EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – Shortly before midnight local time, Woody Johnson climbed into the passenger row of a golf cart that was supposed to transport the New York Jets team from the locker room to the vehicle entrance at MetLife Stadium.

Six days had passed since Johnson had exercised his control as team owner to fire head coach Robert Saleh.

Even fewer days had passed since the Jets relieved offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett of his game-calling duties, a responsibility that fell to passing game coordinator Todd Downing on Monday against the Buffalo Bills.

As Johnson and Co. drove through the tunnels of MetLife Stadium, his assertion that this Jets team was the most talented he had had in 25 years seemed even more confirmed. Likewise, there were concerns about whether this talent would reach its potential.

Because even if the Jets unleashed their running game and increased their explosive passing game, the first contest of interim coach Jeff Ulbrich's tenure will fall into the same category as Saleh's last two: a loss.

The Bills improved to 4-2 atop the AFC East with a 23-20 win, while the Jets fell to 2-4 and third place in the division.

Their season wasn't over yet. But their chance of making the playoffs was 40%, according to the New York Times playoff prediction model. Your chance of winning the division: 10%.

A close game Monday night slipped away from them and took away some of their postseason viability.

“This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said after a late interception doomed the Jets' last chance to close a deficit that seemed manageable all night. “Some games you win in the NFL, others you give away.

“That was a gift.”

The Jets are probably wondering: How much more than one Week 6 game was wasted?

How quickly and by what means can they achieve this elusive victory?

A three-game losing streak hung over the heads of a locker room that was dead quiet as the players headed for the shower. Any murmuring increased and the mood slowed down afterwards.

Cornerback Sauce Gardner thought about Ulbrich's postgame message to his locker room.

“We’ve dug ourselves into a hole, and it’s only going to get better,” Gardner said. “History will be great if we get out of it.”

The Jets' offense started well but couldn't finish

The Jets' offense got off to a smoother start Monday than it has this season.

After averaging 142.2 yards per game in the first half for five weeks, the Jets totaled 225 yards in two quarters. After averaging 9.7 first-half points in five Saleh games, this Jets squad scored 17 before halftime against a Bills squad over .500.

Rodgers and Wilson seemed to be in a better rhythm than in previous weeks, and running back Breece Hall also found the lanes more easily. The offensive momentum reached its peak when Rodgers unfurled a Hail Mary at the end of the first half that traveled 61.4 air yards… and somehow ended up in the waiting end zone hands of Allen Lazard.

Rodgers completed 23 of 35 passes for 294 yards, two touchdowns and one interception on the night.

“When he throws the ball deep, you don’t know what can happen,” Hall said after a night of 113 yards on 6.3 yards per carry. “It was a crazy piece. But it doesn’t matter if you lose the game.”

The recipe for loss was relatively easy to spot, although less easy to solve.

The Jets entered the red zone four times but only scored a touchdown once. Kicker Greg Zuerlein missed two of the four field goal attempts they settled for, and Zuerlein accomplished the statistically improbable feat of hitting the left upright on consecutive attempts (technically two, one from each end zone).

And while the Jets' defense held the Bills to just three points in the second half, the 20 they allowed in the first were too much for their improved but still unfinished offense to overcome.

The Bills rushed for 149 yards, including a punishing 110 in the first half. That doesn't include the yards the Jets allowed when they couldn't contain quarterback Josh Allen, whose escape attempts allowed throws like a 42-yard heave to rookie Ray Davis that seemed to defy physics and a 12-yard touchdown for Dawson Knox.

Ultimately, the Jets had plenty of chances to rebound against a Bills team that faltered in the second half. Instead, they failed because of passes, miscommunications between Rodgers and his targets, and a barrage of penalties so disruptive that Bills and Jets fans joined together to boo the referees.

The Jets outgained the Bills 393 yards to 353, but couldn't complete as often as they needed to.

That lack of closure was likely a driving factor in the team reportedly completing a trade for Davante Adams on Tuesday morning in an effort to surround Rodgers with more playmakers.

“We were obviously very on the same page given the craziness that happened this week and obviously the change in play-caller,” Lazard said. “We really came together and united as a team and especially as an offense… I took it personally.”

“The problem was with us, especially as an offense, coming up short and not being able to produce when we needed to.” And that continued tonight.”

Aaron Rodgers isn't happy with the Jets' mistakes – or the officiating

Coaches and players alike preached responsibility, discipline and looking in the mirror.

Their optimism about getting out of the hole they dug varied from locker to locker, but ultimately each of them was able to identify areas where improvement could be made.

Rodgers led the charge, noting that his accuracy wasn't important on his last intercepted throw. He expected Lazard at the seam and Mike Williams at the red line. He threw a no-look pass to Williams' intended spot, and the receiver made an in-breaker instead.

The quarterback left no doubt as to whether his receiver was running the intended route.

Rodgers believed this was the reason the Jets lost three straight games by a margin.

“You can literally go back to any of these games and look at little details,” Rodgers said. “I also have my own criticism to express. But there are many possibilities if we all just pay attention to the little things, the details.”

Maybe Adams, knowing Rodgers after eight seasons together in Green Bay, could change that.

Rodgers also receives criticism: the officials.

The Bills accepted 11 penalties for 94 yards; the Jets: 11 for 110. Were the flags too high?

“Yeah, it seemed a little ridiculous,” the quarterback said. “Some of them seemed really bad, including the rough attack on me by the passer-by. This doesn't mean angering the passer. Might as well be playing Sarcastaball, if we want to call it that. And I thought the tackle on (Javon) Kinlaw wasn't going to be rough on the passer either.

“We had chances. We had a walk-in touchdown to Braelon (Allen) and a phantom holding call. Had a chance with G (Garrett Wilson) twice. I thought we had our chances.”

The Jets' next opportunity comes in prime time when they travel to the Pittsburgh Steelers on a short week to play Sunday Night Football.

Ulbrich expressed confidence in his team's ability to rally as well as his kicker's ability to recover six missed points.

Wilson, who caught eight of 10 passes for a season-high 107 yards and a touchdown, described the urgency after a “demoralizing” night.

“It’s as high as it’s ever been,” Wilson said. “You can’t think about it too much, but the reality is… there is no time.

“We dug ourselves into this hole. And there’s not a lot of wiggle room.”