Jets clinch playoff spot despite losing

CHICAGO - Rex Ryan was talking about the Jets' 38-34 loss to the Bears, discussing the defense's second-half meltdown, when general manager Mike Tannenbaum burst through the door leading to the interview room.

"By the way, I think we're in the playoffs," Ryan deadpanned, trying to hide his newfound enthusiasm. "It ain't the way we wanted it, but we'll take it."

Ryan wouldn't have known the Jets backed into the postseason if Tannenbaum hadn't crashed his postgame news conference at 4:22 p.m after watching the finish of the Jaguars-Redskins game in overtime. He actually was holding LaDainian Tomlinson's shoulders inside the locker room as Washington's Graham Gano prepared to boot the 31-yard field goal that ended a 20-17 victory over the Jaguars, whose loss made the Jets one of the AFC's two wild cards.

"I was hoping to give Rex some good news," Tannenbaum said of his surprise entrance.

That strange scene showed the roller-coaster of emotions the Jets (10-5) experienced after their loss to the Bears (11-4). Their attempt to pull out the victory was thwarted when Chris Harris intercepted Mark Sanchez's pass intended for Santonio Holmes with 51 seconds left, and afterward, many Jets refused to take much solace in punching their playoff ticket.

"We lost the game," right guard Brandon Moore said. "I mean . . . I don't know if you want me to celebrate, but we lost the game." Told the Jets still made the postseason for the second straight season, Moore replied: "Well, whoop de do."

Sanchez, who started despite a slight cartilage tear in his right shoulder, was solid, completing 24 of 37 attempts for 269 yards and a touchdown. In the first half, he completed 13 of 15 passes for 156 yards and helped the Jets score 24 points in the second quarter for a 24-17 halftime lead.

But those good vibes vanished when the Jets handed the Bears the momentum with some curious special-teams decisions that set up three TD passes by Jay Cutler in the third quarter.

The first head-scratching move came on fourth-and-3 early in the third, when the Jets attempted a fake punt that backfired worse than an old clunker.

Sanchez lined up as an upback in front of punter Steve Weatherford, took the snap and rolled right, looking to hit Brad Smith. But Smith dropped the ball, setting up the Bears at the Jets' 40 and leading to some serious second-guessing. "The defender made a pretty good play," Sanchez said. "I thought it was the right call at that time. We get that and [Mike] Westhoff is a hero. High risk, high reward."

On the next play, Cutler hit Johnny Knox streaking down the right side for a 40-yard touchdown, squaring things at 24-24.

The Jets were burned on special teams again after electing to punt to Devin Hester - the very thing Ryan said they weren't going to do. He took one back 38 yards to the Jets' 32, and three plays later, Cutler found Hester, who beat Drew Coleman for a 25-yard touchdown reception that gave Chicago a 31-24 lead.

That punt wasn't even supposed to go to Hester, leaving Weatherford less than thrilled with his performance. "No, because he had a 40-yard return on me," Weatherford said. "I'm not satisfied, but that's the mystique of playing up here. It's a tough place to kick and they have the best returner in the game."

Sanchez's 23-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes tied it at 31, but the Jets' defensive struggles on those short fields continued. Hester's 40-yard kickoff return to the Jets' 49 set up Knox's 26-yard touchdown reception over Antonio Cromartie that gave the Bears a 38-31 lead.

The Jets had first-and-10 at the Bears' 20 on their ensuing drive but had to settle for Nick Folk's 34-yard field goal, which made it 38-34 eight seconds into the fourth quarter. The Jets never got past the Bears' 35 again.

"It's kind of weird, man," Jerricho Cotchery said. "We came in here to win our way in, and obviously the loss is disappointing for us. But Washington helped us out in a major way and now we are still in. We're in, so the goal that we had coming into today, it got accomplished. Not by our doing, but by somebody else's doing. We're happy to be in the playoffs, but we realize we have some work to do."