Philadelphia, PA (My Sportsbook) - For three-plus hours on Sunday afternoon, the New York Jets lived out their worst-case scenario.

They lost to the Baltimore Ravens, 20-17 in overtime, blowing a 14-0 lead at home to drop their third game in four outings.

In his first start as a Jet, quarterback Quincy Carter left quite a few doubters about his ability to lead the team in the absence of the injured Chad Pennington. After a strong first half, Carter (13-22 passing, 175 yards) struggled to get the offense moving in the second stanza, and made a critical mental mistake in the final moments of regulation. Facing third-and-goal from the 3-yard line with eight seconds remaining and the score 17-14 in favor of Baltimore, Carter's deliberate pace in the huddle forced the team to use their final timeout. Instead of going for the game-winning touchdown, the Jets were resigned to trying a field goal.

The fans booed as Doug Brien's 20-yard game-tying trifecta split the uprights. But that wasn't all they had to lament.

Immediately prior to that moment, head coach Herman Edwards, often under fire in New York for his decision-making in crucial situations, presided over some positively head-scratching clock management. After Carter had run for a first down to the 4-yard line with just under 50 seconds remaining, Edwards watched as more than 30 precious seconds elapsed. By the time the next play, a LaMont Jordan 1-yard-run, was over, there were just 14 ticks left on the clock.

Hey Herm, not sure if you knew this, but (cue up 2002 press conference rant): "You play to win the game! Hello?"

And as if there weren't enough goats wearing green and white on Sunday, embattled Jets offensive coordinator Paul Hackett hung onto his title as the most generally disliked person in the Meadowlands on Jets' home Sundays. Hackett, normally picked on by call-in show enthusiasts for being too conservative, appeared a little out of his depth in calling a halfback pass for Jordan late in the first half, with his team ahead by two touchdowns. Jordan's pass was intercepted by Baltimore safety Ed Reed, who promptly returned it 78 yards to set up a game-altering touchdown (an apparent 105-yard touchdown return was called back due to a holding penalty). At the time of Hackett's call, Carter was a perfect seven for seven in completions.

Predictably, everyone in the Jets organization short of the assistant director for community affairs took responsibility for the defeat after the game. In reality, the following four people should take multiple rides on the blame wagon for the next seven days, in this order: Edwards, Hackett, Carter, Jordan. And while every accredited media member in the New York metropolitan area see-saws between bad-mouthing each of the two Giants Stadium tenants, the Jets will try to figure out where they go from here.

That 5-0 start is a distant memory, and any realistic hope of catching the 8-1 Patriots in the AFC East has been quashed. That means it is time for Edwards' clan to think wild card, and there are several reasons to doubt the Jets' ability to claim one of those two highly-coveted berths.

In addition to the similarly 6-3 Ravens, who would win a tie-breaker based on Sunday's result, the Jets would have to finish better than the loser in the Broncos/Chargers and Colts/Jaguars races. While embarking on the quest, the club must play difficult contests against the Rams, Steelers, Seahawks and Patriots.

Fortunately, winnable games against the Browns, Cardinals, and Texans are up next, but with Pennington not certain to return during that stretch, none of the three will resemble gimmes.

Which means the torture that was absorbed by the Jets and their supporters on Sunday afternoon might just be beginning.

A grab bag of news and notes from Week 10 of the NFL season:

THE AMAZING RACE The heat was turned up on a pair of NFC division races on Sunday, as the Rams and Packers both grabbed a share of the lead with key victories.

St. Louis (5-4) downed Seattle, 23-12, pulling itself back into a first-place tie and earning an all-important two-game sweep over the Seahawks. Marc Bulger completed 23 of 34 passes for 262 yards in the win, and running back Marshall Faulk amassed 139 rushing yards on just 18 carries. In other NFC West news, Arizona (4-5) moved to within striking distance of the top of the division with a 17-14 win over the Giants.

Green Bay (5-4), meanwhile, held off Minnesota by a 34-31 count, with a 33- yard Ryan Longwell field goal winning it at the gun. Ahman Green rushed for 145 yards on 21 totes in the Packer triumph, and Brett Favre threw for 236 yards and four touchdown passes. For the Vikings (5-4), Daunte Culpepper threw for 363 yards and four scores while rallying his club from a 31-17 fourth quarter deficit, but ultimately could not help the team avoid its third straight loss. Green Bay and Minnesota are now tied atop the NFL's tightest division, with Chicago and Detroit, both 4-5, not far behind.

ROOKIE WINS AGAIN, BUT IT'S A FIGHT Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger set an NFL rookie record by moving to 7-0 as a starter in Week 10, as the Steelers took down Cleveland, 24-10. Roethlisberger (7-16 passing, 110 yards, 1 INT) failed to put up eye-popping numbers in the victory, which was overshadowed by a disturbing incident prior to kickoff. Browns running back William Green and Steelers linebacker Joey Porter were ejected for their part in a pregame tussle, in which a Porter punch was thrown in response to Green spitting on the defender. Tensions had been high entering the game, following threatening comments made by Cleveland's Gerard Warren toward Roethlisberger earlier in the week. Warren and Roethlisberger reportedly had an amicable pregame conversation.

UNDERSTUDY SHINES Jacksonville quarterback David Garrard filled in admirably for injured starter Byron Leftwich on Sunday, competing 19 of 36 passes for 198 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 23-17 overtime victory over the Lions. Garrard, who notched his first career win as a starter, threw a 26-yard scoring strike to Jimmy Smith to win the game in the extra session. That play overshadowed an incredible Detroit comeback. Down 17-0 in the fourth quarter, Steve Mariucci's club received a field goal by Jason Hanson and two punt return touchdowns by Eddie Drummond to send the contest into overtime. Drummond, who had 257 return yards in the loss, became the 11th player in NFL history to return two punts for scores in the same game.

BEARS' SAFETY DANCE One of Week 10's most bizarre events took place in the Music City, where Chicago downed Tennessee by a 19-17 count in only the second game in NFL history to be decided on an overtime safety. Bears defensive end Alex Brown forced Titans quarterback Billy Volek to fumble in the end zone, and Adewale Ogunleye jumped on top of Tennessee tackle Fred Miller to ensure the victory. Volek (27-44 passing, 338 yards, 2 TD) had given Chicago another scoring gift in the second quarter, when his screen pass was picked off by Bears end Michael Haynes and returned for a 45-yard touchdown. Chicago's only other TD came off a 75-yard punt return for R.W. McQuarters in the third quarter. Rookie quarterback Craig Krenzel improbably moved to 3-0 as a starter despite a dismal performance (10-28 passing, 116 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT, 1 fumble), and had thrown for just 51 yards before leading the club on a 10-play, 69 yard fourth quarter drive that helped tie the game at 17 in the waning moments. The Bears were outgained, 390-176, on the day, but held Titans rusher Chris Brown to 62 yards to go with a pair of fumbles.

IND-EED There would be no Monday night hangover for Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, as Indy became just the second of nine 2004 Monday night winners to win their next game by routing Houston, 49-14. Manning completed 18 of 27 passes for 320 yards and five more touchdowns in the triumph, giving him 31 scoring strikes through nine games. The QB is now on pace to throw 55 touchdown passes, which would destroy the single-season record of 48 set by Dan Marino in 1984. In addition to the offensive fireworks, Indy received a rare dose of defense. Tony Dungy's club scored touchdowns off of both a fumble and interception return, and sacked Houston's David Carr (22-41 passing, 215 yards, 3 INT) five times on the day.

UNDERSTUDY SHINES, PART II The Chiefs were 27-20 losers to the Saints in Week 10, failing to defeat New Orleans without the injured Priest Holmes (knee), though the running back's absence can hardly be blamed for the defeat. Backup Derrick Blaylock rushed 33 times for a career-high 186 yards in the loss, tying the game briefly on a three-yard touchdown scamper in the fourth quarter. Blaylock also caught three passes for 38 yards out of the backfield. Kansas City (3-6) was done in partly by defense, as Deuce McAllister rushed for 127 yards on 16 carries and Joe Horn caught five balls for 167 yards and a touchdown. Dick Vermeil's team also took its lumps on offense, where 497 yards of total offense were overshadowed by four costly turnovers.

A CHANGE IN THE CAPITAL The Redskins' tormented fan base finally got its wish on Sunday, when struggling quarterback Mark Brunell was replaced by Patrick Ramsey in the second quarter of the team's eventual 17-10 home loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Brunell (1-8 passing, 6 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT) was benched in the second quarter with Washington down, 17-0, and Ramsey (18-37 passing, 210 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT) gave the team a spark but failed to bring it all the way back. The Tulane product led fourth-quarter scoring drives of 65 and 66 yards to pull the team within seven, and had a chance to lead Joe Gibbs' squad into overtime when he took over a drive from the 11-yard line with 1:01 to play. Ramsey could guide the team only 16 yards toward that goal before throwing a game- sealing interception into the arms of Bengals safety Kim Herring. Gibbs indicated after the contest that Ramsey will likely start in place of Brunell next week against Philadelphia.

LOOKING AHEAD If you hate bye weeks (and you should) you're in luck. The NFL's first 16-game slate since Sept. 19 is on tap next week, and there are enticing matchups aplenty. The surging Bears (vs. Colts) and Bengals (vs. Steelers) will see their seasons sink or swim in tilts against Super Bowl contenders, the Lions will travel to play the Vikings in a game with NFC North title implications, and the Chiefs will host the Patriots in a quality Monday night affair.