ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Let's be brutally honest: They were overwhelmed by the moment.
With a chance to secure their first playoff berth in five years, which would have made for a wild celebration in Rex Ryan's new house, the New York Jets ruined a magical December run with a Week 17 meltdown that ranks among the worst season-ending losses in team history.
This is up there (or down there) with the Al Groh farewell game in Baltimore (2000), the crazy Leon Johnson option pass in Detroit (1997) and the 24-0 implosion in Houston (1993), where Ryan's father, Buddy, punched out a fellow coach on the Oilers' sideline.
But in those games, the Jets lost to good teams, even a legendary team: the 2000 Ravens. There's nothing legendary about the Buffalo Bills (8-8), a mediocre, injury-depleted outfit that put aside its dysfunction for three hours and outplayed the Jets in every facet, walking away with a 22-17 victory at a frigid Ralph Wilson Stadium. No postseason for the Jets.
News flash: The Jets' nemesis in the AFC East isn't Bill Belichick anymore. It's Rex Ryan, who beat his old team twice -- both by the same score.
Shame on the Jets. They came up puny in almost every way imaginable. Dumb penalties. Poor third-down play on defense. A missed field goal. A shanked punt. And, of course, the killer: three fourth-quarter interceptions by Ryan Fitzpatrick, who came unglued in the crucible of his biggest game.
The Jets, so sharp during their five-game winning streak, couldn't handle the pressure of a win-and-they're-in game. They were tight and lacked a killer instinct.
"I don't think it was too big for them," said coach Todd Bowles, disagreeing. "But at the same time, we've got to play smarter than that."
The Jets (10-6) were outsmarted and outhustled by a team that had no chance to make the playoffs, and that's damning. Instead of jumping on them early and crushing their spirit, the Jets fell behind 13-0 before they realized they were in trouble. In the end, they made too many mistakes, self-inflicted and otherwise.
"That's the real story," said Antonio Cromartie, who sat in full uniform for several minutes at his locker. "It just fell apart."
This was a head-scratcher from the outset, when Stevan Ridley started ahead of Chris Ivory at running game. Part of the game plan, Bowles said. It was a questionable decision. They took a 1,000-yard rusher and made him a third-down back, replacing the injured Bilal Powell. Ivory finished with six carries for 81 yards on a day in which they needed a physical back.
Defensively, Darrelle Revis played a most curious game. Facing Sammy Watkins, whom he held to three catches in the first meeting, Revis turned into a Tempur-Pedic distributor: He gave a lot of cushion, surrendering short passes that, in some cases, turned into long plays. Clearly, Revis feared Watkins' deep speed. Watkins finished with 11 catches for 136 yards.
Bowles absolved the team's biggest star and highest-paid player, saying Revis couldn't be blamed because he was in zone coverage on some of those completions. Revis' take? Nobody knows. He bolted the locker room without talking to reporters, an uncharacteristic dodge.
"I'm not sure what happened," linebacker Erin Henderson said of the team in general. "Maybe it was a lack of concentration, maybe a lack of focus, looking ahead to what's next. It's hard to say."
In the end, it was Fitzpatrick's mistakes that hurt the most, especially Interception No. 1 -- his first red-zone pick of the season. The Jets were down by two points, already in position for a potential go-ahead field goal, when Fitzpatrick made his worst throw of the season. You could almost hear the clock striking midnight, ending his Cinderella run.
It was a crushing way to end a terrific season. The Jets being the Jets, they came agonizingly close to pulling off a miracle touchdown in the final seconds, but Kenbrell Thompkins couldn't hold on to a pass that was knocked out of his hands by Mario Butler. It was reminiscent of the big completion to Thompkins two weeks ago in Dallas. He made that play; this time, he didn't.
You can't blame one or two players, though. This was a total implosion -- offense, defense, special teams.
"Yeah, we won 10 games, a big turnaround from last year, but it doesn't mean anything because it's the same result," Sheldon Richardson said. "Done. Sixteen games."
No, these aren't the Same Old Jets -- this organization is better than that -- but they sure played like it.
