Jacksonville at New York


Jets bound for Denver after first playoff win in 12 years


Jets win the Parcells way


Divisional playoffs in pictures




Mark Brunell says the Jaguars were not able to overcome their mistakes.
 104k wav
 RealAudio


Tom Coughlin says Jacksonville hurt its chances with turnovers.
 171k wav
 RealAudio


ESPN analyst Tom Jackson says Jacksonville's performance was rare for a disciplined team.
 214k wav
 RealAudio

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars returned to their roots Sunday. They looked like an expansion team in its first season.

	Jets cornerback Otis Smith steps in front of Jimmy Smith for one of the Jets' three interceptions.

They botched so many plays, it turned the trip to the Meadowlands into a disappointing 34-24 playoff loss to the New York Jets.

Dumb mistakes, inadvertent bloopers, bad play calls, missed opportunities. There were so many errors that it brought up memories of Jacksonville's only other trip here to play the Jets -- a 27-10 loss in Week 3 of 1995, their expansion season.

The Jets advanced to play the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game. The Jaguars (12-6) closed the season feeling they were good enough to get there, but lacked the smarts and discipline when it counted most.

"We made foolish, foolish plays, foolish throws, foolish decisions," said quarterback Mark Brunell, who threw three interceptions.

It was nothing to be expected from a team that shed the expansion label quickly and was making its third consecutive appearance in the playoffs.

Among the most glaring mistakes were Brunell underthrowing a wide-open Keenan McCardell on a third-and-1, Damon Jones dropping an easy reception deep in Jets territory and Donovin Darius' decision to run an interception out of the end zone instead of taking the touchback.

And, of course, there was the symbolic play of the game: safety Chris Hudson's decision to lateral after he scooped up Curtis Martin's fumble and returned it well into Jets territory in the second quarter.

	COLD FEET
	The Jags like it hot, and they're not so great when the weather's not:
	Game temp.		Result
	26	1999 at N.Y. Jets	34-24 loss*
	44	1997 at Broncos	42-17 loss
	29	1997 at Bills	20-14 win
	36	1997 at Bengals	31-26 loss
	27	1997 at Patriots	20-6 loss

"Certainly, I don't think Chris Hudson has callous disregard for the ball," coach Tom Coughlin said. "But I think it was a very, very ill-advised thing he did, and it really ends up stinging us. You don't get many opportunities like that."

The lateral looked like a forward pass, but the officials ruled Hudson simply bobbled the ball. It looked like a botched call. So silly was the mistake, however, that Coughlin's immediate reaction was to slam his cap to the turf and go after Hudson, not referee Bob McElwee.

"I was just trying to make a play," Hudson said. "I was just trying to make something out of nothing."

The same could be said of Darius after his interception with 2:28 remaining in the game with the Jaguars trailing 31-24. He slid to make the catch in the end zone and stayed there for what seemed like a long time, with the entire field empty ahead of him.

By the time he realized it, however, the Jets offense converged. Darius ran out to the 6-inch line, where he was tackled. The Jaguars went four-and-out, and the game was essentially over.

"At first, I didn't really know where I was," Darius said. "But I would do it again. I don't regret it. If I get up and go 100 yards, everybody's talking about what a great decision it was."

Had the Jaguars won, Coughlin would have been deemed a genius for his third-and-1 call early in the third quarter. Instead of a plunge to Fred Taylor, Coughlin called for a play-action pass. Everyone on the Jets defense bit on the fake, but Brunell floated it to an unguarded McCardell, and safety Corwin Brown picked it off.

Seven plays later, the Jets led 24-7.

The Jaguars made their share of plays, as well. Brunell hit Jimmy Smith for a 52-yard touchdown to cut a 17-point deficit to 17-7 on the last play before halftime. Reggie Barlow had an 88-yard kickoff return that led to another score.

Taylor ran for 86 yards, and the Jaguars defense forced two key turnovers in the fourth quarter. Darius' interception came just minutes after Dave Thomas recovered a fumble that led to a Jacksonville field goal, closing the Jags to 31-24.

Those are the kinds of things that usually win in the playoffs. Unless, that is, you do even more to give the game away.