STEELERS 101

The Pittsburgh Steelers bounced back after their season opening loss to defeat the New York Jets 27-10 in week two action.

In a game that was mired by poor officiating from the replacement officials, and some uneven moments, the Steelers offense wore down the Jets. They were clearly missing their All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis, allowing the Steelers racked up 335 yards and a 13:12 time of possession advantage while completing 8-of-15 third down conversions.

The Steelers jumped out to an early 3-0 lead behind the right arm of Roethlisberger. In all, the signal caller went 4-of-4 for 56 yards including a 36-yard connection to fullback Will Johnson. The 10-play drive was capped off by a 45-yard field goal by Shaun Suisham.

The Jets came back on their first possession to take a 7-3 lead on a 90-yard touchdown drive led by quarterback Mark Sanchez. A 14-yard touchdown pass from Sanchez to former Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes capped of the eight-play drive.

The Steelers opened the scoring in the second quarter with another 45-yard Suisham field goal, which capped off a nine-play 48-yard drive. Those three points cut the Jets lead to 7-6 early in the second quarter.

Aided by two critical Steelers penalties, the Jets moved downfield enough to extend their lead to 10-6 with roughly nine minutes remaining in the first half. Nick Folk capped the 61-yard drive with a 38-yard field goal.

At this point in the game, the demeanor on the Steelers sideline changed, and the team seemed to play with a renewed vigor. Of course, this seemed to take place on one play, where Jets leading rusher Shonn Greene left the game to an apparent head injury in the second quarter. Greene later returned, but was nowhere close to the same runner. After both teams exchanged a couple three-and-outs, the Steelers embarked on another time consuming drive, which culminated in a one-yard Heath Miller touchdown reception. The catch capped off the 11-play drive that staked the Steelers to a 13-10 lead with one minute remaining in the first half.

After stopping the Jets offense at the start of the third quarter, the Steelers got the ball moving, taking it 59-yards in five plays to extend their lead to 20-10. The touchdown came on a 37-yard hook-up between quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Mike Wallace on a third-and-long play.

That lead would hold until late in the fourth quarter, when the Steelers completed a 14-play 75-yard drive, which took 10:13 off the clock. Isaac Redman carried the ball two-yards for the touchdown, extending the lead to 27-10 with 3:34 remaining in the game. On that drive, for the first time in a few seasons, the Steelers seemed to impose their will onto the Jets, and deliver a painful knockout blow.

The Steelers again were led by their passing attack with Roethlisberger going 24-of-31 for 275 yards and two touchdowns, in the process becoming only the second quarterback in franchise history to eclipse the 27,000-yard passing mark (Terry Bradshaw). In all, Roethlisberger hit 10 different receivers, with Antonio Brown leading the way with seven grabs for 79 yards and Wallace adding five catches for 75 yards and one touchdown.

For most of the game, there was little success in the running game. However, while the stats may not say it, it was a solid effort in the trenches and in the backfield that allowed the Steelers to grind out the victory. Jonathan Dwyer again led the way with 28 yards on 12 carries and Redman finished with 25 yards on 12 carries and the one touchdown.

Defensively, the Steelers totaled two sacks (LaMarr Woodley and Cameron Heyward) and one special teams turnover. In all, they held the Jets to 219 yards (129 passing).

Tags: Antonio Brown, Ben Roethlisberger, Cameron Heyward, Football, Heath Miller, LaMarr Woodley, Mark Sanchez, Mike Wallace, New York Jets, NFL, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Steelers, Santonio Holmes, Terry Bradshaw

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