There are a multitude of negative words that can be used to describe the Jets loss to the rival Patriots on Monday Night: embarrassing, humiliating, disgusting, disgraceful. All are appropriate and even maybe a little understated. The old Jets would have folded like a cheap suit after such a crushing defeat. Not these Jets, not Rex Ryan’s Jets. I believe and so should all the other die hards, that this loss was merely a speed bump rather than full blown road repair.
In reality, the loss puts the Jets at 9-3 (not 3-9 like the reaction suggests) and they are still firmly entrenched in a playoff spot. They have a slew of tough games coming up, especially on the road at Pittsburgh and Chicago, sandwiched in between two divisional games. Rex can and will rally the troops. I have seen enough improvement in Mark Sanchez, despite his 0 TD, 3 INT performance Monday night, that I feel he can make plays and lead the Jets to victory. Most importantly, as the weather starts to deteriorate in much of the country, the Jets can run the football and play defense.
The Jets absolutely still have things to prove. They have to prove they can go into a hostile environment against an elite team and win (ahem Pittsburgh and Chicago). They need to prove they can rush the passer without blitzing nine guys. And they need to prove that they can overcome this potentially combustible loss. Not only do I think they will overcome it, but I think it was a great learning experience for them and will only help them in the future.
I think they will beat Miami and Buffalo, but I think they will split the games at Pittsburgh and at Chicago (leaning towards Chicago). The Leonard loss may be more critical than originally thought.