On a rollercoaster, emotional Sunday they became AFC West champions and backed into the playoffs, after their fifth loss in six weeks, when Kansas City found a way to lose at home.

The Seahawks ended the NFL's longest playoff drought in an improbable way after failing to score a touchdown against the New York Jets.

All appeared lost for the Seahawks' chances of winning the AFC West when they could muster only three field goals from Todd Peterson in a 19-9 defeat in New Jersey.

When the Seahawks-Jets game ended, the Chiefs had a 38-35 lead over the Oakland Raiders. All they had to do was hold on and they would be division champs instead of the Seahawks.

But 45 minutes after the Seahawks lost, the Seattle players watched as the Chiefs, too, lost -- giving the Seahawks their second division title in team history.

Many of the Seahawks players crowded around a TV set in the trainer's room and cheered as Joe Nedney made a 38-yard field goal for the Raiders with 45 seconds left in regulation to tie the score.

They saw Kansas City's Pete Stoyanovich miss a 44-yard field goal attempt as time expired in regulation to send the game into overtime.

Then, in a glorious finish from the Seahawks' perspective, Nedney knocked the Chiefs out of the playoffs with a 33-yard field goal to give the Raiders a 41-38 win.

"We thank our city for supporting us," Seattle defensive tackle Sam Adams said. "We almost let our fans down today, but we got another chance."

"It's really remarkable and a great feeling," Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said.

Seahawks wide receiver Mike Pritchard had given up. He wasn't watching the Raiders-Chiefs game.

"I was so disappointed and frustrated in the locker room and then, all of a sudden, you hear everybody cheering," Pritchard said.

There was more cheering when some 200 boisterous fans greeted the Seahawks when they arrived home about 9:30 p.m. on a United Airlines charter flight.

Wearing blue Seahawks jerseys, they chanted "Go Seahawks" and "We want the Hawks," saving their strongest cheers for Holmgren.

Players obviously enjoyed the show, but moved quickly through the airport to chartered buses and left.

Passing through, tight end Christian Fauria raised both arms and approached the cordoned-off fans, shaking their hands like he was running for office.

Veteran defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy, who has been a Pro Bowl selection eight times but only now will play in a playoff game, wore a big grin and went over and signed a little boy's football.

The Seahawks (9-7) will be at home against Miami (9-7) next Sunday. The game will breathe additional life into the Kingdome, which is scheduled for demolition after the season to make room for a new outdoor football stadium. The last time a playoff game was played in the dome was in 1984.

The Dolphins backed into the playoffs, too, when the Seahawks lost, giving them an AFC wild-card berth.

Like the Seahawks, who almost blew their playoff opportunity after starting out 8-2, the Dolphins have been doing poorly late in the season. Miami was 7-1 at the halfway point.

The Seahawks couldn't stop Curtis Martin of the Jets, they couldn't get into the end zone, and Ricky Watters was limited to 30 yards on nine carries while trying to play on a sprained right knee.