson looked to throw off an option run, but that bit of deception didn’t work either, as the Packers covered well and Tomlinson was tackled after only a modest gain.

A few plays later, wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery (4 catches, 89 yards) appeared to have a reception at the Green Bay 41 yard-line on what looked like simultaneous possession with cornerback Tramon Williams, with the tie-up going to the offense, as Cotchery went to the ground with 4:48 left in the first half.

The play however, was initially ruled and interception. Ryan challenged the call, which was upheld, thereby leaving New York without a challenge for the remainder of the game.

That played a major factor later on, as a drive that started in the third quarter ended with another questionable Packer interception with 10:34 left in the game.

After going 61 yards on 7 plays only to miss a 37-yard field goal that would have tied the game in the third quarter, the Jets, starting at their own five yard-line on their ensuing possession, moved 48 yards on 10 plays to the Packers’ 37-yard line.

A holding penalty moved the ball back to the Green Bay 47 yard-line before Mark Sanchez (16-38, 256 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT, 2 sacks, 43.3 rating) was intercepted by cornerback Charles Woodson, who ripped the ball from tight end Dustin Keller. Unlike Williams’ play on Cotchery, replays clearly showed the call was missed when Woodson was awarded with the pick and ruled down by contact. Keller should have been ruled down, with possession.

Ah, but remember those two challenges Ryan couldn’t get overturned in the first half? Well, no recourse for that play any longer and to bet on the NFL.

Green Bay turned that fortunate trick into a treat in the form of a 41-yard field goal by Crosby with 6:36 left in the game, to take a 6-0 lead, after going 34 yards on 8 plays.

The Jets then drove from their own 19 yard-line to the Packers’ 37 yard-line, but they turned the ball over on downs with 4:12 to go after Sanchez misfired on three straight passes.

Bothered by the wind, Sanchez accepted blame for his inaccuracy, saying, “Some passes got away from me… we left a lot of completions out there.”

Ryan then began using his time outs perhaps a little too soon, but the Jets couldn’t muster a meaningful drive the next time they had the ball anyway, again turning the ball over on downs at their own 22-yard line with 2:30 remaining.

That led to a 40-yard Crosby field goal with 27 seconds left, to close the scoring.

Although one turnover came on a questionable call and another happened due to a bad call, the three turnovers for the Jets sounded the continuation of an alarming recent trend for New York.

After four straight games without a turnover (to tie an NFL record), and committing just one turnover in their first five games, the Jets turned the ball over three times for the second straight game.

The time off last week might have also affected the Jets’ momentum. While Ryan said, “We were fresher and healthier then we’ve ever been,” the bye week from the week before seemed to slow down what had been one of the NFL’s hottest teams.

After losing their home opener, the Jets reeled off five straight wins before last week’s bye. Now, not only is that streak over, but the Jets have also relinquished their hold on first place in the AFC East to New England (6-1), which is now the league’s hottest team with its own five-game winning streak.

Suffering their first shutout loss since a 10-0 home defeat to Chicago on November 19, 2006, the Jets will look to get back on track against the Lions (2-5) in Detroit next Sunday, at 1pm EST.

In addition to NYSD, Jon Wagner contributes at Pro Football NYC (www.profootballnyc.com) and Giants Football Blog (www.giantsfootballblog.com)