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Cardinals scratch 16-year playoff itch Metcalf return keys final score The Associated Press TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Arizona Cardinals are back in the playoffs for the first time in 16 years -- and they did it with yet another incredible finish. Chris Jacke kicked a 52-yard field goal as time expired Sunday to give the Cardinals a 16-13 victory over the San Diego Chargers, who had tied the game 16 seconds earlier on a fourth-down, 30-yard touchdown pass. The victory gave Arizona the final NFL playoff spot and set up a meeting with the Cowboys next Saturday in Dallas. The Cardinals last playoff game was in 1982, after a nine-game strike season, and they last made the playoffs in a nonstrike year in 1975. The Cardinals last won a playoff game in 1947, when they played in Chicago and beat the Philadelphia Eagles 28-21 for the NFL championship. But that's all history to these Cardinals. "We've got a new team out there," quarterback Jake Plummer said. "We've got a new attitude and a new ballclub that goes out and gives everything every single game. The fans have got to love it. They see how hard we fight. It's a big step for this franchise." As soon as Jacke's final kick sailed through the uprights, fans in the crowd of 71,670 swarmed the field and climbed onto the goalposts. Jacke wasn't the only Cardinals hero. Arizona safety Kwamie Lassiter tied an NFL record with four interceptions, all of Chargers quarterback Craig Whelihan. The record was last tied in 1985. "We knew we had to make a lot of plays," said Lassiter, a backup for the first 11 games this season. "We had to outplay their defense. A lot of it was being in the right place at the right time." After San Diego's tying touchdown, Eric Metcalf returned the kickoff 46 yards to the San Diego 44, and Jake Plummer had time for one pass, a 10-yard completion to Frank Sanders to the 34. The ball was snapped with three seconds left, and Jacke was soon being mobbed by his teammates as the Cardinals won yet another close game. Plummer has lead Arizona to nine victories when the team trailed or was tied in the final quarter during his two seasons with the Cardinals. Six of the Cardinals victories this season were on field goals in the final four minutes of the game. Four of them, including the win over the Chargers, were on final-play field goals in the second half of the season. The Cardinals (9-7), whose victory ended Tampa Bay's hopes for the final playoff spot, weren't able to stop San Diego most of the game -- the Chargers had 377 yards in offense. But the Chargers (5-11) stopped themselves. In addition to Whelihan's interceptions, he had one fumble, which was recovered by Arizona's Simeon Rice. That led to the second of Jacke's three field goals -- a 36-yarder with 2:57 left in the third quarter that gave the Cardinals a 13-3 lead. John Carney's second field goal with 9:46 to play reduced the Chargers' deficit to 13-6. Jacke, who missed a 45-yard attempt in the third quarter, missed again from 42 yards with 1:55 left in the game. The Cardinals had needed just inches on fourth down on the Chargers 25, but didn't dare go for it against the NFL's best defense. "A 42-yarder, I should be able to make those nine times out of 10," said Jacke, who got into just one game last year. "I missed two of them today. That's a little bit unlike me. I was just real happy to be able to get out there and do my thing." Whelihan then directed a 10-play, 68-yard drive in the final minutes to tie the game. He completed a 24-yard pass to Tremayne Stephens on fourth-and-3, and threw the 30-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Thelwell on fourth-and-20 with 16 seconds left. "Our defense has been put in some bad situations, but we gave ourselves a chance to win in the end," Whelihan said. "The Cardinals ended up making a great play." The victory gave the Cardinals their first winning season since 1984, when they were in St. Louis. Their best record in the 10 previous seasons in Arizona was 8-8 in 1994. The Chargers finished the season with a five-game losing streak, due mostly to their NFL-high 51 turnovers, which includes Whelihan's 19 interceptions. Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford,