After the Jets blew out the then-undefeated Titans on Nov. 23, they were the talk of the town, with visions of a Jets-Giants Super Bowl dancing in the heads of fans and media.

Sunday's deflating 34-17 loss to the Broncos just as quickly had many of those same people questioning the validity of the team's first-place status.

"Things aren't as bad or as good as they seem, especially right after the game," linebacker David Bowens said Monday.

To coach Eric Mangini, those things looked bad. Very bad.

One of the more interesting spinoffs from Sunday's loss has been the psychological dissection of Mangini.

The coach, not nearly as emotionless and dull as he comes off in press briefings, strayed from that public persona after the game Sunday and again Monday.

An all-games-are-created-equal coach decided that, with apologies to George Orwell, maybe some games are created more equal than others. And some defeats sting a bit more, too.

When the Jets last laid a Sunday egg - Oct. 19 in Oakland - Mangini publicly laid off his team, instead complimenting the Raiders' defense and the Jets' ability to come back in the final minute to force overtime.

But Sunday's defeat, a "big" game because of the time of year, had Mangini seething.

The Jets were still 8-4 with a one-game lead in the AFC East, and Mangini could have used that glass half-full approach Sunday. He chose not to.

"I'm not really looking for a motivator or a silver lining here," Mangini said afterward.

Refreshingly, Mangini expanded on his week-to-week expectations, saying a little more than just looking for "complementary Football."

"I think that we've established a certain way to play Football around here, we've established a certain identity, and it was nothing close to that today," he said. "I don't think we played well in any of three phases, I don't think we coached very well and I think when you have that, this is what you get."

Monday, after looking at the film, Mangini's mood hadn't changed much, though the teeth were a little less clenched.

"I really don't feel much differently than I felt after the game," Mangini said.

There was even some introspection.

Mangini has previously - in public at least - stayed away from second-guessing himself.

But Monday Mangini looked inward. To a degree.

He didn't outright say "I regret that" in talking about two plays - the botched pitch from Brad Smith to Jerricho Cotchery that resulted in Denver's first touchdown and the oft-discussed fourth-and-1 call in the third quarter - but he came close.

"Those were two things," Mangini said, asked Monday what he would have done differently.

As admitting mistakes go, he came a heck of a lot closer to doing so than his organization, which recently sent invoices to season-ticket holders requesting payment for three playoff games when the most the Jets could host was two. When forced to address the blunder, a rather cold e-mail reeking of arrogance and disavowal of responsibility followed, opening with, "It has come to our attention that there is some confusion with this year's Playoff invoices." As if the Jets had nothing to do with said confusion.

There was little to be confused about regarding Mangini on Sunday or Monday, whether he was discussing the team or individuals.

Previously when asked about Vernon Gholston, the No.6 overall pick of the draft, Mangini strained credibility by citing progress not always evident on Sundays.

On Monday Mangini said Gholston had "a significant shot" in terms of playing time against the Broncos.

How did you evaluate his performance during that "significant shot," Mangini was asked.

"I think that he needs to continue to improve," Mangini said tersely.

So, too, do a variety of things with the Jets, starting with their pass defense. The secondary probably won't get the kind of test it did - and failed - last Sunday against Jay Cutler in 49ers quarterback Shaun Hill. But when the playoffs roll around there will be more Cutlers than Hills.

Which, more than anything probably explains, by Mangini's standards, the dressing down of his team. Late November isn't the time of year good teams take a step back. The Jets are a good team, but unquestionably they stepped backward Sunday.

"Every week you set a bar for preparation, you should meet or exceed that bar," Mangini said.

Mangini didn't feel the Jets came anywhere close to doing that against the Broncos and had no problem letting everyone know it.

Storylines

A quick look at the top stories this week

That wild and crazy Mike Martz

The 49ers' offensive coordinator, the ringmaster of the Rams' Greatest Show on Turf earlier this decade, no doubt is excited about Sunday. While his quarterback, Shaun Hill, is no Jay Cutler, Martz likely is going to have Hill come out throwing against a Jets secondary that has struggled against the pass all season. Hill went 14-for-23 for 161 yards and a touchdown in last Sunday's victory over the Bills and he'll probably have that many attempts before halftime against the Jets.

On the rebound

The Jets were disgusted in the moments after Sunday's debacle and almost as much on Monday when they watched the film of their 34-17 loss. Many of the players' comments were similar to those made after the loss to Oakland, and maybe that's a good thing. After losing to the Raiders the Jets won five straight. In the big picture, Sunday's loss was disappointing, but not devastating. The team is still 8-4 and in first place, but a bounce-back performance Sunday is a must.

Go west!

Two of the Jets' worst performances of the season - up until Sunday, anyway - took place on the West Coast. The Jets were awful on a Monday night in San Diego on Sept. 22, a 48-29 loss, and in some ways were even worse in a 16-13 overtime loss to the Raiders on Oct. 19. The 49ers are just 4-8 but are coming off an upset victory in Buffalo. The Jets need to figure out how to win out West as they'll go cross-country one more time, Dec. 21 at Seattle, after Sunday.

Statlines

5,152

Miles traveled by the Jets in 2007 (includes a "road" game at the Giants).

14,246

Mileage for this season.

Sunday

Jets at San Francisco

4:05 p.m.

TV: Ch. 2

Radio: WEPN (1050), WABC (770), WRCN (103.9)