This was the New York Jets in a nutshell. Not the 2014 Jets. The 1969-2014 Jets.
They played hard and well, and it looked like they might upset the New England Patriots and maybe even try to make something of their season. But every time they did something good, they tripped over their own feet. That's in the franchise's DNA at this point.
The Jets had a great drive in the final minute when they trailed 27-25, with quarterback Geno Smith calmly getting the team in position to try a game-winning field goal. He hit receivers who chewed up yardage and got out of bounds. Nick Folk, who hadn't missed a field goal all season, had a 58-yard try for the win ... and it was blocked by defensive tackle Chris Jones. Last year, Jones was the one called for a controversial 15-yard penalty on a field-goal attempt by the Jets, which led to another attempt and a Jets overtime win.
The Jets, who haven't won a Super Bowl since the 1968 Jets and Joe Namath won Super Bowl III, find ways to torture their fans. The 27-25 loss to the Patriots on Thursday night was particularly heartbreaking. They fell to 1-6 with the loss.
[Join FanDuel's $500,000 Week 7 fantasy league: $10 to enter; top 10,102 teams paid]
Somehow, despite the Jets controlling the first half, the Patriots led 17-12 at halftime. That's because the Jets couldn't do anything in the red zone, twice getting holding penalties that led to field goals.
In the fourth quarter, the Jets got a touchdown from tight end Jeff Cumberland with 2:31 left to cut New England's lead to 27-25. They called a great play on the two-point conversion, and tight end Jace Amaro was breaking open. But the timing was terrible, Smith threw it too soon and it wasn't even close to being a completion.

And just to tease their fans, the onside kick after Cumberland's touchdown was muffed by the Patriots, but the Jets weren't there to recover. New England fell on it. The Jets ended up getting the ball back with no timeouts left after forcing a punt, and Smith had a great drive, but in the end it didn't result in a win.
This was a good performance by the Jets (and one that raises some questions about the Patriots we thought we were past), but a one-win team needs real victories, not moral ones. At 1-6, the biggest remaining questions aren't if they can get back in the playoff race, but if Smith plays well enough to give the Jets some confidence in him going forward, and if head coach Rex Ryan saves his job. If he gets fired, it won't be because of Thursday night.

The Jets fought hard. Chris Ivory has been good for the Jets all year, making Chris Johnson obsolete, and he was fantastic on Thursday night, getting 107 yards. The Jets ran the ball very well, and the Patriots can't feel great about their run defense without linebacker Jerod Mayo, who suffered a season-ending knee injury last week.
Smith was very efficient. He made some plays with his legs, and was smart with the football. He finished 20-of-34 for 226 yards and one touchdown, and no interceptions. That's big for him.
The Patriots' offense looked a bit off without tailback Stevan Ridley, out for the season with a knee injury, the Patriots passed on 24 of their first 30 plays despite leading almost that entire time. They finished with a 37-15 run-pass ratio.
The Patriots are 5-2. It wasn't the prettiest win, but it was a big one. And a gutsy one. For the Jets, it's just another disappointment in what has quickly become a lost season.