So, what happens now?

The long, cold offseason in Foxborough began Sunday night with Rex Ryan doing a two-step down the visitor’s sideline at Gillette Stadium.

The Jets were louder, brasher, and more obnoxious in the week leading up to New York’s 28-21 win over the Patriots on Sunday.

But, most important, they were better.

Now, for the second straight year, the Pats must regroup after losing their first playoff game in stunning fashion at home.

Last year, they were pounded by the Baltimore Ravens in a blowout.

On Sunday, it was a closer game, but the Jets came in and outmuscled the Patriots before a frustrated home crowd.

The Jets pounded Tom Brady early, and the likely MVP lacked his usual confidence as the game went on. He had trouble finding open receivers, and when he did his throws were off the mark. Ultimately, the Pats were doomed by their own plodding fourth quarter drive, spending nearly eight minutes with the ball and coming away with nothing. New York couldn’t have done a better job killing off the clock.

The Pats were outplayed and outcoached in all aspects of the game. Now, Belichick and company need to figure out how to fix a slide that has been several years in the making. Yes, New England has won 35 of 48 regular-season games over the past three years.

Yet they haven’t won a single playoff game in that stretch. They’ve been outscored 61-35 in the two postseason games they’ve played.

And, for the first time, there is discord behind Belichick’s Iron Curtain.

Wes Welker slipped one past the coach with 10 foot references in a press conference, a not-so-subtle shot at Ryan. On Sunday, Welker was benched for the first drive of the game.

Not everyone agrees with the decision, which is to be expected. What’s new is that some are willing to share their opinions publicly.

Monday, in his first comments to the media since the game, defensive lineman Vince Wilfork told WEEI radio he “wouldn’t have done it because of what the game meant.”

In the button-down world of the Patriots, that’s a loud statement.

Make no mistake, the Patriots didn’t lose the game because Welker sat out a series. They didn’t lose the game because they did or did not publicly agree with the coach. They lost because they got outplayed by a team that is on its way to a second straight AFC final.

Think about it. Antonio Cromartie calls Tom Brady an expletive and is not disciplined by the team. Welker shows a dry sense of humor and doesn’t directly call out anyone, but gets benched for a drive.

There was a time when you would give Belichick and Brady the edge in just about any playoff matchup. A time when the Patriots’ Way meant a dedication to outplanning and outworking an opponent in the biggest game of any season.

That time seems to have passed. The Pats are still one of the best teams in the league, but are not a team you automatically fear in the playoffs. And Belichick needs to figure out a way to change that over the next eight months.

Tom Caron is the studio host for Red Sox broadcasts on the New England Sports Network. His column appears in the Press Herald on Tuesdays.