The New York Jets were the surprise of the NFL Divisional Playoffs after they beat the favorites, the San Diego Chargers, 17-14 and advanced to the AFC Finals. Having scored 20 points or more in 22 straight games, San Diego couldn’t put a dent in the Jets’ defense (the top in the league), leaving Philip Rivers mystified. He ended up giving the ball to the Jets twice in the final minutes of the game. New York’s offense, however, didn’t look so good; the decisions made by quarterback Mark Sanchez were predictable and didn’t bring significant progress †at least, not until the end of the game. It was Sanchez who closed the game for the Jets after a great touchdown pass and an important run by Shonn Greene. The first quarter went without points, although Nate Keading had an opportunity to open the scoring for the Chargers with a field goal, but he failed to do so. In the second quarter, Rivers sent a 13-yard pass to Kris Wilson to put the score 7-0 in favor of the Chargers. Later, with 6 seconds left, Keading tried for a second field goal †57 yards †but the ball fell short. At halftime, the score remained at 7-0. New York broke the stalemate in the third quarter with a 46-yard field goal by Jay Feely in the team’s first offensive play in the second half, setting the score 7-3. In the third quarter, the number one defense in the league forced the Chargers to punt and intercepted two passes from Rivers using playmaking cornerback Darrelle Revis and Jim Leonhard. The Jets took advantage of the second interception, and sophomore tight end Dustin Keller scored for New York in a two-yard pass from Sanchez to put the scoreboard at 10-7 in favor of the Jets. San Diego couldn’t produce points in its next offensive and the Jets gained a 17-7 advantage after a 53-yard run to the end zone by Greene. Chargers fans were left dismayed and confused, a feeling only worsened when Keading missed his third attempt at a field goal, this time from 40 yards. The failure marked the first time in his career that Keading missed three attempts in the same game. With both defenses closed and after exchanging punts, Rivers led an attack of seven plays to advance 63 yards, ending with a 1-yard plunge touchdown with 2:14 left to play in the game, setting the score 17-14. The Chargers had a chance to close the gap even further, but they were unable to capitalize on an onside kick. The Jets took the ball and Sanchez began a series of new offensive plays. In the end, the Chargers failed to score, and the Jets won the game, 17-14. The victory brought New York a chance to play for a place in the Super Bowl for the first time since 1998. That year, the Jets defeated Denver but lost against the soon-to-be champions, the Broncos, who were led by John Elway. Now the Jets (11-7) will play the AFC title as visitors against the Indianapolis Colts, who beat the Baltimore Ravens 20-3 on Saturday.
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