The Jets’ captains strode to middle, listened to the foundations of overtime and waited for the vagaries of a flipped coin to see their season.
Of course, the Jets wished the ball initial. If they got the ball and scored a touchdown, they might win. they might topple mighty New England, and will you imagine the bedlam at MetLife bowl then?
The Patriots, because the road team, had the choice of job. Heads, they wished.
The coin was heads.
In the split-second that progress before New England’s representative, Matthew woodlouse, proclaimed the team’s preference, Jets safety Calvin Pryor began mentally making ready himself. Their defense would have to be compelled to foil Patriots quarterback Tom Brady another time.
As woodlouse spoke, Jets footballer Buster Skrine flinched. There should are some type of mistake. Skrine should not have detected him correctly: Did the Patriots like better to kick away?
“I didn’t apprehend if it had been simply a brave appeal their aspect or miscalculation,” Skrine aforementioned. “I was like, ‘Thanks.’ ”
New England ceded possession to the Jets, United Nations agency ne'er gave the ball back. They won, 26-20, when quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick connected with Eric Decker on a 6-yard touchdown pass that positioned the Jets for his or her initial postseason berth since 2010.
Back once their postseason hopes appeared dim — per week agone, in different words — Jets Coach Todd Bowles appealed to the soccer gods.
These deities have perceived to take a disproportionate enjoyment of mocking the Jets — particularly during this competition.
Against New England, the Jets (10-5) absorbed the butt fumble and 1-point misery and 2-point anguish. Then there was that point a star Jets linebacker, Mo Lewis, walloped histrion Bledsoe, launching the Brady era Associate in Nursingd an A.F.C. East sept and people four Super Bowls.
Those moments outlined the Jets’ maladroitness. No longer.
Their fifth consecutive win, including Pittsburgh’s loss at metropolis, escorted them to the cusp of the playoffs.
The simplest attainable entry will be the foremost daunting: winning at Buffalo to increase Rex Ryan’s miserable debut season as coach of the Bills.
“He is within the means currently,” Jets defensive finish Sheldon Richardson aforementioned, “and we've to induce past him.
Two Denver losses or a metropolis defeat would conjointly secure passage to the playoffs.
“I assume it’s meant to happen — I do,” Jets linebacker Calvin Pace aforementioned.
That feeling penetrate the Jets’ room later on. Not the understanding of Pace’s words however rather the sense of inevitability: that a team that botched four of 5 games at midseason, that broken doubly in late things, would rise from mediocrity to seize management of its competition future.
The Jets praised the courageousness of Fitzpatrick, United Nations agency completed twenty six of forty one passes for 296 yards and 3 touchdowns. and also the resilience of wide receiver American Revolutionary leader Enunwa, United Nations agency did not catch a protracted pass late in regulation that might have given the Jets the ball deep in New England territory however United Nations agency in overtime turned a brief flip from Fitzpatrick into a 48-yard gain. and also the consistency of Brandon Marshall, United Nations agency continued his superlative season by catching eight passes for a hundred and fifteen yards and 2 touchdowns.
The Jets — and their official Twitter feed — conjointly counseled Patriots Coach Bill Belichick’s call on the coin toss.
“No, I don’t assume it’s Associate in Nursing insult,” Bowles aforementioned.
On a coin toss, a team has four options: defer, elect to kick, elect to receive or defend a goal. It will opt for one, and only 1, which call is irreversible. Slater, as captured by the CBS broadcast, aforementioned that the Patriots wished to begin “that means.” as a result of he aforementioned “kick off” initial, woodlouse wasn't allowable to decide on that goal New England would defend.
“My face lit up,” Pryor aforementioned. “Like, does one actually need to kick the ball?”
After the Jets were asked wherever they wished to receive, Slater’s head swiveled toward the sideline. He looked metagrabolized. Skrine thought woodlouse had misspoken. He had not. woodlouse had confirmed the choice with Belichick.
“I double-checked 3 or fourfold,” woodlouse aforementioned. “I assume he was staring at Pine Tree State like, ‘Are you concussed?’ as a result of I unbroken asking him. however that’s what he wished to try to to. You ne'er question Coach’s decision-making. He’s the simplest within the business, and that we trust him absolutely. thus that’s what we tend to did.”
In the interview space later on, Belichick looked furious. He aforementioned he failed to regret his decision. Asked why he had chosen to kick, he said, “I thought that was the simplest factor to try to to.”
Was there any confusion?
“There wasn’t any confusion,” he said. “I simply answered that question.”
This strategy had worked before for Belichick, reception against Denver in 2013, once the sturdy winds at Gillette bowl influenced his call. The Patriots went on to win that night.
Marshall surmised that Belichick had hoped for a defensive stop that might have established favorable field position for brand new European nation, that failed to score Associate in Nursing offensive touchdown Sunday till Brady’s 9-yard pass to James White with one minute fifty five seconds remaining.
To that purpose, the sport unfurled the means it had to for the Jets, the means it required to for a team that had crowed all week concerning however completely different it had been since it last contend New England. That defeat, when a late lead blown back in Oct, sent the Jets careening into a tailspin.
They lost 3 of their next four, and when they bumbled in Houston to fall to 5-5, Bowles blasted his team. Pace distilled his coach’s message into one question: ar we tend to progressing to do that or not?
The Jets thrashed Miami and edged the Giants and trounced Tennessee and overcame Dallas, their confidence building weekly. They exuded a conviction expressed by Pryor: If last time the Jets felt they might vie with New England, he said, currently they felt they might dominate.
Want proof of that maturation? Of that spirit?
Here came the fourth quarter Sunday. The Jets were winning once more, 20-13, and here came New England. “We’ve seen this story before,” Pace aforementioned.
So many times the Jets had endured cruel losses via the proper arm of Brady, United Nations agency on the Patriots’ final possession completed 2 passes to Rob Gronkowski on fourth right down to got wind of White’s fastening touchdown. and maybe they may have once more, had New England assumed possession at the start of overtime.
Instead, the Jets’ offense mobilized.
“I had a lot of confidence,” Fitzpatrick aforementioned. The drive coated eighty yards in 5 plays. It finished with Decker catching a not bad fade within the back corner and jumping into the stands to celebrate.
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Decker has contend in 3 postseasons, all with Denver, however several of his teammates wait their initial trip. Fitzpatrick, Associate in Nursing 11-year veteran, for one. conjointly Marshall, United Nations agency came nearest 3 years agone, with Chicago. He felt helpless counting on different groups.
On Sunday, the Jets corrected the tough lesson Marshall had learned. now not should they think about the charity of others. They think about each other. They think about themselves. another success, and that they ar within the playoffs.
“It’s an exquisite factor,” Pace aforementioned, “to be taking part in significant soccer in December.”