Rebuilding Jets Make Statement On Their Growth In Win Over the Steelers
There is something to build on here for the New York Jets, who once again surpassed expectations and pulled off a hard-fought a surprise. A 16-10 win on Sunday over the Pittsburgh Steelers showing the foundation is in place for this team to continue their rebuild and build on the momentum of the last two months.
In what amounted to a road game given the Steelers traveling fans takeover of MetLife Stadium, the Jets shut out all the noise in the stands and surrounding this team to piece together what might well be their signature performance of the year. The Jets did just enough on offense to back up a tremendous defensive effort.
With the win, the Jets improved to 6-9 and have won five of their last seven games to see a dramatic turnaround to the season. The Steelers have lost two straight games, their playoff hopes now dim with an 8-7 record.
But against a team in the playoff race, the Jets showed up in a major way. It all got started with a big opening drive that put the Jets out front early.
At 10:27 in the first quarter, on 3rd and 9, quarterback Sam Darnold put the Jets on the board first.
A 23-yard touchdown pass from Darnold to wide receiver Robby Anderson split Steelers safety Terrell Edmunds and cornerback Joe Haden. The pass, despite being thrown into double coverage, was where only Anderson could make a play on it.
From there, the offense had a difficult time against a tough Steelers pass rush that brought lots of pressure and has a tough, ball-hawking secondary. All things considered, the Jets were efficient enough to move the ball and smart enough to limit turnovers to a single fumble in the third quarter.
Kicker Sam Ficken hit all three of his field goal attempts, including a career-high 54-yard attempt in the second quarter. His field goals in the third and fourth quarter made the difference as the Jets defense shutout the Steelers in the second half.
What the game showed is that the Jets are a team that is buying into their current direction. After a winless start to the season in their first four games and a 1-7 start overall, the Jets have turned things around.
Darnold finished the game 16-of-26 for 183 yards with a touchdown. He was sacked twice and had a fumble lost. Running back Le’Veon Bell, playing the team he spent the entirety of his career with since being drafted in 2013, had 72 yards on 25 carries.
