 The team eventually recovered and won five of their final six games despite Ryan mistakenly stating the Jets had been eliminated from playoff contention following a loss to the Atlanta Falcons . The Jets defeated a previously unbeaten Indianapolis Colts — a game not without controversy following Jim Caldwell 's decision to pull Indianapolis ' starters with the Colts leading . The Colts , who had already clinched a playoff berth , had little to play for aside from a perfect record . In the final game of the season , the Jets defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 37 – 0 at Giants Stadium , the final sporting event to be held at the venue , as the defense held Cincinnati to 72 total rushing yards , and 0 total yards passing . The victory secured New York 's playoff berth as a wild card team . Under Ryan , the Jets finished the regular season ranked first overall in the NFL in rushing yards and total defense . New York defeated Cincinnati again the following week , this time at Paul Brown Stadium , in the AFC Wild Card playoff round . On January 17 , 2010 , Ryan coached the Jets in an upset over the San Diego Chargers , 17 – 14 , on their way to the AFC Championship Game . The Jets subsequently lost to the Colts 30 – 17 after leading in the first half of the game . Ryan became embroiled in controversy a few days later when he made an obscene gesture towards heckling Dolphins fans who spat on him during a Strikeforce mixed martial arts event at BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise , Florida . Ryan apologized for his action , stating that it was " stupid and inappropriate . " Ryan was fined $ 50 @,@ 000 by the Jets . 
