It just wasn't meant to be.
The last time the Jets were in the AFC Championship game, they held a 10-0 lead on the Denver Broncos in the third quarter in 1998. They then went ahead and turned the ball over six times, as Denver stormed back to win 23-10.
Sunday was something of a replay, minus the hideous turnovers. The Jets held a 17-6 lead on the Colts approaching the two minute warning in the second quarter. Then Peyton Manning woke up from his slumber, figured out the Jets blitzing 46 defense and led Indy on a huge comeback.
Manning hit Austin Collie for 18 to move the ball to the Colts 38. Then he hit Collie again from 46 yards out to put the ball deep into Jets territory. Finally, Manning hit Collie again for a 16 yard touchdown to cut the Jets lead to 17-13 at halftime.
Even though Gang Green had the lead, the game was over, Peyton Manning had the Jets right where he wanted them.
The Jets, as we have seen from this franchise for 41 years found ways to kill themselves. After a Jets drive stalled in the opening minutes of the third quarter, Jay Feely missed his second field goal of the afternoon, this one from 52 yards out that would have given the Jets a 20-13 lead.
Manning would then lead the Colts down field completing six of eight passes, culminating in a four yard touchdown to Paul Garcon.
Phil Simms, who was calling the game for CBS, stated the obvious during the drive that Manning "was feeling it." When Manning begins to get a feel for a game, it's curtains for his opponents.
Manning firgured out the Jets blitzing defense, spread them out with various four and five wide receiver sets. He got the ball off quicker and made sure to pick on the Jets weaker cornerbacks, Lito Sheppard and Dwight Lowrey.
The Jets got totally out of their game. With New York facing a first and 15 at their on 49, the Jets got away from their number one ground attack and asked Mark Sanchez to make some hurried throws. He threw incompletions on first down and second, and then, in desperation, hit Tony Richardson for a couple of yards, forcing the punt.
The Colts had them where they wanted them. Manning would add another touchdown, a 15 yarder to Dallas Clark sealing the Jets fate.
Unlike the 1998 AFC title loss, this defeat should not be the be all or end all for the Jets. The 1998 team was a monster, a 12-4 machine that seemed destined to win Super Bowl XXXIII, with a high powered offense led by a resurgent Vinny Testaverde, and coached by a Hall of Famer in Bill Parcells.
This 2009 version was a tough team to figure out all season. They got off to a 3-0 start, then went on to lose six of seven, four of which were in excruciating fashion to the Dolphins (twice), Bills, and Jaguars. The finish to the 2009 season was a wild one, thanks in part to the Colts decision to rest players in their first match up with Gang Green, allowing them to win and make the playoffs.
There are some good things to take away from this loss for a Jets team that is not even close to hitting their potential.
Mark Sanchez grew up in front of our eyes in this postseason. In the AFC title game, he looked like an All Pro. He completed 17 of 30 passes for 277 yards, two touchdowns and a late interception. He was calm, cool and poised in the pocket. His 80 yard touchdown strike to Braylon Edwards was a franchise record for longest play in Jets playoff history, and Sanchez's ability to avoid sacks and make smart decisions with the football was on display all day.
If anything, the Jets know now they have the ability to possess a lethal passing attack for next season. The Jets ground attack was stalled for just 83 yards, forcing Sanchez to make plays with his arm and, for the most part, he did.
These three playoff games were huge for Sanchez, who had a dreadful regular season for a rookie throwing 20 interceptions, and looking totally lost as the season wore on. The playoffs proved to be extra time for the one year veteran to hone his craft, and for that, the Jets should consider themselves lucky. They won't have to answer questions about their quarterback during the spring.
The Jets discovered a new star running back in Shonn Greene who rushed for 263 yards in the first two playoff games this year, and the Jets will build on their number one ranked defense, as they will most definitely look for edge pass rushers in the draft and free agency.
Yes, it hurts to blow a 17-6 lead to the Colts in the AFC title game, but all is not lost. The Jets will be back sooner than the cynics think.
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