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As the favored New England Patriots prepared to take on the New York Jets in their NFL Divisional Championship game at Gillette Stadium Sunday, customers at Modell's Sporting Goods in Attleboro raided the shelves for replica game shirts and other souvenirs.

"The day of the game we did really well in sales," assistant manager Alyse Hyde said. "A lot of people stopped in to buy, and headed right up to the stadium."

But that was before the Jets and their controversial coach Rex Ryan shocked the Patriots and scored a 28-21 victory to eliminate the home team from the playoffs.

Besides disappointing fans, the upset is also bad news to retailers like Modell's, local restaurants and sports bars for whom a Patriots playoff run means business.

Sales of NFL licensed Patriot uniform shirts and souvenirs at the Attleboro store dropped off the next day, Hyde said. After a season in which merchandisers scrambled to keep up with demand for Patriots gear ignited by new stars like running back Danny Woodhead, the rush is suddenly over. "Now those shirts will stay on the rack," Hyde said. "Fortunately, those things sell all throughout the year. But yes, it would have been nice if they'd gone on and we could have sold more."

Monty Marks, a senior buyer for Olympia Sports, said fans' frenzy to buy T shirts and other items associated with their teams usually begins in August and ends either in the Super Bowl or whenever their team is eliminated from contention.

"The dropoff is about 90 percent," said Marks, who noted retailers adjust their orders at each step throughout the playoffs so as not to get stuck with too many souvenirs.

"No, we're not going to have a lot of distressed merchandise," he said.

While the letdown from the Patriots' elimination can be felt throughout Patriots Nation, United Regional Chamber of Commerce President Jack Lank said the economic fallout will probably be limited.

"I think the biggest effect will be on stores in the area of the stadium that sell souvenirs, because many of them stocked up," he said. The impact no doubt will be felt especially by retailers and restaurants around Patriot Place, such as the Patriots Pro Shop, which stood to harvest a windfall business from a playoff game.

"Is there a drop in business? Absolutely," Patriots spokesman Stacey James said. "But it's not something that we'd be able to quantify."

Playoff success also has implications nationally because replica uniform jerseys, T shirts and other gear are distributed across the country both online and in retail shops.

Retail sales of NFL licensed merchandise topped $3 billion in the United States and Canada in 2007,  according to the Licensing Letter's Sports Licensing Report published by EPM Communications.

Among the 32 NFL franchises, the Patriots rank fifth in the quantity of team merchandise sold on NFLShop.com, the league's online retail outlet, according to the league's Joanna Hunter.

Among those most disappointed by the Patriots' abrupt exit are owners of the area's sports bars and restaurants who have come to associate Sundays with big business from patrons who stop by to enjoy a meal and watch the game.

Waxy O'Connor's, a Foxboro sports bar that offers package dining with a shuttle ride to the stadium for ticket-holding Pats fans, was jammed the night of the Jets game, manager Ryan Blaney said. With the Patriots out of the running, he said this Sunday's attendance undoubtedly will be off.

Tim McCarthy, owner of Alberto's in Norton, said the Patriots - like all Boston area sports teams - generate passion among fans who want to enjoy their favorite sports events with friends.

"It gets people excited," he said. "People want to get together and plan parties."

While the Patriots are out of the picture, McCarthy said he's sure it won't be long before disappointment over a spoiled playoff run will be replaced by excitement about the Celtics and Bruins.

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