The New York Jets were one game away from finally turning their fortunes around. Then, they went back to being the New York Jets.
Needing either a win over the Buffalo Bills or a Pittsburgh Steelers loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday to clinch a playoff berth, the Jets got neither, falling to the Bills 22-17 while the Steelers knocked off the Browns 28-12 to sneak into the playoffs as the AFC’s No. 6 seed.
How brutal was Sunday’s loss for New York? For one, it came at the hands of their former coach, Rex Ryan, who exacted sweet revenge by knocking his old team out of the playoffs.
The Jets also lost in pretty heartbreaking fashion. With time running out in regulation, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick nearly connected with wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins on an incredible Hail Mary, only to see the ball bounce off the former New England Patriot’s fingers.
Fitzpatrick, who, of course, used to play for the Bills, promptly threw an interception on the next play to seal his team’s fate. As expected, both the Bills and Steelers had some fun with the result on social media.
The loss dropped the Jets to 10-6 in Todd Bowles’ first season as head coach and ensured they’d miss the playoffs for the fifth consecutive year. On the bright side, at least a few New York players got to share a nice moment with their AFC East rivals after the game.
Yeah, about that:
Thumbnail photo via Kevin Hoffman/USA TODAY Sports Images
