Jets' Powell continues to wait for chance

Rex Ryan boasted all week about his team's improvement during the past month, explaining how he thought the Jets were a vastly better team since their loss to the Patriots.

Ryan was almost sure the Jets would prove it on a nationally televised stage, essentially taking control of the AFC East and staying on the fast track to hosting a playoff game.

Apparently, they've still got some work to do.

The Jets killed themselves with three second-half turnovers, leading directly to 17 points, and Tom Brady carved them up for three touchdowns as the Patriots won, 37-16, at MetLife Stadium.

New England turned a four-point halftime lead into a 23-9 bulge with 4:44 left in the third quarter. Plaxico Burress' 7-yard touchdown catch from Mark Sanchez with 14:55 left in the fourth brought the Jets within 23-16.

But Brady's 8-yard touchdown pass to Deion Branch with 8:04 left finished off a 13-play, 84-yard drive for a 30-16 lead, and sent plenty of fans scurrying for the exits. Nineteen seconds later, linebacker Rob Ninkovich's 12-yard pick-six gave New England a 21-point lead.

The Patriots (6-3) took over sole possession of first place in the AFC East, while the Jets (5-4) slipped into a second-place tie with the Bills.

Brady completed 26 of 39 for 329 yards and three TDs and was not intercepted. Sanchez was 20-of-38 for 306 yards, with one TD and two picks.

Trailing 13-9 early in the third, the Jets began self-destructing. Joe McKnight muffed a punt and the Patriots' Niko Koutouvides recovered at the Jets' 13.

The Jets caught a break when Rob Gronkowski's 14-yard touchdown catch was overturned because the tight end stepped out of bounds before the reception.

But Stephen Gostkowski's 27-yard field goal extended the Pats' edge to 16-9 with 9:55 left in the third, a lead that grew minutes later after another critical error by the Jets. Sanchez's pass on first-and-10 caromed off Shonn Greene's hands and Ninkovich grabbed it, returning it to the Jets' 43.

Eight plays later, Brady hooked up with Gronkowski for a 5-yard TD and a 23-9 edge.

The Jets just weren't crisp from the outset.

New England won the toss and deferred to the second half. The Jets marched to the 6 in only six plays but stalled there, leaving it up to Nick Folk. However, his 24-yard field-goal try hooked left, a maddening end to a fruitless drive.

The Patriots took a 3-0 lead on their first possession, settling for a 50-yard Gostkowski field goal to finish off a nine-play, 48-yard drive. Kyle Wilson nearly picked off Brady on third-and-15 from the Jets' 32, cutting in front of Branch's deep out, but he couldn't come up with it.

A 53-yard strike from Brady to Chad Ochocinco on New England's second drive got the ball to the Jets' 18. The Jets' defense stiffened and the Pats took a 6-0 lead on Gostkowski's 36-yarder.

The Jets finally got on the board with 4:44 left in the half, though it stemmed from the play of their defense. Jamaal Westerman came flying in on third-and-13 from New England's 5, and Brady got rid of the ball lefthanded just before the linebacker arrived. However, it was ruled intentional grounding for a safety, shaving New England's lead to 6-2.

But the Jets had another score in them in the first half. Patrick Turner's 22-yard reception set up a first-and-goal at the 10.

Sanchez called timeout before a second-and-goal with 1:24 left in the half, which Ryan didn't seem too pleased with because it kept time on the clock. Then Sanchez ran it in on third-and-goal from the 2, and the Jets grabbed a 9-6 lead. That capped a seven-play, 65-yard drive with 1:20 left in the half.

Turns out that was more than enough time for Brady to knife through the Jets' defense. The Patriots' drive was aided by yet another silly mistake on Eric Smith. The safety was flagged for a 15-yard facemask penalty that gave the Patriots the ball at the Jets' 16. Brady fired a strike to Gronkowski for an 18-yard score three plays after Smith's gaffe, pushing the Patriots back in front 13-9 with nine seconds left in the half.