Jets blow lead in final minutes to lose 31-28 to Dolphins

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The New York Jets refused to go down quietly. After their fourth-quarter meltdown Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, there was some angry shouting in the locker room behind closed doors.

Quarterback Josh McCown said defensive tackle Muhammad Wilkerson was rallying his teammates. But it was Dolphins’ rally that will be remembered after their 31-28 comeback victory Sunday.

The Jets blew a 28-14 lead in the final 12 minutes. Hence Wilkerson’s postgame “pep talk.”

“A lot of frustration. You heard it,” McCown said. “There are a lot of emotions, and frustration is high on that list. The head of that frustration was, `Let’s rebound,’ and Mo did a good job of hammering that home.”

Regrouping will be a challenge after the Jets (3-4) lost a heartbreaker for the second week in a row. They play Atlanta at home next Sunday.

“We have to develop a killer instinct,” coach Todd Bowles said. “We had a 14-point lead; we’ve got to close the game out.”

The defeat came a week after a disputed call was the difference in a loss to the Patriots.

A hit by Jets linebacker Jordan Jenkins early in the third quarter sidelined Miami quarterback Jay Cutler with a chest injury. But backup Matt Moore threw two TD passes in the fourth quarter to tie the game, and McCown then spoiled perhaps his best performance of the year with a costly interception.