Patriots' Mistakes Cost Them Title Shot

New England Patriots fans grappled with a stunner after the Pats fell 28-21 to the archrival New York Jets at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough Sunday night.

The Patriots never lead in the game, and it took until the third quarter for the Pats to score a touchdown.

“I was disappointed in the way we performed, and I certainly wish I did a better job,” said quarterback Tom Brady in a post-game press conference.

ESPNBoston.com's Mike Reiss said that the Patriots failed to play as well as they'd played all year in the season's most pivotal game.

“The main thing that stands out to me is that the formula that they had working so well for them in the regular season got away from them in this game," Reiss said in an interview with Morning Edition's Bob Oakes. "This was a team that did not make mistakes in critical situations, and the Patriots made a lot of them in this game.”

The Jets move on to face the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship game on Sunday.