By Bob Smizik, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Peter Diana / Post-Gazette
Jets' kicker Mike Nugent is mobbed by teammates after kicking the winning field goal in overtime. (at Jets 11/12/2007)
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- With 2 minutes, 23 seconds remaining, a football game that had played out like few could possibly have expected, figured, at last, to be about to fall into a conventional pattern. The one-win New York Jets, who had battled the two-loss Steelers ferociously all afternoon at Giants Stadium, seemed down and all but out. They trailed by three and were on their 14. They were 86 yards away from a victory, more than 50 from a tie.
But time and distance were hardly the only factors raging against the Jets. Here's what truly legislated against a New York win:
The Jets were the 29th best offense in the National Football League. The Steelers were the No. 1 defense in the NFL.
It was No. 29 vs. No. 1.
The game might as well be over, right?
As is well known, wrong.
The previously superb Steelers defense caved in to the previously inept Jets offense. The result was a stellar drive by the Jets and an almost unimaginable performance by the Steelers. New York moved 76 yards in 13 plays in two minutes yesterday for a tying field goal and went from there to a 19-16 overtime victory.
There were many reasons why the Steelers lost this game, and we'll be hearing them all week, but it all came down to No. 1 vs. No. 29 and No. 1 not being able to get it done.
In his post-game news conference, coach Mike Tomlin spoke often about missed tackles.
"Quite simply, we missed tackles," Tomlin said. "We missed more tackles than I've ever seen us miss. That's the story."
Not really. This final drive wasn't about missed tackles. And it wasn't about Jets running back Thomas Jones rushing for more than 100 yards, the first time in 35 games that has happened to the Steelers. Jones carried twice for no yards while the Jets were tying the score.
Peter Diana / Post-Gazette
Jets running back Thomas Jones picks up 3 yards as linebacker James Farrior makes the stop in the 3rd quarter. (at Jets 11/18/2007)
This drive was all about the Steelers being unable to handle second-year pro Kellen Clemens. It was about Clemens shredding the No. 1 defense in the league.
Clemens completed 5 of 6 passes -- 10 yards, 12, 12, 10, 14 -- in moving the Jets to the Steelers' 5, where the drive stalled and Mike Nugent kicked the tying field goal. In between the dazzling clutch passing, Clemens sprinted 15 yards up the middle when his receivers were covered.
The Jets were so dominant on the drive that not until it stalled on the 5 did they have a third-down attempt. The Steelers, a defense that normally had the answers, had none.
It's not like this was standard stuff for Clemens, who opened the season as a backup to Chad Pennington. Before the drive, he completed 9 of 20 passes. Coming into the game, he was mediocre, at best, completing only 51 percent with a poor passer rating of 59.3.
"They just made plays when they had to," linebacker Clark Haggans said. "They just played better than us."
There will be a lot of people -- probably some of the same ones who last week, with seven games remaining, were worrying about the Steelers' postseason seeding -- ridiculing this performance. No question, the team deserves criticism.
The offensive line was the height of ineptitude. Ben Roethlisberger was sacked seven times by a defense that had nine sacks all season. Willie Parker could manage only 52 yards on 21 carries.
There was blame to go all around and Tomlin dished it out -- offense, defense, special teams, which allowed a 33-yard punt return in overtime that set up the winning 38-yard field goal.
But anyone who thought this absolutely could not happen hasn't been paying attention. Games like this are precisely why the NFL has become an American passion. It's a cliche, but it's true: On any given Sunday ...
Hines Ward, in his 10th season, has seen this happen before -- for him and against him.
"In the course of 16 weeks, you're not going to play perfect week in and week out," he said. "You're not going to play a perfect game every time. We laid an egg. We didn't play well, offensively, special teams or defensively. Everyone has to be accountable. We have to learn from it and move on. We don't have time to dwell on a bad game."
That will be left to the media and the fans.
But the upshot of it all is this: It was a loss, but not a devastating one. The Steelers still hold what amounts to a two-game lead over the second-place Cleveland Browns in the AFC North.
And, yes, they have a relatively easy schedule remaining. But based on what transpired yesterday, it will be some time before this team or its fans consider any game an easy one.
Bob Smizik can be reached at bsmizik@post-gazette.com.
First published on November 19, 2007 at 12:00 am
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