J-E-T-S! Jets, Jets, Jets!
That was the chant that rang out through Hoboken Sunday night as hometown faves the New York Jets crushed the New England Patriots 28 to 21 during the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts. If the Jets beat the Pittsburgh Steelers next Sunday, Hoboken's favorite team will have secured its place in Superbowl XLV.
So, yeah, the game was kind of a big deal.
In town, there were lines outside of Texas Arizona, Black Bar Bar and Grill, 1 Republik and the Village Pourhouse. Of course plenty of people stayed home to watch the game, but where’s the fun in that?
Brian Van Hise, at the Nag’s Head Pub, said he was of course rooting for the Jets to win, “like 95 percent of the people here… except for those guys.” He motioned to two guys wearing Patriots jerseys – they stuck out like a sore thumb in the sea of green.
Hoboken residents and Pats fans Chris Maillous, 25, and Bob Peckham, 26, proudly wore their blue jerseys on Sunday afternoon. They felt at home at Nag's Head—which they had dubbed "the Pats bar"—because the bartender is also a Patriots fan.
"It's not really that rough," Maillous, who is from New Jersey, said about being a Pats fan in Hoboken. "There are a good amount of New England fans."
By that time, the score was 3-0 for the Patriots, and Chris O’Hara, who stopped by the Nag’s Head because it was close to his apartment, was shaking his head.
“If Sanchez steps it up, it’ll happen, he said. "But if not, I’m going to bed early."
Over at Louise and Jerry’s, there was a more subdued crowd, but plenty of fans glued to the television.
By this time, the Jets were up 7-3 and things we looking up.
Sean Brombi, wearing a Philadelphia Eagles jersey, said he was rooting for the Jets, only because the Patriots beat the Eagles and he still holds a grudge.
“But," Brombi said, "if they lose, I’m not going to kill myself."
Moira Fleming, from Long Island, was in Hoboken to visit friends and watch the game. She was decked out in her Jets t-shirt.
“They’re doing really well," she said, "this is a big deal, because the Patriots are the better team.” By that time, the score was 14 to 3 in favor of the Jets and the fans could start enjoying the game.
But to some fans, the game was a super serious matter of life and death.
“If the Jets lose, I’ll jump off the Bayonne Bridge,” said Joe Caletti, of Bayonne (obviously his life was spared).
A “lifelong” Jets fan, he laughed and explained, “If they play well, and still lose, I’ll still be a happy man.”
But Caletti had nothing to worry about as the Jets trounced the Patriots, and Braylon Edwards did an impressive back flip on the turf.
Outside, the “J-E-T-S! JETS JETS JETS!” chants and chest bumping where all in full swing as fans celebrated the victory – what else would you expect in a town chock-full of sports bars? It almost looked like St. Patrick's Day, with all of the green, but at least everyone was a bit more well-behaved.
The Jets go up against the Steelers next Sunday, Jan. 23, at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, PA. Hoboken will surely turn green again.
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