"The Jets spent much of last week addressing questions about their possible superiority in the AFC and the tantalizing prospect of an all-New York Super Bowl.

Sunday's 34-17 home loss to the Broncos took care of that.

"I'll tell you what, it's a wakeup call," said receiver Laveranues Coles, who had only two receptions Sunday - one for 4 yards, one for no gain. "Any time you get in a situation like this where you lose a ballgame, you're all hurting."

Coles cited the end of the Jets' five-game winning streak as reason for everyone to look inward.

"From top to bottom, again, the coaches are going to take a look at themselves and what they're doing. The players need to take a look at what they've been doing and the approach they've been taking into the ballgame," Coles said.

Players reported to work yesterday to view the carnage on video. It reminded several of them of the last time the Jets lost, a 16-13 overtime defeat Oct. 19 in Oakland.

"The same things that hurt us in the Oakland game hurt us yesterday," linebacker David Bowens said. "Tackling, penalties, turnovers - those little intangible things that lose a game."

Bowens said he didn't think the Jets were capable of such a performance. Not that he or his teammates had taken on an aura of infallibility, but they did think many of their most glaring early-season mistakes were in the past.

"I thought it was behind us and we went out there and from the opening drive, it seemed like we weren't clicking," Bowens said. "And defensively, they put us in some formations that we've had trouble with and we didn't adjust fast enough. Those things hurt us. But the things we got from the film today is those things are correctable."

There was one positive from the afternoon. At the same time the Jets were laying their egg in the Meadowlands, the Patriots were in the process of losing to the Steelers in Foxborough. The Jets (8-4) still have a one- game lead in the AFC East over the Patriots and Dolphins.

Of course, the Patriots' loss made some players pine for what could have been: a two-game division lead over the Patriots with four to play."