A red-hot Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4) team marched into MetLife Stadium on Sunday for a Week 10 date with the miserable, bumbling New York Jets (2-8), only to leave empty-handed and wondering what happened in a 20-13 loss.
New York had forced just three turnovers all season but took it away from Pittsburgh four times in an error-prone contest that the Jets dominated from the beginning. Michael Vick led the Jets on a nearly eight-minute drive that resulted in a short field goal by Nick Folk to open the scoring. Pittsburgh punted and Vick then hit T.J. Graham for a quick 67-yard strike and a 10-0 lead.
On the ensuing Steelers drive, Antonio Brown fumbled on the first play after making a short catch across the middle. Five plays and 20 yards later, Vick found rookie tight end Jace Amaro in the back of the end zone for another touchdown and a three-possession lead. Ben Roethlisberger and Pittsburgh’s offense finally began to move down the field, only for a pass to skip off the hands of Martavis Bryant for an interception near the goal-line by Jaiquawn Jarrett.
With less than a minute remaining in the first half, the Steelers drove far enough down the field without any timeouts to set up a 53-yard field goal by Shaun Suisham, his career long. Down 17-3 at halftime, Roethlisberger and the offense got the ball first and had a chance to get back to within one possession.
They did not. Roethlisberger, with plenty of time, lofted one down field well over the head of his intended receiver and Jarrett, again, picked it off. The Jets kicked a field goal later to make it 20-3 with the only points scored in the third quarter. Suisham missed a chip-shot field goal from the right hash in that quarter and, after making one early in the fourth, it was 20-6 in favor of the underdog Jets.
The missed and made field goals inside the 10-yard line in the second half netted just three points for the Steelers when they desperately needed two touchdowns playing from behind. The red zone efficiency that catapulted the Steelers QB to historic heights in the last two weeks was nonexistent in this game. Pittsburgh added an 80-yard strike to Bryant with 1:16 remaining, but could not recover the onside kick. New York ran out the clock and earned the victory, just the second of the season. It ended an eight-game losing streak and avoided what would have been a franchise record of nine straight losses.
Vick was just 10-18 for 139 yards and two touchdowns, also running for 39 yards. His numbers were not flashy, but he was efficient and avoided the kinds of mistakes that have plagued the Jets all season. Vick also became the first QB in league history to surpass 6,000 rushing yards in his career. Chris Ivory had 51 yards on 14 carries and Percy Harvin and Chris Johnson added 33 and 23, respectively. Eric Decker had three receptions for 24 yards, Harvin had three for 23 and Graham’s 67-yard highlight-reel TD grab was his only touch in the game.
For Pittsburgh, Roethlisberger was 30-43 for 343 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Bryant had 143 receiving yards on four catches, including the team’s only touchdown. Antonio Brown extended his record streak of at least five receptions for 50 yards to 26 games, catching eight for 74 yards. He had two fumbles, one on special teams and one after dropping the catch in the first half.
Le’Veon Bell had just 36 yards on 11 carries, as the Steelers were completely unable to establish a running game and had to throw often after falling behind. LeGarrette Blount had zero yards on five attempts and the team ran for 36 yards total on 17 carries.
Pittsburgh now must regroup as it heads to Nashville to play the Tennessee Titans in Week 11 on Monday Night Football. With wins by Cleveland and Baltimore this week, the Steelers are now tied with the Ravens at 6-4, a half game behind the AFC North division-leading Browns (6-3).
