Jets coach Robert Saleh won't talk about late holding penalty

Robert Saleh called the final drive of Sunday night’s game “bizarre,” but he still won’t address the holding penalty on Sauce Gardner that negated an interception.

Saleh was asked about it and paused before saying, “I’m just going to leave that one alone until I get a chance to get clarification.”

Michael Carter II picked off Patrick Mahomes with about 4:20 left, but a late flag came in on Gardner for holding Marquez Valdes-Scantling before the pass. Kansas City kept the ball and ran out the clock in a 23-20 win.

The drive lasted 7:24.

A video went viral on social media of Jets defensive end Jermaine Johnson being held on a 25-yard run by Mahomes on third-and-23. No flag was thrown.

“It was kind of a bizarre last drive,” Saleh said. “A series of unfortunate events. A 7  ½-minute drive that was aided by non-calls, calls, it was just bizarre. I don’t know if I’ve ever been a part of a drive like that to end a football game, especially a game like that on national television.”

n  Payton’s place

There should be some extra juice to the Jets’ game Sunday in Denver.

It will be their first time facing Broncos coach Sean Payton since he ripped the Jets during training camp and called the job Nathaniel Hackett did as Denver coach last season “one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL.”

Payton was asked if he contacted Saleh and Hackett, now the Jets’ offensive coordinator, and what he thinks of how they’re playing.

“Two big questions,” Payton said. “The first one I already addressed a day later. Secondly, they’ve obviously gone through an injury at quarterback . . . Offensively last night, you saw a much better team in a big moment. They had some brutally tough calls down the stretch.

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