Jets defeat Pats 34-31 in overtime

Jay Feely kicked the game-winning 34-yard field goal for New York.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The New York Jets stand alone atop the tight AFC East standings, barely.

Jay Feely kicked a 34-yard field goal on the first series of overtime after New England tied the game on Matt Cassel’s pass to Randy Moss with one second left in regulation and the Jets survived a Tom Brady-like comeback with a 34-31 victory Thursday night.

The win broke a tie for the division lead between the teams and gave the Jets (7-3) sole possession of first place for the first time since Nov. 19, 2001, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Patriots (6-4) have won the AFC East the last five seasons.

The Jets extended their winning streak to four with their sixth victory in seven games.

Brett Favre was 26-of-33 for 258 yards and two scoring passes, then directed a long drive capped by Thomas Jones’ 1-yard touchdown run with 3:10 left that gave the Jets a 31-24 lead.

Jones rushed for 104 yards on 30 carries.

Brad Smith, the Chaney High graduate, rushed once for 17 yards for the Jets.

The Patriots, who had already rallied from a 24-6 deficit, mounted one last drive, moving 62 yards in 64 seconds with no timeouts.

Cassel was 30-of-51 for 400 yards and three touchdowns through the end of regulation — all of them career-highs. But he never got the ball in overtime.

Cassel led New England down the field with time-wasting short passes across the middle, spiking the ball to stop the clock with eight seconds left.

Forced to scramble from the pocket, he found Moss on the right side of the end zone and the receiver fell out of bounds as he grabbed the ball, barely getting his second foot in bounds before hitting the ground. A replay review upheld the catch, and Stephen Gostkowski’s extra point tied it 31-31.

Leon Washington scored on a 92-yard kickoff return and a 7-yard touchdown pass, and Jerricho Cotchery followed an acrobatic catch with a TD reception for the Jets.

The Patriots made it 10-6 on Gostkowski’s second field goal, then Washington took the ensuing kickoff on the right side, cut through the middle of the field and around the kicker and outran the rest of the coverage team to the goal line.

The Jets went 87 yards in five plays on their next drive, with Favre hitting Cotchery three times for 79 yards. The Patriots finally found the end zone when Cassel connected with Jabar Gaffney for a 19-yard score that made it 24-13 just before halftime.