FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – After a week of talk, talk, talk — some very loud, some very subtle — the New England Patriots had little to say Sunday night.
What could they say?
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After an extraordinary regular season in which the Patriots were the NFL’s best team with a 14-2 record, in which they were the highest-scoring team in the league (32.4 points per game) and finished with eight consecutive wins — many by blowouts — New England had its season brought to a stunning halt.
“It’s like you’re on the treadmill going 10 mph,” said Tom Brady, the golden-armed quarterback who was harassed all day Sunday. “And then somebody hits the stop button.”
That somebody would be the brash-talking New York Jets, who backed up every syllable they spouted last week with a 28-21 victory that left the 68,756 fans at Gillette Stadium wondering what happened.
So while the Jets strutted through the bowels of the stadium, yelling and chirping, the Patriots slowly and quietly dressed while facing the media after another stunning playoff loss.
“Obviously a disappointing way to end the season,” said a somber Coach Bill Belichick. “We just didn’t do enough things to win today. That’s obvious.”
It was the second year in a row that the Patriots’ season ended at home in the playoffs. Last year, Baltimore visited Gillette Stadium and routed New England, 33-14.
This one was almost as bad. Take away Brady’s meaningless touchdown pass to Deion Branch with 24 seconds left and, well, you get it, this was almost as big a rout.
The Patriots had a glazed look in their eyes after this one. Branch spent at least 45 minutes in front of his locker, trying to find the right words to describe this loss.
What it comes down to, he said, is emptiness.
“This is not what we expected,” he said. “We just didn’t put our best football on the field today.”
Certainly you have to credit the Jets. Their defense knocked the Patriots out of their comfort zone. Brady was sacked five times and hit many others. When he had time to throw, his receivers couldn’t find creases in the zone defenses the Jets mostly played.
The Patriots had the NFL’s highest-scoring offense this year. Sunday it was merely mortal.
Brady threw for two touchdowns, but he also threw his first interception since Oct. 17, a killer that ended the Patriots’ first drive, which was deep into Jets territory.
“We didn’t do it today,” said Belichick. “We gave up too many points. We didn’t score enough, we didn’t have good field position in the kicking game. We just didn’t do enough things we need to do to win.
“You can list them all: too many penalties, too many mistakes, missed tackles, missed blocks, pressure, drops, all of the above. That’s what happens when you don’t win. You usually have too many of those types of plays.”
Matt Light, the left tackle who has played his entire career with the Patriots but doesn’t have a contract for next year, was asked if there was a sense of disbelief.
“No, it’s pretty final,” he said. “Unfortunately.”
The unfortunate thing about this loss is how it mars what had been a truly wonderful season for the Patriots and their fans. No one expected this. No one.
And that’s what makes this so tough for the players to accept.
“I came here and you could see the drive these guys had,” Branch said of his October trade from Seattle. “So I went around and shook everyone’s hand, told them I appreciated how they allowed me to come into their home and just be a part of this great organization.”
Tight end Alge Crumpler, who caught a touchdown pass but dropped another, said he couldn’t even think about the regular season.
“I don’t care about that,” he said. “All I care about is what happened in the last three hours. And it wasn’t good. And I’ve got to deal with it.”
Of course, many questions revolved around whether the Jets’ non-stop trash talking had affected the Patriots, especially the younger players.
No, they said. That kind of stuff happens and it’s best to just let it go.
But perhaps there was a different kind of talk that inspired the Jets.
On Saturday night, former Jet Dennis Byrd — who suffered a neck injury in 1992 and never played again — addressed the Jets at their hotel.
Wide receiver Braylon Edwards said it was the most inspirational speech he ever heard. Beyond that, Byrd presented the jersey that team officials cut off him that day to the team and it hung in their locker room.
“He spoke from his heart,” said Jets fullback Tony Richardson. “There were so many points that the guys got out of it, but I think one that everybody was talking about was when he said he would trade everything he’s ever had for one more opportunity to play one more game.
“He said, ‘The difference between me and you guys is you guys have that opportunity tomorrow.’“
Now, the Jets have another opportunity.
But not the Patriots.
“It’s going to take a lot of work to get back to the position that we’re at now,” said linebacker Jerod Mayo. “But we’re willing to do it. Everything happens for a reason.”
Staff Writer Mike Lowe can be contacted at 791-6422 or at:
mlowe@pressherald.com
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