Limping McNair runs out of magic on final drive

FOXBORO, Mass. (AP) -- Steve McNair limped off the field for the final time this season Saturday night.

Known for playing through injuries and pain, the NFL's co-MVP almost single-handedly took Tennessee downfield in the final minutes. But the man playing with a cracked bone spur in his left ankle didn't get much help from the rest of the Titans in a 17-14 playoff loss to the New England Patriots.

"I can't ask any more of Steve, what he did down the stretch and his effort today, the effort at the end to have a chance to put us in position to kick a field goal or perhaps score a touchdown," Titans coach Jeff Fisher said.

The Titans had been trying to return to the AFC championship for the third time in five seasons, and McNair nearly got them there. He had tied the game with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Derrick Mason in the third quarter on a drive in which he was a perfect 5-of-5 for 59 yards.

But he came up short of his only goal this season -- returning to the Super Bowl.

"There's no easy way to say it. Frustrated? Yes. Angry? Yes. Mad? Yes. Because you have one destination in training camp -- the Super Bowl. And when you're stopped short, it hurts," McNair said.

And as in the 2000 Super Bowl in which he took the Titans to a yard from possibly forcing overtime with the Rams, McNair nearly did it Saturday night. He completed his first three passes for 31 yards and scrambled for 12 yards, bulling his way upfield to get the Titans as close as second-and-3 from the New England 33.

His teammates had been in this situation so many times they just expected McNair to work his magic yet again.

"I thought we were going to go down and score and win the game," right guard Benji Olson said.

Tight end Frank Wycheck said: "That's Steve's time. That's where he thrives. But it just didn't work out."

McNair, who missed two of the final three games of the regular season because of the painful bone spur, aggravated his ankle yet again and limped to the sideline at the two-minute warning. Fisher said that's when the Patriots started blitzing even more.

"When he started limping, everyone was like, `C'mon Steve. Everyone knows you're OK,'" Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi said. "He gets hit and keeps coming."

NcNair limped back onto the field but couldn't move under a blitz by the Patriots and threw away the ball. Officials flagged him for intentional grounding, pushing Tennessee back to the Patriots 43.

He once again found receiver Drew Bennett on third-and-13, but Olson was called for taking down a blitzer in what the guard called a petty call. That left McNair with 3-and-23 at his own 47.

The Mississippi native found Bennett for the third time on a great catch on the left sideline, leaving the Titans with fourth-and-12 at the Patriots 42. McNair once again faced a fierce pass rush, but he tossed the ball downfield to Bennett at the 17. This time, Bennett had his hands on the ball only to bobble it, and Patriots rookie Asante Samuel dove in and kept Bennett from pulling it in as he fell to the ground.

Patriots safety Rodney Harrison saw the ball in the air with New England cornerback Tyrone Poole slipping to the ground and started praying Bennett wouldn't catch it. Samuel had a different thought.

"I was thinking, `Oh God, I better try to get over and make a play,'" Samuel said.

Bennett, an undrafted free agent out of UCLA who became a starting receiver with the Titans, stood before his locker after the game and answered repeated questions about the final play. Yes, the ball hit his hands. Yes, he outjumped the defensive back. Yes, he just dropped the ball.

"It's definitely an image that will stick with me throughout the offseason," Bennett said.

McNair went over and talked to Bennett, and the quarterback said one play wouldn't change his perception of him as one of his great receivers. Bennett said it was his fault.

"He put it right there for me, too," Bennett said.

The league's top-rated passer in the regular season, McNair finished 18-of-26 for 210 yards.