Humiliated in a New York Minute

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Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez looked overmatched against the Patriots, who have the 30th-ranked defense in the N.F.L. More Photos »

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — After the Patriots’ fourth touchdown in six minutes Thursday night, the NBC cameras panned to Rex Ryan. Nostrils flaring, eyes burning, he looked like a man who had chased a bushel of habaneros with a bucket of nails. He said but one word: unbelievable.

 

N.F.L.

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Wes Welker catching a pass for a touchdown in front of Jets defensive back Ellis Lankster. More Photos »

This being Ryan, of course, he added an expletive. It was surprising that he uttered only one. On national television, the Jets were humbled, 49-19, by New England, a defeat that recalibrated embarrassment, reduced them to a punch line, stretched the definition of a rivalry: four straight losses to the Patriots.

And to think, they almost won. If only Mark Sanchez had recognized the safety sinking in the middle of the field instead of throwing the ball directly to him. Or had they not forgotten to cover Shane Vereen on his 83-yard touchdown. Or had Sanchez not turned the wrong way on a handoff, a mistake compounded by slamming into Brandon Moore’s posterior, his fumble returned for a score. Or had Joe McKnight not fumbled the ensuing kickoff, leading to another touchdown return. Or had they not committed five turnovers. Or had they not ...

“That,” Ryan said, “was a nightmare of a game.”

By halftime, it was obvious that the Jets’ victory — their decisive victory — Sunday in St. Louis was merely a break from regularly scheduled programming: a three-hour loop of tragicomedy — of blown coverages, of miscommunication, of ineptitude on all phases. The game was scoreless after the first quarter. Really, it was. But in one dizzying 52-second sequence, the Patriots scored touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams.

“We didn’t even give them a chance to see us coming,” McKnight said.

The Jets barged into MetLife Stadium on Thursday believing they could topple the mighty Patriots, a victory that would fuel their pursuit of an improbable playoff berth. They left early Friday morning as a 4-7 team in disarray, still alive in the wild-card chase — technically, mathematically — but with a quarterback who might lead the N.F.L. in statistically misleading performances; with a special-teams unit that faltered once again, for the fourth time in five games; with a defense that allowed five touchdowns en route to yielding the most points by the franchise since Miami scored 52 in the season opener in the 1995 season opener, surpassing the 45-3 Monday night massacre at Gillette Stadium in 2010.

Back then, the expectations were higher. The Jets had beaten the Patriots earlier that season. The coveted division title was within reach. Yet this loss, in a way, stings even worse. By now, the Jets’ mistakes blur together, a fumble in Week 12 indistinguishable from an interception in Week 3. The despair is cumulative.

“We’re about as wounded as you could possibly be, but we’re not dead,” Ryan said, adding, “I know our fans deserve a heck of a lot better than this.”

Many of those fans vacated the premises after halftime, off to pursue a more enjoyable endeavor, like running out of gasoline or drinking curdled milk. Already they had witnessed New England possess the ball for all of 2 minutes 14 seconds in the second quarter — and score 35 points. Already they had witnessed Steve Gregory account for three of the Patriots’ turnovers, intercepting Sanchez and recovering two fumbles, including a 32-yard return that extended their lead to 21-0.

Four days after Ryan said that the Jets were “just trying to punch our way out,” Jeremy Kerley said, “I thought we could have come out swinging a little harder.”

What Kerley might not have known is that this is the time of year when the Patriots distinguish themselves from the rest of the conference, winning their 19th consecutive game in the second half of a season. Tom Brady completed 18 of 28 passes for 323 yards and 3 touchdowns — on plays of 3, 83 and 56 yards, to different receivers, all equally open. Sanchez did complete 26 of 36 passes for 301 yards, but his success was more of a function of the Jets playing from behind so much: there is no such thing as a 35-point touchdown.