As the Jets’ plane touched down at Newark Liberty International Airport on Sunday evening, Eli Manning was leading the Giants down the field for the game-winning touchdown over the Patriots.
By the time the Jets players got off the plane, they knew they were tied for first place in the AFC East. Now, it’s the Jets turn to try to topple the Patriots.
One month ago, the Jets came up short in Foxborough. The 30-21 loss was the Jets’ third straight, and questions surrounded the team. Since then, the Jets have won three in a row and control their fate in the division.
“We needed to improve as a football team,” Ryan said. “We all know that. We’re going to see how much we improved on Sunday because we definitely have been getting better the last three weeks, but we’re going to see how much we’ve improved.”
The Jets point to the first game with the Patriots as the day their season began to turn around. Despite the loss, they felt like they played better than they had in the previous two weeks. It was the day they returned to their Ground and Pound philosophy.
They have improved each game since then, culminating with Sunday’s 27-11 dismantling of the Bills.
“We go back all the way to when we played New England that first [time],” Ryan said, “and I said I was encouraged by how we played because I thought we were starting to play like the team that I thought we had — that Jets style of football. Then, it’s progressed little by little by little. I mentioned that right now we’re at the top. This is the best Jet team so far [this season].”
Even though they are feeling good about themselves, the Jets know the task Sunday is not an easy one. The Patriots have not lost three games in a row since a four-game skid in 2002.
“They’re a team that doesn’t panic,” safety Jim Leonhard said. “They’ve been through this before. They’ve won a lot of games, big games. They know what it takes, the style of football that wins for them and they won’t veer too far away from that. Their backs are against the wall just like we were a couple of weeks ago. Their backs are up against the wall right now and they’ll come out swinging. There’s no doubt about it.”
The Jets said there was no celebration on the plane after Manning found Jake Ballard to lift the Giants to the victory. Players checked their cell phones and iPads to get the score, and some caught the ending.
Ryan, who has taken his shots at Big Blue, had nothing but compliments for them yesterday.
“I think it shows the kind of team the Giants have,” Ryan said. “That’s an excellent football team. You don’t beat New England unless you’re a heck of a football team, especially there. They’ve got a lot of heart. They had three offensive starters out and found a way to win. They won that game for themselves, without question. But, I will say this, if we can, I’d like to pay them back. That certainly helped us out.”
The Jets could repay the favor in December when they play the Eagles. But that’s not what they were thinking about yesterday. All of their attention was focused on Tom Brady and Co.
“Both teams are going to be humming for this one,” Ryan said. “There’s no question. They know they have to win this game, and we have to win this game. You can sugarcoat it all you want, but they know they need it, and we know we need it. Both teams are going to be hungry.”