Missed opportunity haunts Skrine

Buster Skrine had an interception and a fumble recovery, but the turnover he nearly had will be what people remember from Sunday’s Jets-Patriots game.

Skrine dropped a sure interception in the second quarter on a pass from Tom Brady, intended for Rob Gronkowski, with the Jets leading 14-0. Skrine got his hands on the ball around the Patriots 40, but could not secure it. Had he, Skrine appeared to have room to run. Even if he would not have scored, he would have set up the Jets in position to take a 21-0 lead.

“It was disappointing because we didn’t get off the field,” Skrine said. “Gronk is a bigger guy and I’m smaller, so I was going to play off of him and use zone eyes once the ball got off from Brady. I was going to beat him to the ball.”

The Patriots kept the drive going and scored a touchdown to cut the Jets’ lead to 14-7, swinging the momentum in their direction.

“There were a bunch of plays we can make or didn’t make in the course of a game,” Jets coach Todd Bowles said. “We can probably dissect every play, but we have to make more plays.”

The Jets wasted two timeouts in the third quarter when the play clock was running down. It ended up costing them as they had just one timeout left late in the game when they were trying to mount a comeback.

“We can’t botch things up and let the clock run down,” Bowles said. “We just have to make sure we’re on task at everything we do.”

It was not clear if the problem was the play not getting communicated to quarterback Josh McCown quickly enough or a problem on the field. McCown said the Jets did not know some assignments.

“We have to get better with [getting] in and out of the huddle,” McCown said. “I have to get the play called better, get in and out of the huddle and get us going. There was some confusion there when we walked to the line on what everybody’s assignment was, and so anytime you do that, you’re better off, as much as you hate burning them, you’re better off burning one than running the play and letting somebody go unblocked or something like that.”

The Jets had very little pass rush again. They did not sack Brady once and only hit him four times. Leonard Williams had one of those hits. Muhammad Wilkerson had none. Wilkerson played in the game despite not practicing all week. He has shoulder and toe injuries. He had one tackle.