Yes, the sun did indeed rise over Gillette Stadium on Monday morning. But it was still a cold, cold place.

The disappointment of Sunday’s season-ending loss lingered for the New England Patriots.

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Patriots Coach Bill Belichick said the positive aspects of New England’s season were overshadowed by the final result, which was a bitter playoff loss to the Jets. The Associated Press

And less than 18 hours after the New York Jets disposed of the Patriots 28-21 in a game that wasn’t that close, the Patriots were still looking for answers.

“There are certainly a lot of good things that happened for us this season,” said Coach Bill Belichick in his day-after press conference.

“But that definitely gets overshadowed by the final results. We’ll have to work hard to get back to this point in the future. We’ll go forward.”

Maybe. But before that can happen, let’s take one last look back.

For the Patriots, Sunday’s loss to the Jets wiped out what had been a remarkable season. The team wasn’t expected to compete for a division title, yet won the AFC East with the NFL’s best record, 14-2. Previously unknown players stepped in and produced. Guys like Danny Woodhead, a free agent who was cut by the Jets; rookie cornerback Devin McCourty; rookie tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez; backup offensive lineman Dan Connolly.

Go right down the roster and nearly everyone contributed in some way to the success.

“We had a great regular season,” Tom Brady said on WEEI radio Monday morning. “We just didn’t win the game we needed to win.”

Certainly you have to credit the Jets. They surprised the Patriots but playing much more zone pass defense than was expected – though that was the same formula the Jets used in beating Peyton Manning and the Colts in the wild-card round. They put six defensive backs on the field quite a bit, taking away all the underneath passing lanes Brady likes to exploit.

Still, on Monday morning, when Brady looked back at the game, the outcome came down to one fact: the Patriots didn’t capitalize when they needed to. All season long, the Patriots have played in the lead. That allowed their defense to become more aggressive. That led to an NFL-high 25 touchdowns, a plus-28 turnover ratio.

Sunday, the Patriots squandered their opportunities to take the lead.

On New England’s first drive, it moved effortlessly from its 16 to a first down at the Jets 28. Mixing the run and pass, the Patriots had the Jets scrambling. Then Brady threw his first interception in 340 passes. Trying to throw a simple screen pass to BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Brady overthrew his back – right into the hands of Jets linebacker David Harris.

After the Jets missed a chip field goal, the Patriots moved in again, getting a first down at the Jets 12. After a five-yard gain by Woodhead, Brady threw to tight end Alge Crumpler in the end zone. He dropped the pass. Shaun Ellis then sacked Brady for a nine-yard loss, leading to a field goal by Shayne Graham and a 3-0 lead.

“We came out of those with only three points,” said Brady on WEEI. “And that gave them a lot of fuel. They were thinking, ‘We can play with these guys,’ rather than being down 14-0 and thinking their game plan was not working.”

After that, the Jets clamped down. And the Patriots mistakes continued. The fake punt that led to the Jets’ second touchdown? Safety Patrick Chung said on Monday that was entirely his call. “Leave (Belichick) alone,” he said. “I take responsibility. Blame me.”

And the Jets began to exploit the young secondary, finding receivers running free.

In the regular season, these mistakes would hurt, but there would be a game the next week. Sunday, they combined to end the Patriots season. Asked how long it would take to get over this loss, which some people are comparing to the 2007 Super Bowl loss to the Giants, Brady said, “You never get over losses. They stick with you. Some teams play and they make the playoffs and say they had a hell of a year.

“That’s not what the Patriots are about.”

So now they look ahead. But to what?

The NFL’s labor uncertainty is hanging over every team, with the agreement between the players’ union and the NFL expiring in March. Will there be a lockout? Will there be football next year? What happens to the players drafted in April?

“Eventually I’m certain it will get resolved, in time – whenever that is – at some point,” said Belichick. “In the meantime, you do what you can do. Those things are all out of my control as coach. … In the meantime, we’ll do the best we can with the opportunities or the information that we have.”

The Patriots have players on their roster who don’t have contracts for next year, among them offensive guard Logan Mankins, offensive tackle Matt Light, running backs Kevin Faulk, Sammy Morris, Fred Taylor and Green-Ellis, cornerback Kyle Arrington and defensive lineman Gerard Warren.

Mankins, obviously, needs to return. He is considered perhaps the best guard in football. Green-Ellis and Faulk likely will return. The others?

“I don’t know if the day after the end of the season is the time to make a lot of decisions on those things,” said Belichick. “In due course, I’m sure those decisions will get worked out.”

And then there’s the draft. New England has three of the top 33 picks this year. And they have needs.

Sunday’s loss exposed the lack of a pass rush and a deep threat at receiver. They also need to stock some young offensive linemen.

But without a CBA, the Patriots wouldn’t be able to sign any of the players they selected, or hold any mini-camps.

So, as Belichick said, the future is on a holding pattern.

“We’ll wait and see what happens,” he said. “Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it then.”

Staff Writer Mike Lowe can be contacted at 791-6422 or at: mlowe@pressherald.com

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