EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — It was the fourth quarter of a game they had to have against bitter division rival Miami, and the Jets were trying to overcome all their mistakes and back up all the trash talk about gaining revenge for their previous loss to the Dolphins.

Rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez chose that instant to look up in the stands, and he saw something that made him stop in his tracks.
On the day after Halloween, he spotted two fans in costume, one dressed as the hot dog Sanchez consumed on the bench a week earlier in Oakland and one dressed as Sanchez.
“It was hilarious,” Sanchez said. “I was like, ’Oh, my God.’ Then we go down and score, and we’re still in the game. It was just one of those moments during the game where you step back and look at everything and go, ’Wow, that’s pretty funny.”’
It would make a happy ending to report the Jets pulled out a win Sunday to reach the midpoint of the season and their bye week as strong AFC playoff contenders, but now they have to wonder if it’s all been a masquerade. Alas, they can hot dog, but they can’t relish where they are with a 4-4 record after a 30-25 loss to the Dolphins.
True, the Jets’ defense allowed only 104 yards and shut down the Wildcat offense that beat them up three weeks earlier in Miami. But the Jets also gave up kickoff returns of 100 and 101 yards for touchdowns to Ted Ginn Jr. and a 48-yard fumble return for a touchdown to Jason Taylor, all in the third quarter. And when it was on the defense to get a stop in the fourth quarter, the Dolphins drove 67 yards for a touchdown that gave them an 11-point lead.
“Sometimes things just don’t make sense,” Jets coach Rex Ryan said. “Statistically, this game is not going to look close.”
As rude South Carolina congressman Joe Wilson might say about this game, “Statistics lie!”
As much as Ryan has been a breath of fresh air for a franchise that has shown little aptitude for success, his bold reach so far has exceeded his grasp of where this team is at. Ryan’s defense came up with a strong game against Miami, but the longtime coordinator is responsible for the whole shooting match now.
He has to answer for why the Jets kicked to Ginn again minutes after he had gone 100 yards. “We have a lot of faith in our coverage,” Ryan said.
He has to answer for why the Jets went for a two-point conversion after they scored to pull within 24-19 with 1:35 left in the third quarter. “I don’t know,” Ryan said. “I always think we can stop them.”
It still was early. Didn’t he have faith in his offense to score another touchdown to take a 27-24 lead?
And Ryan has to answer for why his defense, which barely played in the third quarter, let Ronnie Brown run for 13 yards out of the Wildcat on third-and-2 and gave up an 11-yard run to Ricky Williams on third-and-10 later in the drive that was capped by Chad Henne’s 5-yard TD pass to Joey Haynos.
When asked why the defense wasn’t able to dig in there, Ryan bit his lip. “They sure weren’t,” he said. “I guess they outplayed us.”
Obviously, Ryan felt the opposite was true, that the Jets had outplayed the Dolphins. But no, the Jets made a bunch of mistakes. His defense now has given up winning drives in the fourth quarter twice to the Dolphins.
Ryan’s players love his tough talk and the fact that he has their backs, but this Jets team still hasn’t proved it’s ready to walk the walk.