Jets kicker missing in action (twice)

PITTSBURGH — Two minutes, two misses. And now no more chances for the New York Jets.

Doug Brien lined up for his second shot at winning the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on the last play of regulation. The 43-yarder launched off his foot, and Brien immediately knew something was terribly wrong. He kicked the ball so hard, it started curving, curving, curving until it sailed wide left.

Just before that, Brien bounced a 47-yard try off the crossbar that would have given the Jets the late lead.

Instead, the Steelers got the perfect opportunity to steal a game they seemed destined to lose. Jeff Reed kicked a 33-yard field goal in overtime to win it 20-17 Saturday, and the Cardiac Jets trudged off the field. Heartbroken.

Kind of like what the Jets did to the Chargers last week in the wild-card round, when Brien was the hero after making a 28-yarder to win it.

"I just feel bad for the team," said Brien, his eyes tearing up while teammates dressed silently around him. "I'll be fine. I just feel bad for the guys that played so well, played so hard and came up short."

The Jets, who went into the fourth quarter with a seven-point lead, blew that when Hines Ward scored on a shovel pass from Ben Roethlisberger. Then Brien missed his field goals to give the Steelers new life and make the Jets the first NFL team to play three straight overtime games.

Brien, his sentences clipped, said he tried to hit his second attempt harder because the first one came up short. Everyone on the team, from coach Herman Edwards to Chad Pennington, thought the second kick would win it, prolonging their roller-coaster season.

"There was no doubt in my mind," receiver Santana Moss said. "It was so close I could almost taste it. I feel bad. When we lined up for the field goal, I thought it was over. But it's over now I guess."

After Brien missed his kicks, the Jets seemed to deflate. They got the ball first in overtime, but failed to get a first down after moving to their own 41. Pittsburgh pounced on the chance, driving down the field in nearly flawless fashion.

"It's disappointing," Jets guard Pete Kendall said. "It was there for us to take. If something breaks one way or the other, then we're in here under much better circumstances."

It was a valiant effort for a team everyone wrote off when the playoffs started. The Jets entered the postseason having lost three of four. Traveling to San Diego? Many penciled in a Chargers victory. It nearly was, thanks to Eric Barton.