FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Tom Brady wounded two Ryans with one dagger Sunday.

"It was a horrible day for the Ryan family," New York Jets coach Rex Ryan said Monday, reflecting on the New England Patriots' last-second victory over the New Orleans Saints. "It's a good thing my dad is out of coaching. It was tough."

Ryan felt bad for his brother, Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, who looked like he was going to be sick on the sideline after Brady's touchdown pass lifted the Patriots to a 30-27 win. About 250 miles away, watching on TV in New Jersey, the Jets' coach felt worse for himself and his team.

A New England loss would have set up a first-place battle Sunday between the Jets (3-3) and Patriots (5-1) at MetLife Stadium. Now the Jets, coming off a 19-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, are two games behind.

Even when they're not in the same stadium, Rex Ryan gets haunted by Brady.

"Heck, yeah, you want to see them lose, no question," Ryan said, adding that his immediate reaction was more animated than that of his brother. "You want every team in your division to lose, in particular New England."

Ryan stopped short of calling Sunday's showdown a must-win. The Old Rex would have hyped it as a playoff-type game or would have made it all about him versus Bill Belichick, but Ryan doesn't do brash anymore.

"'Must-win' might be a little much right now, even for my deal," he said, mocking his old ways. "I'm notorious for throwing those bad boys out."

But Ryan acknowledged it's a "huge" game. There was a definite sense of urgency in the locker room. The Jets have dropped five straight to the Patriots, and they realize a sixth consecutive loss would cripple their chances in the AFC East.