DETROIT, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- Chad Pennington threw two of his career-high four touchdown passes to Wayne Chrebet Sunday to lead the New York Jets to their third straight win, a 31-14 victory over the Detroit Lions.
The Jets (5-5) missed the postseason on two previous occasions due to close losses to Detroit. In the final game of the 1997 season with both teams needing a win to reach the postseason, the Lions posted a 13-10 home victory in Bill Parcells' first year as Jets coach.
In 2000, the Jets again needed a win to make the playoffs, but lost, 10-7, to the Lions at the Meadowlands in the second-to-last week of the season.
In this one, the Lions (3-7) took a 14-13 lead when Bill Schroeder caught a seven-yard TD pass from rookie Joey Harrington with 8:11 left in the third quarter.
But Pennington directed a 12-play, 66-yard drive that led in a four-yard touchdown pass to Chrebet with 37 seconds remaining in the quarter.
Pennington completed 21-of-26 for 229 yards and improved to 4-2 since replacing Vinny Testaverde as the starter.
The Jets are tied with Buffalo in the AFC East, one game behind Miami (6-4) and one-half game behind New England (5-4).
Harrington was 15-of-30 for 171 yards, but completed just two passes in the fourth quarter.
