'There was no blunder!' How a coin toss shaped the Jets' last win over the Patriots

Seven years ago, the New England Patriots and New York Jets played an overtime classical that inspired tears of joyousness and a bizarre controversy. The tears dried quickly, but the contention lived on.

The Jets, kicked astir by their AFC East rival for 15 years, celebrated their 26-20 triumph implicit the reigning Super Bowl champions successful a raucous and affectional location locker room. The victory, punctuated by Eric Decker's Lambeau-style leap aft his game-winning touchdown catch, enactment the Jets connected the verge of their archetypal playoff berth since 2010.

In the moment, it was a breakthrough for the franchise and first-year manager Todd Bowles. Reflecting connected Dec. 27, 2015, cornerback Darrelle Revis said, "That was the stamp that said, 'We're present successful this AFC conference, we're not going to beryllium pushovers, we're acceptable to vie and contend.'"

Wide receiver Brandon Marshall called it "the top feeling I ever had playing ball," saying helium got choked up amid the euphoria. He wasn't alone.

"You had antiaircraft guys hugging violative guys," helium recalled. "I was hugging 1 of our linebacker coaches. He had tears successful his eyes, I had tears successful my eyes."

The large irony is they were helped by erstwhile Jets adjunct and longtime tormentor Bill Belichick (36-11 versus Jets arsenic Patriots caput coach), who made 1 of the worst tactical decisions of his illustrious coaching career. The Patriots won the coin flip to commencement overtime but elected to kick off to the Jets, who scored connected the archetypal possession to extremity it.

Belichick's strategy was truthful unconventional it sparked "Coin-toss Gate," with galore wondering to this time if skipper Matthew Slater botched his marching orders by making the incorrect telephone -- which helium emphatically denies. He inactive gets approached by fans who privation to cognize what truly happened that day.

What happened to the rivals successful the ensuing days and years is simply a substance of record. The Jets did not marque the playoffs that season; they dropped the last crippled and would suffer 70 of 97 games implicit the adjacent 5 seasons. The Patriots stumbled successful the 2015 playoffs, but would spell connected to triumph 2 much Super Bowls (LI, LIII), collecting their 5th and sixth Lombardi Trophies.

The Patriots besides reasserted their dominance implicit the Jets, taking the adjacent 13 meetings -- which is tied for the longest progressive winning streak implicit a azygous opponent.

They conscionable for the 128th clip Sunday astatine Gillette Stadium (1 p.m. ET, CBS), wherever the rejuvenated Jets (6-3), up of the Patriots (5-4) successful the standings, anticipation to extremity 7 years of misery by recapturing the magic of Dec. 27, 2015.

What was astatine involvement successful the rivalry?

The crippled was rife with storylines. It was a must-win for the Jets (9-5), a seasoned squad galvanized by backmost Ryan Fitzpatrick. They mislaid the erstwhile gathering 30-23 aft blowing a fourth-quarter pb successful Foxborough, Massachusetts. The Patriots (12-2), who needed a triumph to unafraid the apical effect successful the playoffs, saw the Jets arsenic a worthy rival.

James White, Patriots moving back: It's ever been a bully [rivalry], nary substance what the teams' records are. The bulk of times it's not high-scoring, and you cognize it's going to beryllium a carnal game, particularly successful the trenches.

Revis: For me, it was bittersweet, coming disconnected a Super Bowl triumph with the Patriots [2014 season] and going backmost to the Jets. Understanding and knowing what this rivalry means from some sides of the spectrum, you knew it would beryllium a dogfight. To triumph the AFC East, you had to spell done Tom Brady and the Patriots.

Ian Eagle, CBS play-by-play announcer: That was a truly assured Jets team. They had thing astir them that they believed they belonged. Fitzpatrick was having the champion play of his vocation and everybody followed his lead. The locker country was precise escaped and light, and that had a batch to bash with Fitz.

Marshall: If you spell backmost to the archetypal crippled [a Week 7 30-23 Patriots win], I mislaid the crippled for us. We had an accidental to spell up 2 scores and Fitz threw a beauteous [pass] and I dropped the ball. I'll ne'er hide going to the sideline and saying, 'That's the game.'

During postgame movie study, Marshall discovered helium was tipping definite routes, allowing the Patriots to set their coverage. In the rematch, the Jets countered with their ain adjustment, which allowed them to expect and bushed double-teams. Marshall caught 8 passes for 115 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a 33-yarder that gave the Jets a 17-3 lead.

Fitzpatrick: Brandon's agelong touchdown was 1 of my favorites of my career. We knew it was a touchdown connected Tuesday, watching film, and helium came through.

Marshall: It's a chess lucifer erstwhile you play them. I started watching movie and what we saw was: How they played maine determined everything. If [the cornerback] was pressing maine outside, everything was determined by what ft I had up. That's however elaborate Coach Belichick is. If I enactment my close ft up [it] determined however they played us.

White: We didn't play precise well, and we were trailing astir of the game.

Overtime coin toss

Tied 20-20 astatine the extremity of regulation, the effect of Brady uncovering White for a 9-yard touchdown astatine the two-minute informing and past a Patriots antiaircraft halt astatine midfield, the teams headed to overtime. CBS tv cameras showed Belichick gathering with peculiar teams manager Joe Judge and captains Slater, Rob Ninkovich and Jerod Mayo connected the sideline earlier sending them to midfield for the toss. Referee Clete Blakeman and Jets players Antonio Cromartie, Calvin Pryor III, Buster Skrine and Revis were besides astatine midfield. Slater called heads (which was represented connected the coin by an eagle) and the coin came up heads. That's erstwhile things took an unexpected twist -- Slater saying the Patriots would kick.

Marshall: I retrieve thinking, 'What the hellhole did the top manager of each clip conscionable do?' I was like, 'What does helium cognize that we don't know?'

White: I don't retrieve the coin flip exactly, but I cognize it had thing to bash with Slate. (laughing)

Slater: I retrieve getting blamed for that full thing! And I would conscionable similar to wide the grounds for 1 last time: As we went to the coin flip there, I had instructions from Coach what we wanted to do.

The Patriots besides chose to footwear disconnected to commencement overtime during a 2013 game against the Denver Broncos. Belichick said the upwind affected the determination then, and it worked retired that time, arsenic New England went connected to triumph 34-31.

Ninkovich: I was blessed due to the fact that I was conscionable lasting determination and didn't person to accidental anything. Initially, erstwhile we decided to bash what we did, I was like, 'What? Does that marque sense?'

Eagle: The coin is usually perfunctory successful overtime. The squad that wins takes the shot and tries to triumph the game. So the information this was truthful against the grain, that was truthful striking successful the moment.

Fitzpatrick: I felt similar the determination to footwear disconnected was a mistake by their captains. There seemed to beryllium immoderate confusion.

Slater: I was simply asking Clete erstwhile we made the determination the Jets were getting the ball, 'Don't we get to take which mode we privation to kick?' I've been known to beryllium animated with facial expressions. I deliberation folks saw my animated look and assumed that Slater had gone retired determination and made a blunder. But fto the grounds authorities that determination was nary blunder!

Eagle: It goes against each accepted wisdom, but it's Bill Belichick, truthful you person to astatine slightest respect the thought that helium has a program successful mind. The huffy idiosyncratic portion of it enters the equation.

Scott Zolak, Patriots vigor analyst: My earthy absorption was 'What the heck are we doing here?' Then you person to retrieve situational shot and however Bill Belichick is truthful antithetic than everybody else.

Slater: In overtime, the rules are either you take the extremity you privation to defend, you take to kick, oregon you take to receive. So erstwhile we chose we wanted to kick, we couldn't past spell take which mode we wanted to kick. The prime was up to them which extremity they wanted to defend. There was conscionable immoderate insignificant disorder we needed to get cleared up.

Ninkovich: Know however the referee does the coin flip and past they nonstop you? I retrieve astir not knowing what to do. I was like, 'I conjecture I'll conscionable shuffle my feet and spell with what everyone other is doing.' Just a unusual situation.

Zolak: Most teams would accidental 'Give maine the ball. Let's spell with it!' As opposed to Belichick, who is thinking, 'The conditions are truly windy.' It took maine backmost to the overtime triumph implicit the Broncos [in 2013] erstwhile [Denver's] Wes Welker was progressive with a muffed punt due to the fact that of windy conditions.

Eagle: I presume [Belichick] thought they were going to halt them connected a three-and-out and person large tract presumption and spell triumph the game. That's the lone enactment you tin deliberation of. I don't deliberation it was Jedi caput tricks.

Ninkovich: It was beauteous quick. Usually successful overtime, things tin benignant of settee themselves retired -- 1 drive, punt, different drive. This was similar 'Bang, bang, bang -- crippled over!'

Belichick (to reporters the adjacent day): I intelligibly thought that was our champion opportunity, truthful that's wherefore we did it. I didn't similar the mode it worked out, but to maine that was the close determination for our squad astatine that time.

Slater (laughing): I retrieve Coach, close aft the game, fundamentally told everyone that I did precisely what helium asked maine to do. I ever recovered it comical due to the fact that radical inquire maine astir it each the time, and I say, 'Do you deliberation Bill Belichick would nonstop maine backmost retired to the coin toss, successful a Super Bowl setting, if helium thought I couldn't spell retired determination and relay the orders [if I] messed it up against the Jets?' Hopefully that sets the grounds consecutive for some.

Marshall: We made them pay. It was phenomenal.

Revis: Seeing Eric Decker marque that [6-yard] touchdown drawback successful OT, it was amazing.

Fitzpatrick: It was a run-pass option. I felt similar helium had bully leverage and a bully matchup connected Malcolm Butler, truthful I decided to springiness him a chance. He got a large merchandise and bushed Butler with velocity to the backmost pylon for the TD. Sweet.

The aftermath

The Patriots mislaid their play finale astatine Miami, which outgo them home-field vantage successful the AFC playoffs. Instead of hosting the AFC Championship Game, they traveled to Denver and mislaid to Peyton Manning & Co. The Jets traveled to Orchard Park, New York, to look erstwhile manager Rex Ryan and the Bills. They fell down 13-0, closed the spread to 19-17 precocious successful the 3rd quarter, earlier falling 22-17.

Marshall: I was like, 'This is going to beryllium my archetypal clip successful the playoffs; present we conscionable person to spell bushed Buffalo.' Screw Rex Ryan. He should person fto america person that one.

Slater: There was a sting determination that lingered for a while. You felt similar you fto 1 get away.

Marshall: The lone portion I didn't similar astir that [Patriots] crippled was we celebrated similar we won the Super Bowl.

Slater: Obviously connected a idiosyncratic level, it didn't beryllium good with me. I felt similar I had been -- not afloat blamed, but determination were surely fingers pointed successful my direction. It was frustrating. That speaks to this rivalry. Crazy things person happened. I don't deliberation anyone would person thought we would've mislaid that game, but we did.

It marks the past clip the Patriots mislaid to the Jets -- 13 consecutive wins for New England.

Revis: Wow, I didn't cognize that stat.

Zolak: Over that stretch, the Jets person had monolithic turnover astatine backmost -- 1 guy, past the adjacent guy, the adjacent guy, the adjacent guy. I don't cognize if they've recovered the adjacent guy. The Patriots had a batch of stableness implicit that time, erstwhile that 2nd portion of the dynasty began successful 2014.

Eagle: You thin to hide astir it due to the fact that it's not similar New England has dominated the remainder of the league [in caller years], but their dominance implicit the Jets remains. It speaks to the Jets desperately seeking stability.

Fitzpatrick: The Patriots ever situation you astatine the backmost presumption -- destruct the casual throws and instrumentality distant the things that marque you comfortable. If they consciousness humor successful the water, similar the infamous 'seeing ghosts' game, they volition conscionable support attacking.

Slater: I went backmost and watched the [2015] crippled [at the time]. I talked astir it with my family. And evidently I talked astir it with Bill and everything. Those things happen. You know, it is what it is. It's 1 of those. But I definite privation we would person won the crippled and got the No. 1 effect that year.

Revis: Their dynasty, they've done astonishing things, things we whitethorn ne'er spot again successful our lifetime. My hairsbreadth stands up connected my backmost erstwhile we played these rivalry games to effort to disrupt somewhat of their legacy.

Since this game, teams that won the OT coin flip chose to person 82 retired of 83 times, going 46-31. The lone objection was erstwhile the Pittsburgh Steelers deferred against the Baltimore Ravens connected Oct. 6, 2019. They forced the Ravens to punt with a three-and-out earlier receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster mislaid a fumble connected the Steelers' 2nd play from scrimmage successful OT. The Ravens got the shot astatine the Steelers' 34 and ran 3 plays earlier kicking the game-ending tract goal.