PITTSBURGH (AP) – 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. This one was a 43-yarder on the last play of regulation, and the ball looked good off his foot. Then it started curving, curving, curving and sailed wide left.

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

It seemed unfathomable, but it gave the Steelers 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 what the Jets did to the Chargers last week in the wild-card round.

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.

Though the Jets got the ball first, their own mistakes stymied them. Pittsburgh was not as error prone, driving down the field in nearly flawless fashion.

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.

After withstanding a sideline fight between coach Herman Edwards and running backs coach Bishop Harris, the Jets went into the fourth quarter with a 10-point lead. Sound familiar?

Then Barton was flagged for roughing-the-passer on a play that would have ended the game. Instead, the Chargers tied it up and sent the contest into overtime. A 40-yard field goal miss from Nate Kaeding saved the Jets once again, who then won it when Brien kicked a 28-yarder.

The Jets were not as lucky this time around.

Still, not many gave the Jets a chance this week. Then Chad Pennington missed practice Wednesday with a stomach virus. And Pro Bowl defensive end John Abraham was not healthy enough to play, missing his sixth straight game.

Things started to look bad. Very bad.

But Edwards rallied his troops as he always does. Edwards loves to play the underdog card, since he was exactly that growing up in Seaside, Calif., and then as an undrafted free agent who made a career for himself in Philadelphia.

Pennington had a better game than the last time out in Pittsburgh, when he threw three interceptions in just his second game back from a strained right rotator cuff and the Jets lost 17-6. Afterward, questions arose about whether Pennington could win a big game.

The criticism got to the normally affable Pennington, and after a three touchdown performance against Seattle, he decided not to answer questions. That set off a firestorm in New York, complete with banner headlines in the tabloids screaming, “Just Whine, Baby!”

Instead of cooling the flames, Pennington made it worse when he chided the media for reacting in such a negative manner. But Pennington and the Jets survived the three-day snit, only to go on their late-season slide. Edwards admitted Pennington was not the same because of his shoulder.

Pennington could hardly throw deep. Because of that, the offense struggled down the stretch, scoring a combined two touchdowns in their final two games. But his performance in San Diego was his best since the injury, and he seemed to gain confidence because of it.

The offense still struggled against the Steelers, and Pennington threw an interception that Pittsburgh eventually converted into a touchdown. They also failed to do anything at the most crucial part of the game, and did not bail out Brien the way they did with Barton last weekend.