The Jets' hopes of making the playoffs were ended Monday night with a brutal 14-10 road loss to the Titans. Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez threw four interceptions but was in position to win the game after a 19-yard punt gave New York the ball at the Tennessee 25 with 47 seconds remaining. However, Sanchez couldn't handle a low shotgun snap on first down and the Titans recovered the fumble.
ESPN play-by-play caller Mike Tirico summed it up best, saying: "That's the way this game should end, that's the way the Jets' season should end: Ugly, and a loss."
Said Jets coach Rex Ryan: "Obviously, it's a devastating loss, out of the playoffs, and it hurts beyond belief. I think the thing that really hurts the most is we've got no one to blame but ourselves."
Sanchez (13-for-28 for 131 yards) had a passer rating of 32.6, lower than Tim Tebow (39.6), who was 0-for-1 and rushed three times for 15 yards. Sanchez turned over the ball on each of his team's final three possessions.
"It doesn't feel good hurting your team like that," Sanchez said. "It's not a winning formula. It never feels good."
Cornerback Antonio Cromartie, who was predicting a playoff berth a month ago, was in no mood to talk after the loss that dropped the Jets to 6-8.
"Guys, no questions," he told reporters. "I'm going to tell y'all the truth. This [bleep] has got to stop. Just being real."
Read more about that story and others, plus check out videos, trivia and more, at Tuesday's Morning Mashup [1].
Links:
[1] http://leeinks.weei.com/sports/2012/12/18/tuesdays-morning-mashup-mark-sanchez-turnover-prone-jets-eliminated-from-playoff-race
[2] http://www.weei.com/category/boston/general