Stunned Patriots lament their many mistakes

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - Tom Brady said losing in the divisional round of the playoffs as the top seed in the AFC felt like running on a treadmill at 10 mph "and someone just hits the stop button."

The 28-21 loss to the Jets certainly sent the Patriots flying, but as they tried to make sense of it in the immediate aftermath, many of them looked to missed opportunities that could have turned the game.

Not only were there missed tackles and dropped passes, but there also were decisions, tactics and adjustments that will be questioned in New England until the start of training camp. Ultimately, the Patriots believe that had they played better, they'd be playing again.

"We're a pretty good football team, but not when we play like we did today," Brady said. "I was disappointed in the way we performed."

"A lot of bad football," wide receiver Deion Branch added. "I think we picked the wrong time to play our worst game of football."

When the Patriots look back on their opportunities, they'll likely come back to several key ones, such as missed tackles on the 58-yard reception by Jerricho Cotchery, a drop in the end zone by Alge Crumpler, and two onside kicks that could have been recovered.

"We didn't execute the way we should have and we paid the price," said Wes Welker, who dropped a pass in the end zone late in the game.

But it undoubtedly will be calls such as the fake punt late in the second quarter that was fumbled and led to a Jets touchdown - a decision made on the field by up-back Patrick Chung - that will haunt the Patriots. Bill Belichick called it "a bad mistake" but wouldn't elaborate on whether he meant Chung's call, his fumble or both. And their lack of urgency down by 10 points in the fourth quarter, especially on a drive that lasted 7:45 but produced no points, already was being called into question.

"We just didn't do enough things we needed to do to win," Belichick said, citing everything from penalties to pass protection. "That's what happens when you don't win. You usually have too many of those types of plays."

The Patriots usually haven't. But Sunday, so very few of the things that had been working for them during the season did. Brady even threw his first interception in three months, breaking a streak of 339 passes without one. It was on a screen pass in the first quarter.

"The safest play in the playbook," Brady lamented. "That's not really the way you draw them up."