EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Rex Ryan still isn’t backing down.

Sure, his future with the New York Jets appears dim. But the coach is conceding nothing, and that means he has every intention of beating the New England Patriots on Sunday.

And, no, he wouldn’t take back his statement shortly after he was hired in 2009 that he didn’t come to New York to kiss Bill Belichick’s rings.

“Oh, hell no, because I never came here to do that,” Ryan said. “I came here to kick his butt.”

That hasn’t exactly been the case, though, with the Patriots winning eight of the 12 meetings between the teams since Ryan was hired ”“ including six of the past seven.

“Obviously, I haven’t been very successful at it, but that list is long,” Ryan said. “I’m not just the only name on that list. I might be the only one that had the guts to say something about it, but that’s how I am. That’s how I feel this week, too. No different than any other time I’ve been here.”

The Jets (3-11) are struggling through a miserable season, one that very well could cost Ryan and general manager John Idzik their jobs. The showdown Sunday at MetLife Stadium could mark Ryan’s last home game as the Jets’ coach, and it seems somewhat fitting that it comes against the rival Patriots (11-3).

“I can sit back and say, ”˜Well, it’s not (special). It’s just another opponent,” Ryan said. “But, no, it is because obviously, they’ve won six division championships in a row, so that’s the one to beat. I don’t care what our record is now. … Believe me, they’re not looking at us as a 3-11 team, I can promise you.”

The Jets nearly pulled off an upset victory at New England in October, but Chris Jones blocked Nick Folk’s 58-yard field goal attempt on the last play to preserve a 27-25 win for the Patriots.

“It’s a great rivalry,” Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said. “We’ve always had some pretty interesting games against them. A lot of them have come down to the wire, especially recently.”

Here are a few things to know about the Jets’ home finale against the Patriots:

PLAYOFF PICTURE: The Patriots wrapped up their 11th division title in 12 years last week, but still have lots to play for.

New England can clinch a first-round bye in the playoffs with a victory over the Jets, who are looking for their first winning streak of the season. The Patriots can also clinch home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with a win and if Denver loses to Cincinnati.

REVIS’ RETURN: Darrelle Revis used to call the Meadowlands home. Now, he’s the enemy.

The star cornerback is playing against the Jets in New Jersey for the first time as a member of the Patriots, the team he learned to despise during his first six NFL seasons with New York. He returned last year, but as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This homecoming will likely be a bit different considering the uniform he now wears.

“I really haven’t been paying attention to those guys,” Revis insisted. “We have things that we have to focus on here and that’s all I’ve been trying to do.”

FRUSTRATED FANS: Jets fans disappointed with their team’s dire situation are expected to make their presence seen ”“ with yellow “penalty flags” aimed at the front office.

One fan site has been distributing about 10,000 yellow towels at area bars for fans to bring to the home finale, urging owner Woody Johnson to fire Idzik, along with team president Neil Glat and senior personnel executive Terry Bradway. A banner-toting plane reminding people of the “penalty flag day” circled above the practice field at the Jets’ facility in Florham Park, New Jersey, for several minutes Wednesday.

BRADY’S DOMINANCE: The last guy the Jets probably want to see is Brady, who seems to have their number.

The Patriots quarterback holds a 19-5 regular-season record ”“ 20-6 overall ”“ as a starter against New York. In his past six games facing the Jets, Brady has thrown 12 touchdown passes and just one interception. His only loss to New York in that span came in October 2013, when he threw that one pick in a 30-27 overtime defeat at MetLife Stadium.

“It’s a good challenge for us,” Brady said. “We lost going into the Meadowlands last year, so we’re anticipating getting their best game.”

FLAG FOOTBALL: The Patriots already have exceeded their output from all of last season in one category. Their 110 penalties are 35 more than they were assessed in 2013 and are fifth-most in the NFL this season.

Part of that is the officials’ increased emphasis on defensive holding and pass interference.

“It has to stop,” special teams captain Matthew Slater said. “At some point, it’s going to come back to bite us if we don’t start playing with a little more discipline.”

Comments are not available on this story.