Pennington Saves Day for Barton

As if New York Jets quarterback Chad Pennington didn’t have enough on his mind, with questions about his arm strength, doubts about his ability to win the big one and a media pack ready to devour him, Pennington willingly took on the task of redeeming one Eric Barton.

It was Barton who risked being denied access to the team plane after his bonehead roughing-the-passer penalty gave new life to the San Diego Chargers and enabled them to send this wild-card playoff game at Qualcomm Stadium into overtime.

The Jets led by seven points in the final minute, San Diego had fourth and goal from the two-yard line and quarterback Drew Brees was in trouble from a Jet pass rush up the middle. Brees threw up a high-arcing prayer as he fell backward with Barton landing on top of him. But Barton added an extra forearm whack to the helmet, and as the ball landed incomplete in the end zone, a penalty flag landed in the backfield.

Roughing the passer. First down San Diego, followed by touchdown San Diego when Brees found Antonio Gates on the next play, with 11 seconds left.

“It was the right call,” Jet Coach Herman Edwards said. “I don’t think Barton did anything on purpose. He just got up in the air and the elbow hit the guy in the head.”

Said Barton, “It was a dumb play. I’m not coached to do things like that.”

Barton spent the next few minutes on the sidelines in his own purgatory, alone, neither up by the edge of the field nor back sitting on the bench. In overtime, Barton went to Pennington and said: “I need you to get me out of this.”

Pennington replied: “I got your back.”

“I don’t fault Eric Barton,” Pennington said. “We voted him the most inspirational player on our team. Every down, every game, he plays like its his last. That’s one of those things where his aggressiveness backfired.”

Pennington knows about backfiring. His attempt to lecture the ever-more-critical New York media about how to do its job blew up in his face and turned into a national story. And it only highlighted the perception that he would crack under pressure.

He also was said to be unable to throw the deep ball anymore after coming back from a shoulder injury that forced him out for three games.

But while Peyton Manning entered the Unitas-Montana-Marino discussion this season, everyone conveniently forgot that Pennington outplayed Manning, throwing three touchdowns to none, in a 41-0 playoff victory over the Colts two years ago.

The next week he completed only 21 of 47 passes at Oakland and had two interceptions to one touchdown in a loss at Oakland.

Ironically, Barton played for the Raiders in that game and he made an interception to set up a Sebastian Janikowski field goal that put the Raiders ahead by 17 points.

So here was Barton, about to sink the Jets again, and Pennington, about to have another ‘L’ hung on him.

After Pennington couldn’t move the Jets into field goal range on his first overtime drive, he got a second chance to give Barton a reprieve. San Diego kicker Nate Kaeding missed a 40-yard field goal that would have won it.

The Jets had the ball on their 30. Pennington made low pass to an open Moss. Moss barely cradled the ball above the grass, and the play withstood a replay review for an 18-yard gain. Pennington also found McCareins for an 11-yard gain to the San Diego 34, and Lamont Jordan followed with a 19-yard run to get the Jets into Doug Brien’s range for the winning field goal in the 20-17 victory.

If the Moss pass was a little weak, Pennington looked much stronger in the first half.

Pennington threw long to Justin McCareins on the game’s first play and came back with a 16-yard completion to Santana Moss on the second play.

Pennington showed a nice touch in tossing a short pass that tight end Anthony Brecht took in for a 13-yard touchdown. But his defining play was a 47-yard touchdown he threw, a good ol’ let-er-rip pass downfield that Moss ran past two defenders to catch in the end zone.

“I don’t suppose anybody will be talking about Pennington’s arm anymore,” Charger Coach Marty Schottenheimer said.

Said Pennington of his shoulder: “I felt good all week physically. The medical staff’s done a great job. I felt like it was time for us to take advantage of what we have.”

Pennington’s final numbers: 23 completions on 33 attempts for 279 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions and one relieved teammate.

“I can’t explain in words,” Barton said, whose face had the look of an unprepared student who just found out the test was postponed. “It was, ‘Thank God.’ We play another game.”

So does Pennington. He was more than cordial with the media this time, carefully placing the microphones in their holders as he sat down, then checking with the cameramen to make sure their white balance was adjusted. He calmly answered every question. They weren’t that tough. They seldom are when you win.

“At this position, you get criticized when you play bad and you get congratulated when you play well,” Pennington said. “It was a total team effort for us tonight.”

And complete redemption for a couple of individuals.

J.A. Adande can be reached at j.a.adande@latimes.com. To read previous columns by Adande, go to latimes.com/adande.