After Unbelievable Play, an Extra Twisted Ending

The only thing missing was the band ... and the extra point.

The New Orleans Saints passed, lateraled, scrambled and lateraled again and again on a 75-yard touchdown play that was one of the wackiest in NFL history, then -- just as unbelievably -- John Carney missed the extra point with no time left.

The result Sunday was a 20-19 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars that dropped the Saints out of the playoff race.

“This seems to be, as far as kickers are concerned, as bad as it gets,” Carney said.

The Saints (7-8), coming off Joe Horn’s cell-phone shenanigans last week, looked as if they had a play, for a moment, to put Horn’s controversial touchdown celebration behind them.

“This is awful,” said Saint receiver Michael Lewis, who was in on the play. “I can’t explain how it feels to go from one emotion to the other.”

With six seconds left and the Saints trailing, 20-13, Aaron Brooks passed to Donte’ Stallworth, who flipped the ball to Lewis. He pitched back to Deuce McAllister, who lateraled to Jerome Pathon, who went the final 21 yards for the score.

“The only thing missing was the band,” Jaguar Coach Jack Del Rio said, recalling the ending of the famous 1982 Stanford-Cal game, a play that looked eerily similar to this.

A long video review ensued, and after referee Gerry Austin determined all the passes were legal laterals, the teams lined up for the extra point.

Routine?

Not Sunday.

Carney, 403 for 408 on extra points over his 14-year career and 35 for 35 this season, hit a push, sailing the kick wide right. He stared at the ground in disbelief when it was over. Saint Coach Jim Haslett squinted into the sun -- yes, that did happen.

Earlier this season, Haslett said he trusted Carney so completely, he would stake his life on him. Reminded of that statement Sunday, the coach said: “Then, I’d probably be dead right now. He’s one of the great all-time kickers. I never would have guessed this would happen.”

After the miss, the Jaguars (5-10) jumped up and down as if they had won the Super Bowl.

All they did was improve to 5-3 at home -- their first winning record at Alltel Stadium since 1999 -- and give Mark Brunell a nice send-off in his final home game at Jacksonville.

Carney’s push probably isn’t the most shocking miss in the nine-year history of the Jaguars. That dubious honor would probably go to Atlanta kicker Morten Andersen, who in the 1996 season missed a 30-yard field-goal attempt with four seconds left to help Jacksonville hold on to a 19-17 victory. The win sent the Jaguars into the playoffs.

More fresh in the Jaguars’ minds was a desperation pass the Cleveland Browns completed last year for a touchdown with no time left. The extra point there gave the Browns a 21-20 victory.

That the Saints had a chance in this game was surprising, given Jacksonville’s control throughout.

Horn, who had four touchdowns last week, caught only two passes for 39 yards and wasn’t on the field for the final play, because of a shoulder injury. Jacksonville’s Fred Taylor ran a season-high 194 yards. Still, when the clock hit :00, the Saints were one wacky play from tying the score.

Carney, meanwhile, was on ice for about two minutes while the review of the wacky touchdown play was conducted. Punter Mitch Berger gave him an out, saying his hold wasn’t very good. But the kicker made no excuses.

“I just came out of the kick early and pushed it,” Carney said. “I was prepared.”