FALL DOWN LAUGHING: Mark Sanchez, scrambling after a busted play, runs directly into the rear end of guard Brandon Moore, fumbling the football and leading to a Patriots touchdown and becoming the “butt” of several jokes last night. (Courtesy of NBC)
It took 11 games, seven losses, a litany of failed Tim Tebow plays, several Rex Ryan guarantees, a dash of Woody Johnson damage control and too many maddening, mind-boggling plays to count before the Jets finally delivered the defining moment of their sorry season.
And, oh, did they deliver it last night, right in the middle of their dismal 49-19 loss to the Patriots at MetLife Stadium before a national-television audience.
It came in the second quarter of a game that still felt like a game at that particular moment.
The Jets, already down 14-0 to the Patriots, had a first down on the New England 31 and Mark Sanchez took the snap from center and turned to hand the ball off to fullback Lex Hilliard.
SANCHEZ BLOOPER FUMBLE EPITOMIZES EMBARRASSING JETS PERFORMANCE
RYAN-TANNENBAUM JETS JUST PITIFUL PRETENDERS
FRACTURED RIBS KEEP TEBOW OFF FIELD
Sanchez turned the wrong way and Hilliard was not there to take the “fullback dive’’ handoff, instead running into the line without the ball.
Sanchez quickly rerouted himself toward the line of scrimmage to avoid taking a loss and promptly slammed into the gluteus maximus of his left guard Brandon Moore, who was engaged in a block on Patriots’ 350-pound nose tackle Vince Wilfork.
Sanchez went down as if he had been cold-cocked in the middle of a boxing ring and fumbled the ball away.
Patriots safety Steve Gregory, born in Brooklyn and raised in Staten Island, picked the ball up and returned it 32 yards for a touchdown and a 21-0 Patriots’ lead.
And just like that, the Jets’ night and their season (4-7 and falling fast) morphed into a Rich Kotite home movie from yesteryear with one season-defining play.
Sanchez played the part of Bubby Brister flipping the shovel pass toward Adrian Murrell that was intercepted by Sam Mills to give the Panthers their first win in franchise history in 1995.
Ryan played the part of Kotite, appearing more dumbfounded on the sideline with every bumbling error his players made on the field.
That Sanchez broken play was the centerpiece of a numbing 52-second barrage of blooper plays that turned a 7-0 New England lead into 28-0 with 8:51 still remaining in the first half.
“I was thinking a different play in my head,’’ Sanchez said. “That was a mental error there. As soon as I realized there was no one to hand it to I started to run toward the line and tried to cover it up and just get down and I slid right into Brandon Moore.
“I was just trying to get down. The play was over. Say ‘Uncle.’ Do the right thing. Get to second-and-10 and live to play another down. I’m not a big believer in luck, but that was pretty unlucky. It was really too bad.’’
Sanchez said the second quarter “just blew up,’’ adding, “That was crazy. I’ve never seen anything like that.’’
Receiver Jeremy Kerley, whom Sanchez tried to connect with in the first quarter when he was picked off by Gregory, said, “Waking up and getting out of bed this morning, I never would have thought this could happen.
“Things got out of control early and we couldn’t get a grip on it. We could never recover.’’
The Jets will not recover from this. If last night did anything for the Jets and their tortured fans, it effectively ended the charade that they are still in any sort of conversation for a wild-card playoff berth.
The Jets will have to win their last five games to get to 9-7 and, really, after what the world witnessed last night, what gives anyone any indication this team, which has not won consecutive games all season, is capable of winning five in a row?
The night of slapstick comedy that was funny to everyone not involved with the franchise had to be Woody Johnson’s most embarrassing moment as Jets owner, hosting the Thanksgiving night game he craved in his own stadium and having his team perform like this.
The usually upbeat and affable Johnson waved off an interview request after he emerged stone-faced from the locker room following the game and was whisked away by his security man.
The entire night was an embarrassing and damning indictment of the state of the Jets’ program, how far it has fallen since consecutive AFC Championship Game appearances, and where it appears headed.