NFL

Jets barred from victory

AFC - STEELERS 20, JETS 17 (OT): Jeff Reed's winning field goal comes after New York squanders two chances in regulation.

By JOANNE KORTH
Published January 16, 2005

PITTSBURGH - The rookie quarterback played like a rookie. The beloved running back fumbled the ball away. And the top-seeded Steelers nearly suffered another gut-wrenching home playoff loss.

Nearly.

Granted a pair of reprieves by the opposing kicker, Pittsburgh eked out a 20-17 victory against the New York Jets when Jeff Reed made a 33-yard field goal 11:04 into overtime in an AFC division game Saturday at Heinz Field.

"We feel real fortunate," running back Jerome Bettis said. "We didn't play our best game. We played poorly at times. But we found a way to win. Regardless of how it looks, we get a chance to play again next week."

Pittsburgh hosts the winner of today's Indianapolis-New England game in the AFC Championship Game at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 23. The Steelers are 1-3 in AFC title games since 1994, all at home.

The upset-minded Jets had two chances to win in regulation, but kicker Doug Brien missed field goals of 47 and 43 yards in the final two minutes. The first hit the crossbar and bounced back. The second, on the final play of regulation, hooked left.

"I just feel bad for the team," said Brien, whose 28-yarder beat the Chargers in overtime in a wild-card game a week ago. "I'll be fine, but I just feel really bad for the guys that played so hard and battled back. The bottom line is that I missed them both."

Steelers rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, whose inexperience rarely showed during a 13-0 run as a starter in the regular season, nearly gave the game away. He completed 17 of 30 for 181 yards and a touchdown, but was intercepted twice.

"It was tough," Roethlisberger said. "Obviously, I didn't play the way I wanted to. But I will learn from my mistakes and get better. I've got to play better next week. This was terrible."

The first interception was returned 86 yards for a touchdown by cornerback Reggie Tongue for a 17-10 Jets lead in the third quarter. The second came one play after Brien's first miss and seemed to hand the Jets victory, but Brien missed again.

"The field-goal kicker, I feel sorry for him," Steelers receiver Hines Ward said. "But for us it was just amazing. As a team, we believed we could find a way to pull it out and we did."

To set up Brien's attempt, the Jets threw for a first down at the Steelers 25, then turned conservative. They picked up 2 yards on consecutive running plays and had quarterback Chad Pennington take a knee for a 1-yard loss to take time off the clock.

"The opportunity was there, and it slipped away," Jets receiver Santana Moss said. "I feel like we gave them all we had and some more, but we still came up a little short."

Pittsburgh also overcame a 75-yard punt return for touchdown by Moss that tied the score at 10 in the second quarter and a fumble by normally reliable running back Jerome Bettis inside the Jets 25-yard line trailing 17-10 in the fourth quarter.

"We are going to have to play a lot better, there's no question about it," Steelers coach Bill Cowher said. "We were fortunate. We recognize that. Let me say this about our football team: We are resilient, even through everything that took place."

In overtime, the Steelers' top-ranked defense came through, forcing the Jets to punt on their opening possession. Playing their third overtime game on the road in as many weeks, the Jets seemed finally to run out of gas against a grind-it-out offense.

Pittsburgh took over at its 13 and - to the surprise of everyone clutching a gold Terrible Towel - came out throwing. Roethlisberger hit Ward for a 9-yard gain and the Steelers were rolling. Roethlisberger was 3-for-4 on the drive, all of his completions to Ward, but the punishing ground attack did the bulk of the work.

Running back Duce Staley ran six times for 28 yards as Pittsburgh ground its way into field-goal range. Reed's 33-yarder set off a wild celebration as teammates mobbed him at midfield.

"I'm still shaking," said Reed, who also made a 45-yarder. "A 20-yard field goal is not easy in that situation. As a kicker, you don't get many opportunities to shine. It's a great feeling."

The Steelers seemed well on their way to an easy victory after Bettis' 3-yard run made it 10-0 with 1:58 left in the first quarter.

But Brien made a 45-yard field goal and Moss' punt return rallied the Jets to a halftime tie at 10.

Tongue's interception return for a touchdown marked the first time the Steelers trailed at home in the second half this season.

One possession after Bettis' fumble, Roethlisberger's 4-yard shovel pass to Ward tied it at 17 with 6:00 left in the fourth quarter.

"We just played uncharacteristic," said Ward, who had a game-high 10 catches for 105 yards. "Too many turnovers, we didn't execute our game plan the way we were supposed to and we gave up a touchdown on special teams. All that has to be rectified for us to get where we want to go."

[Last modified January 16, 2005, 00:34:19]