Disappointment All Around

The Patriots leaped for joy, the Dolphins hung their heads -- and then both waited to see if they’d make the playoffs.

Three hours later, both teams were disappointed.

The hope New England got from its amazing comeback for a 27-24 overtime win Sunday over Miami ended when the New York Jets beat the Green Bay Packers, 42-17.

That gave the Jets the AFC East title and eliminated the Super Bowl champion Patriots and the Dolphins. All were 9-7.

“We’re very disappointed,” New England Coach Bill Belichick said in a statement released by the team. “Unfortunately, it was a situation where other things had to fall into place for us to get into the playoffs.”

The Dolphins were less than two minutes from winning the AFC East, leading, 24-21. But they missed the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons after blowing a 24-13 lead in the final five minutes. That enabled Adam Vinatieri to kick a 35-yard field goal 2:03 into overtime.

“This team does not have a killer instinct,” Miami linebacker Zach Thomas said. “You can say all you want about how we should have won, but I’m sick and tired of hearing how good we are. We can’t win a big game.”

After battling each other for more than 60 minutes, the Patriots and Dolphins rooted for the same thing.

They’d both be in the playoffs with a Jets loss, one as a wild-card. Instead, Cleveland, also 9-7, got the wild-card spot.

For the fourth consecutive season, neither team that went to the previous Super Bowl will return. The Patriots beat St. Louis, 20-17, in last season’s Super Bowl on Vinatieri’s 48-yard field goal on the final play.

Sunday, his 43-yard field goal tied the score with 1:09 left in the fourth quarter before he won it.

“We might be causing lots of gray hairs out there, myself included, but it’s a lot of fun,” Vinatieri said.

His joy was short-lived.

The Patriots needed a win and a Jet loss or tie to win the division but lost their third straight game. Had they beaten the Jets a week earlier and then the Dolphins, they would have won the division.

The dramatic finish overshadowed another outstanding day by Miami’s Ricky Williams, who ran for 185 yards and two touchdowns.

He ended the season with a league-leading 1,853 yards rushing. That’s the eighth-best rushing season in NFL history, one yard more than Walter Payton had in 1977.

“Championships are rare, playoffs are rare, and you need to take advantage of the opportunities,” Williams said.

The Patriots won with a comeback reminiscent of last season’s unexpected title run by a team that was 5-11 the previous year. On Saturday, Belichick tried to motivate his players by showing them the Super Bowl trophy.

“This is ours, and his point was, ‘I’m not ready to give it away,’ ” quarterback Tom Brady said. “And when that really sinks in, I’m not ready to give it away either.”

The Patriots fell behind, 24-13, with 4:59 left in the fourth quarter when Olindo Mare made a 28-yard field goal.

Miami mistakes set up the Patriots’ next three scores.

New England made it 24-21 on Brady’s three-yard pass to Troy Brown -- helped by a pass interference call -- and a two-point conversion pass to Christian Fauria with 2:46 left.

The Patriots kicked off deep rather than try an onside kick, then forced a punt by Mark Royals, which went only 23 yards. Taking over at Miami’s 34-yard line, they moved close enough for Vinatieri’s 43-yarder.

“He’s the best kicker in the league, so if you want anybody in the league kicking, it’s him,” Belichick said.

In the Patriots’ playoff opener last season, Vinatieri kicked a 45-yard field goal on the final play of the fourth quarter, then made a 23-yarder in overtime through driving snow to beat Oakland.