FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New York Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich, who inherited the team three weeks ago after the abrupt firing of Robert Saleh, stood at the podium, eyes glazed, voice shaking at times.
He was trying to make sense of a once-promising season that appears all but lost. «I'm pissed, they're pissed,» he said of the players. «I'm hurt, they're hurt.» The Jets (2-6) dropped their fifth straight game, a demoralizing 25-22 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday at Gillette Stadium — one of the franchise's lowest points in recent memory.
Ulbrich, sharing his postgame message to the team, called it «a moment of darkness.» Three weeks ago, the Jets were playing for a share of first place in the AFC East.
Now they're tied for last with the Patriots, who, despite losing quarterback Drake Maye (concussion) in the second quarter, outscored the Jets in the second half, 18-9.