Oh sure. If you didn’t see the game, 28–21 doesn’t sound like a clobbering. But it was.
The Pats were down 14–3 at half time. In the third quarter, the Patriots scored to made it something that looked like a game with a touchdown and an extra 2–point conversion. Score 14–11. Then the Jets came right back and scored another touchdown and it was all over. The Patriots last score was with less then a minute left meant zilch.
So the Pats lost their third straight post season game. Tom Terrific looked more like Boring Brady. Gone was the fabulous quarterback stats and back was the poorly playing Brady: one interception, 29 of 45, with two TDs (one of them meaningless). Brady was also sacked 5 times and threw at least that many away.
It was a dismal game by any measurable New England standard. And just because of the loud, crass, trash talk all week by the Jets, it hurt. I hate trash talk — unless of course you can back it up. (Remember Larry Bird in the first 3–point competition coming into the locker room and saying to everyone, “All right, who’s playing for second place?” Then Bird went out and won the 1986 competition, raising his crooked index finger to proclaim himself as number one as he drained the last shot.)
So give the New York Jets their due. That talked smack and then walked the walk. Still, I hope the Steelers destroy them next week.
Comments