NEW YORK, 10 January 2005 — Doug Brien kicked a 28-yard field goal in overtime to lift the New York Jets to a 20-17 AFC wild card win over the San Diego Chargers on Saturday.
Earlier in Seattle, Marc Bulger threw two touchdown passes to lead the St. Louis Rams to a 27-20 victory over the Seahawks in an NFC wildcard clash, becoming the first team to capture a playoff game without a winning record.
In San Diego, Brien’s kick brought the curtain down on a wild game that for a while seemed neither team wanted to win.
Chargers rookie kicker Nate Kaeding had a chance to send San Diego fans home happy earlier in overtime but watched in horror as his 39 yard attempt sailed wide.
Taking over possession, Jets quarterback Chad Pennington marched his team 60 yards deep into San Diego territory turning the game over to Brien, the 11-year veteran coolly driving the ball through the uprights for the winning score.
Brien’s heroics avoided what would have been a crushing defeat for the Jets, who appeared to have the game won 17-10 after holding the Chargers in a gritty goal-line stand with just 16 seconds to play.
However, a penalty committed by Jets linebacker Eric Barton for roughing Chargers quarterback Drew Brees gave San Diego another chance.
Brees immediately took advantage of his opportunity hitting Antonio Gates with a one-yard touchdown strike to tie the score at 17-17 and send the game into overtime.
After a scoreless first quarter, San Diego got on the scoreboard as Brees hit Keenan McCardell with 26-yard strike to cap an 88-yard drive.
Before the break, the Jets would answer back, Pennington hooking up with Anthony Becht for a 13-yard touchdown.
The Jets would take the lead with 10 points in the third quarter, Brien kicking a 42 yard field goal and Pennington finding Santa Moss open down the middle and hitting him with a 47-yard TD strike. San Diego then responded with 10 points in the fourth quarter sending the contest into overtime.
After finishing the regular season at 8-8 and sneaking into the playoffs with an overtime win over the New York Jets in their final game, the Rams clinched their win over the Seahawks when Bulger hit Cam Cleeland with a 17-yard touchdown strike with two minutes remaining.
“We know we’re a good team,” Bulger said after the game.
The Rams, who won both regular season meetings with Seattle, nearly made another big mistake, allowing quarterback Matt Hasselbeck to engineer a final drive that took the Seahawks to the St Louis five-yard line.
With 27 seconds on the clock, Hasselbeck hit Bobby Engram with the what looked to be a game-tying touchdown but the ball slipped through the receiver’s fingers and the Seahawks quarterback dropped to his knees, covering his helmet with his hands while the Seattle crowd fell into a stunned silence.
It was a crushing defeat for the Seahawks who have not won a playoff game in 20 years, extending the longest playoff winless drought in NFL history. Bulger finished the day completing 18 of 32 passes for 313 yards and two touchdowns, to Torry Holt and Cleeland, who had only seven catches the entire season.
