No coach or player in sports loves a good guarantee more than Rex Ryan. For whatever reason, the Jets coach just isn’t comfortable letting the season play out. He has to make an attempt at predicting the outcome. When the Patriots handed it to New York on Sunday night, a different Rex than the one we’re used to took the podium after the game.
Ryan apologized to the Jets fans who showed up ready for the game and were treated to a shellacking. However, he stuck with what he knows best and continued making guarantees.
“What am I going to say?” Rex asked. “Maybe I should guarantee the fact that we’re out of it. Last time I did that [in 2009], we made the playoffs. So yeah, we’ve got no chance.”
That sounds quite a bit different from Babe Ruth calling his shot, but obviously the Jets are still in the hunt. Despite the fact that Ryan called New York’s chances of finally winning an AFC East title “doubtful right now,” they are only a game out of first. That being said, Sunday night’s loss put them in quite a hole. New England has the softest schedule in the NFL the rest of the way and will hold the first tie-breaker over New York after sweeping the season series. If the Pats falter, the Jets could still win the division. The more likely scenario is that New York will have to claw its way into the playoffs, forget about a first-round bye, and try to win on the road the way they have done the past two seasons.
