Last-Grasp Effort Is a Winner

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. —  From worst to first, the New York Jets know how to make things interesting.

Among the worst teams in the NFL the last two seasons, the Jets took sole possession of the AFC East lead Sunday with a frantic 23-21 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. They won it when defensive end Rick Lyle stopped Robert Smith on a two-point conversion run with no time on the clock.

“They can’t call us losers anymore, because we are at least going to be even,” Coach Bill Parcells said of his 8-4 team, which moved ahead of Miami after the Dolphins lost at New England. “That was our best win.”

Minnesota (8-4) trailed, 23-7, before Jake Reed made his second touchdown reception of the game, a six-yarder with 11:19 to go. After John Hall missed a 42-yard field goal that would have sealed the win for the Jets, Brad Johnson directed the Vikings on a 60-yard drive, with a 33-yard pass play to Cris Carter getting the ball to the 1.

Carter actually fumbled into the end zone, but another Viking recovered, so the ball was placed at the 1. Under NFL rules, a player can’t advance the ball by recovering a teammate’s fumble in the last two minutes.

With no time left, Johnson’s touchdown pass to Andrew Glover brought Minnesota within two.

Then Lyle snuffed Smith’s run.

“I hit him and I didn’t let go,” Lyle said. “He started to slide off and I was able to get his foot. I said, ‘He’ll have to pop this foot off before I let him get in the end zone.’ I was not letting go.”

Johnson, who was 24 of 35 passing for 312 yards, defended the play call.

“I had a choice of run or pass and it is my option which way to go,” Johnson said. “I didn’t think we had to pass there. The coverage looked good. We got it off well, but they just beat us to the punch.”