NFL: 25 Most Disappointing 1 Seeds In NFL Playoff History
By Nick Villano
25 Most Disappointing 1 Seeds In NFL Playoff History: 2. 2010 New England Patriots
The New York Jets are currently the laughing stock of the NFL, but just about a decade ago, they went on a run to back-to-back AFC Championship Games. Rex Ryan and Mark Sanchez seemed like a match made in heaven. They were the underdogs that won just enough to get in, and once they were in the playoffs, that’s all they needed. Wins were coming.
They proved that in 2011. They avoided the Patriots on their way to the 2010 AFC Championship Game, but Ryan wanted Bill Belichick. He got him in the Divisional Round of 2011. The Patriots were the top seed, and they looked like another run to the Super Bowl was on the horizon. The Jets lost to the Patriots 45-3 in Week 13, showing that maybe they just didn’t have the juices to do anything in the playoffs. It had a serious big brother-little brother vibe.
To be honest, the final score makes it look like it was closer than it was. In reality, the Jets knocked the Patriots on their behind at Gillette Stadium. They had a 21-11 lead with two minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Patriots kicked a field goal to make it 21-14, but they recovered an onside kick and Shonn Greene punched the ball into the endzone from 16 yards out. The Patriots scored a touchdown with just a few seconds remaining, but the Jets recovered another onside kick.
The Patriots commanded this division over the Jets for a decade, but the Jets finally got a chance at revenge when it mattered the most. Brady looked human, and it seemed like the Patriots dynasty could be over for good. Obviously, that’s not what happened, but at least the Pats were humbled in a major way by one of their biggest rivals.