EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — One trip into the end zone wasn’t enough for Plaxico Burress.
Neither were two.
One touchdown catch after another, Burress had the big breakout game he and the New York Jets had been expecting.
The veteran wide receiver tied a career high by catching three TD passes, including the go-ahead score that was set up by another interception by Darrelle Revis, and the Jets stormed back in the second half to defeat the San Diego Chargers 27-21 on Sunday.
“Every morning you wake up on Sundays and you want to be great,” said Burress, who has been slow to develop a rapport with quarterback Mark Sanchez. “I had to let the game come to me. I think I’ve been forcing it.”
Leading 21-17, the Chargers appeared to be driving for a possible game-sealing score when Philip Rivers threw to Vincent Jackson and the ball tipped off the receiver’s hands and right to Revis, who returned the interception 64 yards to the Chargers’ 19.
“It was a big play,” said Revis, who thought cornerback Antonio Cromartie also got a piece of the ball.
After a few runs by Shonn Greene and a defensive holding penalty — the Chargers’ 11th penalty in the game — Sanchez found Burress on a slant for a 3-yard touchdown to give the Jets (4-3) the lead for the first time with 8:41 remaining. It was Burress’ second three-TD catch game of his career, and first since 2007 while with the Giants.
San Diego turned it over again on its next possession when the Chargers (4-2) faced a third-and-6 from their 41 and Kyle Wilson picked off a pass for the first interception of his career.
“The bottom line is we came out playing really well,” Rivers said. “We just didn’t finish off the game. If we played the second half like we played the first, it would have been a two-touchdown victory.”
