I had that EXACT same problem in my Probe GT. After the Ford "techs" telling me it was the MAF (wasn't; replaced that at the junkyard), and another trusted mechanic not being able to find the problem (but noted that fuel was flooding the engine), we took it to a third mechanic who diagnosed as being a hole in the distributor. I'm not mechanically inclined so I can't give many more details, but hope this helps a bit.
The "putting on the brakes" feeling is due to your transmission being locked with the engine. Since the engine is trying to die, it's bringing the transmission gear with it causing your car to slow down drastically.
