NEW YORK (AP) - Rex Ryan is embarrassed yet defiant after the New York Jets collapsed against the New England Patriots.

The Jets coach says Friday it's "still hard to fathom the one stretch" in which the Patriots scored three touchdowns in a 52-second span Thursday night in the second quarter of a 49-19 loss. Still, Ryan says he'll "never concede" the Jets won't ever catch their biggest rivals, calling that suggestion "ridiculous."

But at 4-7, Ryan's bunch can forget about the playoffs for now. They'll have enough trouble even getting to .500 with the way they played.

Ryan also defends his decision to keep backup quarterback Tim Tebow active despite having two broken ribs, saying he could have played - but Ryan ruled against it.

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