Jets End Up Overtaken by Steelers’ Passing Bus

In a game that featured two of the NFL’s best young quarterbacks, the pass that launched the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 17-6 victory over the New York Jets and their eighth division title in 13 seasons was thrown by 32-year-old running back Jerome Bettis.

His tiebreaking fourth-quarter toss to Jerame Tuman was as unlikely as it was spectacular, a moment that warmed the hearts of many of the 63,581 who endured sub-freezing temperatures Sunday at Heinz Field.

And although he also barged through the Jet defensive line for a 12-yard rushing touchdown with 3 minutes 50 seconds to play, assuring the Steelers (12-1) of their 11th consecutive victory and the AFC North championship, it was his passing that lingered in the minds of his admiring teammates.

“His quarterback rating is pretty good,” said an amused Ben Roethlisberger, who completed nine of 19 passes for 144 yards with two interceptions. “When he came out, he joked that he knows what we go through now.”

Said receiver Hines Ward: “This has always been his team, regardless of what people might say. They said, ‘He’s getting old and slow.’ That’s not true.”

Bettis was thought to be on his last legs after two consecutive seasons in which he fell short of 1,000 yards rushing. The Steelers had signed Duce Staley as a free agent last summer, and the two had split playing time much of the season, except for four games Staley sat out because of an injured hamstring.

In the first half Sunday, Bettis carried the ball only twice for nine yards against the NFL’s third-best run defense, which hadn’t given up any points in the second half of its previous three games. And the option play, named the 438 counter pass, hadn’t worked regularly in practice last week, leading Coach Bill Cowher to create Plan B.

“On Saturday they let Duce run it,” Bettis said, smiling. “I told coach, ‘That’s not right. That’s so unfair.’

“My quarterback grip is not very good. I tried to get it around the laces so I could get it up and over their safety. I made the mistake in practice of throwing a line drive.”

Bettis carried the ball four consecutive times for 21 yards on a drive that carried over from the third quarter before Cowher sent in the option. “We ran it in practice and it fell about five yards short of the tight end,” Roethlisberger said. “He said he’s not a practice player.”

Bettis proved that with a soft, 10-yard pass that arched over the head of safety Reggie Tongue and to a waiting Tuman for his third career touchdown pass. Jeff Reed’s extra point gave Pittsburgh a 10-3 lead.

“We knew they’d be thinking run,” Cowher said. “Jerome’s thrown a few of those in his career. Obviously, timing is everything with plays like that.”

The timing could not have been better for the Steelers, who had managed only five first downs in the first half, three via penalties.

The Steelers had scored first, a chance created by Troy Polamalu’s interception of a Chad Pennington pass at the Jet 40-yard line and completed with a 34-yard field goal by Reed late in the first quarter. The Jets (9-4), tripped up by frequent infractions and stalled again when linebacker James Farrior intercepted a Pennington pass at the Steeler 26, didn’t pull even until 7:09 remained in the third quarter, on a 43-yard field goal by Doug Brien.

“I’m better than what I played tonight,” Pennington said after completing 17 of 31 passes for 189 yards with three interceptions.

After Bettis’ touchdown pass, the Jets made it 10-6 on a 41-yard field goal with 6:21 left. But Bettis’ 12-yard run to the end zone ended the Jets’ comeback hopes.

“They played well, but we played bad,” said running back Curtis Martin, who carried the ball 24 times for 72 yards and had three receptions for 35 yards. He and Bettis each passed 13,000 career yards rushing Sunday, but that was little consolation. “Today, they were the better team,” Martin said.

The Steelers can afford to relax in the last three weeks of the season, but their work ethic will help them resist that temptation. Clinching the division “is the first step,” Cowher said. “This football team is very focused, and they understand that it’s a journey and we’ve got to keep grinding away.”

No one knows that better than Bettis, known as “the Bus.”

“I’d be lying if I say, ‘I love my role,’ because for my whole career I’ve been a feature back,” he said.

“I’ve grown to understand what my role is, and I’m trying to excel. I understand it, and I think it’s the best situation for this football team.”

Staley agreed: “Jerome’s a great guy, and I’m happy for all the things he’s accomplished. We have a great one-two punch, and things are only going to get better.”