Why Do the New York Jets Choke in AFC Championship Games?

It's almost that time again.  The start of the 2011 regular season will kick off today.  And of course with that is New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan predicting a Super Bowl win.

But can the Jets finally get over the AFC championship game hump and make it to the big game?

Why didn't they do so when they got so close the past two years, and who's to blame for falling short two years in a row?

Please read on.

New York Jets Fell Short Against the Colts

Blue and white confetti falling all over the field; all over the stands.  Fans in blue and white shirts and jerseys were celebrating as time expired.

The 2010 AFC Championship—New York Jets vs. Indianapolis Colts.

The Colts rallied back from an 11-point deficit in the first half, to win the AFC championship game, beating the New York Jets 30-17. 

The Jets were one half away from going to the Super Bowl.  The Super Bowl!  They haven't been there in a very long time, and again, the organization and their fans would have to wait another year.

What happened?  What went wrong?

The Jets built a solid 11 point lead in the first half with their trick plays, solid running game and solid game management by QB Mark Sanchez.  The Jets defense stifled Peyton Manning and the Colts offense, holding them to only six points for the majority of the first half.

Then it all fell apart for the Jets right before the half ended.  Manning came to life and picked the Jets defense apart.

Shonn Greene left the game in the second half with a rib injury, the offense was sputtering, Sanchez wasn't connecting with his receivers and was shut out for the rest of the game

The Jets weren't ready to play all four quarters.

End result:  Colts advance to the Super Bowl.

Jets One Game Away from the Super Bowl Again, Fall Short

Oh those yellow "terrible towels," spinning around like crazy; fans in black and yellow, cheering, screaming with excitement.  Celebrating.  Their Steelers would go to the Super Bowl, again.

The 2011 AFC championship game—New York Jets vs. Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Pittsburgh Steelers were able to hang on to their 24-19 lead over the New York Jets.

The Steelers were dominant with a punishing running game  and shut down defense against Jets' offense in the first half of football, going into halftime with a 24-3 lead.   

The Jets were never able to overcome that deficit.  They came close, trying to rally back, scoring 19 points in the second half, but fell short.  Again.  Only this time, it was the first half that doomed them.

The Jets offense couldn't get into a rhythm in the first half as the Steelers defense smothered them.  Sanchez made a costly error, a fumble returned for a touchdown.

The Jets defense couldn't stop Mendenhall or Roethlisberger in the first half, and couldn't make an important stop against the Steelers offense as the clock was winding down.  A stop would've given the Jets offense a chance to win the game.  A chance to make history.

Roethlisberger completion to Brown.  Game over.

Steelers advance to the Super Bowl.

Is It the Offense?

In the 2010 AFC championship, the Jets offense played well, going into the half 17-13.  They established the running game and passing game, they confused the Colts defense with trick plays.

Mark Sanchez's first half performance was good.  He threw 5-7 for 124 yards and two touchdowns, with a passer rating of 153.3.  He managed the game well, Schottenheimer was creative, making good calls.

The second half was a different story.  The Jets offense came out flat, Sanchez wasn't as accurate, completing 12-23 for 133 yards and one interception for a passer rating of 51.5. Shonn Greene left the second half with a rib injury.

The Jets were slowly unraveling on offense.

In the 2011 AFC championship against the Pittsburgh Steelers, it was the other way around.

The Jets came out flat right out the gates, only producing three points for the first half.

They couldn't get the running game or the passing game going.  The Steelers defense smothered the Jets offense.

The Jets were close to making a come back in the second half but just fell short.  The final score was 24-19.  Sanchez played well and showed improvement in the second half, throwing for 233 yards and a couple of touchdowns, but it wasn't good enough as time expired.  No last minute heroics.

Is It the Defense?

In the 2010 AFC championship, the Jets defense played great in the first half against the Colts.  confusing Manning with its schemes and play-calling.  The Jets defense held them to six points for the majority of the first half before Manning figured the defense out.

Manning then proceeded to pick the Jets defense apart slowly, which then opened up the running game.  The Colts became unstoppable and scored 30 points on the Jets No.1 ranked defense.

Manning ended the game completing 26-39 for 277 yards and three touchdowns.

The AFC championship game in 2011 against the Steelers was the same outcome.

The Jets losing 24-19.  All of Steelers 24 points came in the first half.

The Jets defense was abysmal and couldn't stop the run or pass in the first.  It seemed they forgot how to tackle.  Mendenhall ran over them and through them, as did Ben Roethlisberger.  It wasn't until the second half that the Jets defense decided to show up.  They clamped down on the Steelers offense allowing them to score 0 points.  But it was a little too late.  Roethlisberger didn't have a good game, statistically, but was able to convert key third-downs, make key throws and runs.

Can the Jets Make It Past the AFC Championship Game?

The New York Jets in both back-to-back AFC championship games, either showed up for the first half or the second half.  They failed to play complete games in both instances, on the offensive and defensive side of the ball.

Will this be the season the Jets finally reach the AFC championship for a third time in a row and play an entire game?  Will  they even make it to the AFC championship this year? The playoffs?

It'll be a tough road to get there.  The Jets have a tough schedule this season.  Third-year QB Mark Sanchez needs to step up and play the entire season as he did in the playoffs.  Shonn Greene needs to be the feature back that Rex thinks he can be.  The defense, aside from Revis, needs to play at an elite level in order to execute Ryan's complicated defensive schemes, effectively.

The Jets should play a little more football and do a little less talking.  From start to finish.