Bill Belichick, Matthew Slater Speak on Decision to Kick Off in OT vs. N.Y. Jets

The New England Patriots made an unusual decision to kick off in overtime during Sunday's 26-20 loss to the New York Jets, but the men who made the call stood by it afterward.    

Patriots special teams ace Matthew Slater checked with his coaches multiple times before he made the call on the coin toss, per ESPNBoston.com's Mike Reiss.

New England head coach Bill Belichick defended his team for deferring, saying, "I thought it was the best thing to do," as reported by the Record's Jeff Roberts.

It appeared as though Slater was confused as to what transpired after the coin toss at MetLife Stadium, but it turns out, per Reiss, he was debating the direction in which the Pats were kicking, not the move to kick.

New York receiver Brandon Marshall asked New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels about the situation, but still couldn't quite comprehend it, per Fox Sports' Mike Garafolo:

Hindsight is often 20/20, but ESPN's Skip Bayless was among those who were critical of how the Patriots handled the fateful coin flip:

The Jets fully capitalized on the visitors' perplexing move to let them start overtime with the ball. In only five plays, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick engineered an 80-yard drive ignited by Quincy Enunwa's 48-yard catch-and-run and capped by wide receiver Eric Decker's six-yard touchdown catch.

Although the AFC East title is locked up for the reigning Super Bowl champions, Sunday's defeat cost New England a shot at locking up a No. 1 playoff seed.

Entering Week 16 in a three-way tie in the AFC wild card at 9-5, the landmark victory over their division rival allowed the Jets to control their postseason fate. If they win on the road against the Buffalo Bills next Sunday, they're in the playoffs in head coach Todd Bowles' first year.