EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Well, at least now the New York Jets know where they're headed -- and it's not the Super Bowl.
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| Chad Pennington still must prove he can win the big ones. (AP) |
That became clear with Sunday's resounding loss to New England, a 23-7 defeat in which the Jets were outgained, outscored and outclassed by an opponent they absolutely, positively had to beat.
I'm not talking about what this game means in the standings. The Patriots long ago wrapped up the AFC East. I'm talking about what it means to the Jets' psyche, with running back LaMont Jordan a week ago calling it "a true test" for him and his teammates.
"We failed," he said.
No, they failed miserably. But here's what makes this loss devastating. The Jets could've clinched a playoff spot with a win at home, a place where they won six of their previous seven, and they blew it. And they blew it because an offense that has been under siege for much of the past month failed to show up again, not scoring until New England was comfortably staked to a 23-point lead in the fourth quarter.
"We just laid an egg," said running back Curtis Martin. "I don't know what it means. But what it means can't be good."
It's not. After winning their first five the Jets have been nothing more than ordinary, splitting their last 10 games. What's worse is what they've done against the teams they must overcome to get to the top -- Pittsburgh and New England, the top two seeds in the AFC.
They're 0-3. They scored 20 points. They produced two touchdowns.
"We want to be an elite team," said Martin, "but we have to beat them to be that type of team -- and we haven't done that this year."
Sure, they came close in their Oct. 24 loss to New England. And they played Pittsburgh tough two weeks ago until the fourth quarter. But the outcome's always the same. The Jets lose, and they lose because they don't make enough plays on offense. Period.
That was the case again Sunday, only this game marked the worst performance by the club in weeks ... months ... maybe of all season. And it was there from the beginning when quarterback Chad Pennington punctuated the first drive with an interception, one of two for the afternoon.
That set the tone for New York, with Martin held to a season-low 33 yards rushing, the team committing three turnovers and the Jets checked on one touchdown for the second straight game against New England and third time in their last four tries against the Patriots.
