The weather. The Jets' defense. Much of the play-calling. Some of the officiating. The entire afternoon.

Just miserable.

The Jets' five-game winning streak came to an inglorious end yesterday in a 34-17 loss to the Broncos. The game was played in a cold, steady rain at the Meadowlands, which was maybe three-quarters full at the start and nowhere near that at the end.

Talk of a Jets-Giants Super Bowl from media and fans is officially on hold, though the Jets (8-4) still hold a one-game lead in the AFC East over the Patriots and Dolphins.

"We just didn't do what we needed to do to win," said one of the few positives of the day, running back Thomas Jones, who rushed for 138 yards to give him 1,088 this season, his fourth straight season surpassing 1,000 yards. "We didn't take care of what we needed to take care of today. It's definitely frustrating."

The Broncos (7-5), embarrassed at home last week by the Raiders, scored first on a controversial play that shouldn't have counted but did. On this afternoon, however, the Jets weren't stopping the Broncos, as third-year quarterback Jay Cutler badly outplayed one of his idols, Brett Favre.

Neither wind nor sleet nor rain nor the Jets' defense could stop Cutler as the third-year quarterback out of Vanderbilt went 27-for-43 for 357 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Favre was 23-for-43 for 247 yards with no touchdowns and one interception.

The Broncos had a 484-383 advantage in total yards and got 129 yards on 22 carries from Peyton Hillis, a rookie from Arkansas who entered the game with 156 yards on 35 carries.

Of what ailed the Jets, Favre said, "I think they are the fundamentals of the game - throwing, catching, blocking, tackling, all those things."

Coach Eric Mangini, usually staid in victory or defeat, didn't morph into Tom Coughlin afterward, but his ire was clearly raised by the performance.

"I just told the team I'm really disappointed with the way that we played today," Mangini said. "I think that we've established a certain way to play Football around here, we've established a certain identity, and it was nothing close to that today. I don't think we played well in any of three phases. I don't think we coached very well and I think when you have that, this is what you get."

Mangini didn't say he saw yesterday coming, but he hinted at it. "I think it could have been better," he said of the week's preparation. "It should be better. I think each week as you move on throughout the course of the season, it should improve. Your personal preparation should improve. Your group preparation should improve. Your execution on Sunday should improve. They are all tied together."

But instead, it all unraveled.

The Broncos outscored the Jets 17-7 in a bizarre first quarter that featured a blown call by the officials, the first of many blown assignments by the Jets and a blown tackle by Broncos linebacker Jamie Winborn on Jones' 59-yard TD run, the longest of his nine-year career.

Although the Jets would get to 17-14 on yet another odd play - Jones' 29-yard scoring run in which he rolled off the back of defensive tackle Kenny Peterson - they simply could not control Cutler. He came in having been sacked only seven times this season, and the Jets didn't get him once.

"I don't like Cutler," safety Kerry Rhodes said without elaborating. "I don't want to talk about him."

Rhodes said Cutler "caught us off guard" with the number of bubble screens he threw.

"They [usually] like to throw the ball down the field vertically a lot," Rhodes said.

Cutler went 18-for-28 for 230 yards and a TD in the first half as the Broncos built a 27-14 lead. They were never really threatened in the second half, although the Jets had a couple of opportunities. The most vexing came early in the third quarter when they threw twice, on third-and-1 and fourth-and-1, from the Denver 46. Favre was sacked on fourth down after a play-action in which only Chris Baker - not the fastest of the Jets' receivers - went deep.

Cutler's 36-yard TD throw to Brandon Stokley, who had badly beaten Abram Elam, with 9:26 left in the fourth quarter made it 34-17 and finished the Jets.

Mangini, at least publicly, wasn't as angry after any of the other losses this season, even the debacle against Oakland. After that game, he praised the Raiders' defensive scheme and his team's ability to force overtime with a frantic final-minute drive.

Maybe it's because of the time of year.

"As we move forward, games are more important, not less important," Mangini said.

And therefore, there wasn't much in the way of positives.

"I'm not really looking for a motivator or a silver lining here," Mangini said. "I'm looking for good Football."

Needless to say, those who came to the Meadowlands yesterday didn't get it.

Jets vs. AFC West

1-3

Jets vs. rest of NFL

7-1