NFL

Jets’ Feely not phased by opponents’ kicking struggles

In what has become a part of this magical ride the Jets have been taking en route to Sunday’s AFC title game, several of their moments sprinkled with stardust have come in the form of five missed field goals by two opposing kickers who happen to be among the most accurate in the NFL.

The Jets were beneficiaries of two inexplicable Shayne Graham missed field goals in their wild-card win over the Bengals in Cincinnati. Then Chargers kicker Nate Kaeding, who’d made 32 of 35 attempts this season, was 0-for-3 in Sunday’s divisional playoff game.

Needless to say, Jets kicker Jay Feely has taken notice.

“I don’t have an answer for why guys have struggled,” Feely said yesterday. “Obviously the pressure builds, and if you allow yourself to think about the implications of what you’re doing, that can have a negative impact on your performance.”

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Feely, who could be a major factor for the Jets in a close game against the Colts on Sunday, is well aware of implications. He’s had plenty of his own.

In a 24-21 overtime loss in Seattle as a Giant, Feely missed three potential game-winning field goals — one at the end of regulation and two in overtime — and was ridiculed the following week in a “Saturday Night Live” skit.

“That game I went through in ’05 with the Giants made me a much better kicker, because it eliminated a little bit of the fear of failure,” Feely said. “I went through the worst moment I could go through, ended up being lampooned on Saturday Night Live and it didn’t break me.”

Feely made it a point to console Kaeding after Sunday’s game.

“I told [Kaeding], ‘You had a great year and it’ll make you stronger.’ ”

Feely, who never has played in a Super Bowl, craves the chance to kick the Jets into the big game this week.

“I’d love that,” he said. “You watch Adam Vinatieri and the (game-winning) situations he’s been in and you wish you could be in that situation, you wish for that moment. That’s something I’ve always looked forward to, that moment.”