EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — For Malcolm Butler, this was a game of guilt . . . and guile.
The fourth-year cornerback out of West Alabama was charged with the cardinal error of letting Jets wide receiver Jeremy Kerley slip behind him and thus free him to snare the 31-yard Josh McCown touchdown pass that gave the Jets a two-score lead and all the early momentum by the third minute of the second quarter.
But redemption came midway through the fourth quarter of this battle of surprising AFC East co-leaders at Met Life Stadium on Sunday.
On a 4-yard passing play initially signaled as a Jets touchdown — which would have breathed new life for them after 24 straight Patriots points — Butler pounded into Jets tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins as he seemed to cross the goal line clutching the McCown toss.
The ball was smashed out of the Jet’s grasp — but was his possession retained long enough for the score to stay on the board? For the home fans to stay exultant? For the fireworks unleashed here after every home score to continue? For the initial official ruling to be upheld? For the Jets to retain any hope of perpetrating a monstrous upset of the team they’d beaten just twice in the last six seasons, a mere seven times over 31 games since 2003?
Then, drowned out by a chorus of boos, came the determination: “On review, the ruling is reversed.” The Jet had fumbled into the end zone and out of bounds. Touchback. New England ball on its 20. In effect, game over.
In effect, the Butler had done it, turned the game around.
“I had no way of knowing which way that call was going to go,” he said later, his wide smile indicating that while he was hoping for the best, he was fearing the worst.
The early misplay on the Kerley score?
“You’ve got to make those stops,” Butler said. “Bad mistake. It was bad eye control. I took my eye off the receiver. It was gambling, a bad decision, poor technique. I took a bad angle. But I put it behind me and kept playing.”
By the closing minute of the first half Butler was in familiar form, intercepting a McCown toss intended for Robby Anderson and setting the stage for a six-play, 63-yard Patriots drive, capped by Tom Brady’s 2-yard TD pass to Rob Gronkowski that set up the 14-all tie at halftime.
And then came the biggest turnaround of all.
“I reached in there [on Seferian-Jenkins] and took a chance on the ball,” said Butler. “I saw the ball juggle. I told the referee that the ball came loose as he was going over. I just busted in there and saw the ball loose as he was crossing the pylon. The ref said it was going to be reviewed and it turned out right.”
To Patriots coach Bill Belichick, it was déjá vu.
“[Butler] has a knack for that,” said Belichick. “He’s done that before. He has good ball awareness, does a good job at slapping the ball, has good strength, and has gotten the ball out before. It was a tremendous play, it saved us 7 points.”
But deep in Butler’s heart, did he really think the call would go in the Patriots’ favor? If the call had gone the Jets’ way, would he still consider it a good rule?
“Err,” he hemmed, then hawed.
Finally, Butler said, “We got the call and that’s all that matters. I don’t like playing the Jets. It’s tough, man.”