EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Geno Smith wasn't terrible this time around. In fact, for nearly three quarters, he was guiding the New York Jets to an upset of the New England Patriots -- with a big assist from the defense, of course.
But then two critical mistakes -- an interception and a sack -- cost the Jets dearly, in what turned into a heartbreaking 17-16 defeat.
The pick -- Smith's only one of the game -- came late in the third quarter, with the Jets leading 13-10. The Patriots had just finished a 13-play, 81-yard drive, but the Jets held them to a field goal, giving them some momentum.
On the second play of the ensuing drive, from his own 20-yard line, Smith threw off his back foot, aiming for tight end Jace Amaro. The ball was short, and easily intercepted by Pats linebacker Jamie Collins.
Smith was under pressure, but it was still a poor decision.
"I definitely saw the guy underneath it and I wanted to put air on it and lead [Amaro] out to the sideline," Smith said. "I took the hit, I couldn't see where the ball was going. I was just hoping it fell to the ground and [Collins] made a good play."
"He underthrew it. It was a poor throw," Jets coach Rex Ryan said. "That was a big play on their part. [Collins] made a great play. Just a tad underthrown, but it was a big play in the game."
Eight plays later, Jonas Gray found the end zone, giving New England a 17-13 lead.
Smith's second big error came midway through the fourth quarter, with the Jets trailing 17-16, but already in field goal range following a Marcus Williams interception. On 3rd-and-4 from the Pats' 24, Smith dropped back to pass and was then pulled down by Dont'a Hightower for a 10-yard loss, turning a manageable 42-yard field goal attempt into a more challenging 52-yard attempt, which was partially blocked.
Smith couldn't quite throw the ball away in time to avoid the sack.
"The guys got on me fast. As soon as I got the snap, I felt immediate pressure," Smith said. "In those situations, we always talk about situational football, and in those situations, my job is to throw the ball away [and] prevent the sack. But I was bottled up in the pocket. I just tried to limit the loss [and] tried to not hurt us any more."
"That's something you have to learn from," Ryan said. "You can't take a sack there no matter who is in your face. Get rid of the football."
Guard Willie Colon said the Patriots unveiled a new blitz on the play, something they hadn't shown before.
"They hit us with a new look, and they got us," Colon said. "That’s the NFL."
Smith finished the day 17-for-27 for 210 yards, with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Jeff Cumberland, and the one interception. It's his third straight game with a quarterback rating of 83 or above. But it wasn't good enough on this day.
"I think for the most part aside from a few plays here or there, I did a pretty good job at making good decisions," Smith said. "In close games, one or two bad decisions can be the difference."
That was never more true than in this game. The Jets outplayed the Patriots, except for Smith's two failures in crunch time.
