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JACKSONVILLE - The only thing missing was the band ... and the extra point.
An amazing play that ended with a 75-yard Saints touchdown (see details, 1C) with no time left on the clock should have led to overtime. New Orleans was an extra point away from the extra period. The Saints never got it.
The result was a 20-19 loss to the Jaguars that dropped New Orleans out of the playoff race. It will surely go down as one of the most cruel moments in the 37-year history of the star-struck club.
"This seems to be, as far as kickers are concerned, as bad as it gets," said John Carney, who missed the extra point.
Carney, 403-for-408 on extra points over his 14-year career and 35-for-35 this season, hit a dead push, sailing the kick wide right. He stared at the ground in disbelief when it was over. Saints coach Jim Haslett squinted into the sun.
Earlier this season, Haslett said he trusted Carney so completely, he would stake his life on him. Reminded of that statement Sunday, the coach said, "Then, I'd probably be dead right now. He's one of the great all-time kickers. I never would have guessed this would happen."
After the miss, the Jaguars jumped up and down like they won the Super Bowl. All they really did, though, was improve to 5-3 at home, their first winning record at Alltel Stadium since 1999.
They also gave Mark Brunell a nice sendoff in what was almost certainly his final home game with Jacksonville.
Fresh in the Jaguars' minds was a desperation pass the Browns completed last year for a touchdown with no time left. The extra point there gave Cleveland a 21-20 win.
"I had a flashback to Cleveland last year," receiver Jimmy Smith said. "That's just another example that you have to keep playing until the clock hits zero."
That the Saints had a chance was surprising, given the domination by Jacksonville. New Orleans allowed Fred Taylor to run for a season-high 194 yards. With 34 carries for 194 yards, Taylor set the franchise records for carries (323) and rushing yards (1,451).
Taylor had a 1-yard scoring run in the second quarter to give Jacksonville a 17-10 lead. The teams exchanged field goals in the third quarter.