Steelers Surge Past the Jets

Trick Play in 4th Quarter Leads to 11th Straight Win, AFC North Title: Steelers 17, Jets 6

Running back Jerome Bettis pulls the Steelers to an 11th consecutive victory with touchdowns rushing and passing to edge the Jets, 17-6. (Gene J. Puskar - AP)

PITTSBURGH, Dec. 12 -- Their charmed first-year quarterback mostly looked like a rookie instead of a 10-year veteran, something that suddenly has happened every other week lately to Ben Roethlisberger. They couldn't get their powerful running game going for most of the blustery day at Heinz Field.

But the Pittsburgh Steelers merely gritted their teeth and did what they do best. They found a way to win, riding their dominant defense and one well-timed trick play on offense to a 17-6 triumph Sunday over the New York Jets.

The Steelers (12-1) extended their winning streak to 11 games, matching the longest string in team history, and clinched the AFC North title. They kept pace with the New England Patriots in the chase for home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs and they maintained the aura of invincibility of Roethlisberger, who remained unbeaten after 11 games as an NFL starter.

"It's a first step,'' Steelers Coach Bill Cowher said of the club's eighth division title in his 13-year tenure, "and you've got to enjoy it. . . . It was a battle of wills -- who was going to flinch first? We came up with a few more big plays than they did.''

The biggest came just more than two minutes into the fourth quarter, when the Steelers took the lead for good on a 10-yard touchdown pass from tailback Jerome Bettis to tight end Jerame Tuman. The play -- called "438 Counter Pass'' -- caught the Jets (9-4) completely off guard, as Pittsburgh lined up in one of its favorite running formations on third and three. Tuman was left practically uncovered, and Bettis managed to put his lob of a throw generally on target.

"We ran it in practice and it fell about five yards short of the tight end,'' Roethlisberger said, "and he said he's not a practice player.''

Said Bettis: "It was a horrible pass in practice, then we came out Saturday and they let Duce [Staley] run it. I told [Cowher] that was not right. I made the mistake in practice of throwing a line drive. I learned from my mistake.''

The Steelers kept rolling on a day when Roethlisberger suffered through his first two-interception performance since his first NFL appearance, in the second game of the season against the Baltimore Ravens after veteran Tommy Maddox got hurt. The prized rookie completed only 9 of 19 passes for 144 yards.

Bettis, back in a reserve role for a second straight game after starting four games while Staley was sidelined by a hamstring injury, saved the day with 57 rushing yards on 10 carries after Staley managed only 51 yards on 16 carries and aggravated his injury. Bettis capped the scoring with a 12-yard touchdown run with three minutes to play after the Jets had drawn to within 10-6 on place kicker Doug Brien's second field goal of the game. Roethlisberger set up the final touchdown with his one major contribution of the day, a 46-yard completion to wide receiver Lee Mays.

Jets tailback Curtis Martin ran for 72 yards and joined Bettis in surpassing 13,000 career rushing yards. But Martin needed 24 carries to do so against the league's top-ranked defense, and the Steelers intercepted Jets quarterback Chad Pennington three times in a 17-for-31, 189-yard passing day. The Jets undermined themselves with 12 penalties, all in the first half.

"You are not going to win many games when you score six points on the road against a good team like this,'' Jets Coach Herman Edwards said.

The Steelers led 3-0 after a first half in which the Jets were undone by their penalties and Pennington's two interceptions, the first of which set up the field goal that put Pittsburgh in front. Pennington was throwing toward wide receiver Santana Moss on a first-down play from the Jets 47-yard line but put the ball directly into the hands of safety Troy Polamalu, who made the grab and weaved his way across the field for a 22-yard return. The Steelers took possession at the Jets 38, but could manage only Jeff Reed's 34-yard field goal for a 3-0 advantage.

The Jets had a 30-yard run by reserve tailback LaMont Jordan to the Steelers 20 in the second quarter wiped out by a questionable holding penalty on tight end Anthony Becht, and had a fumble recovery at the Pittsburgh 42 on the Steelers' next possession nullified by an illegal contact call on cornerback Donnie Abraham.

But the Steelers managed only 59 yards of total offense in the first half, and the Jets stayed close. They had a chance to get even or move ahead late in the first half, moving from their 4-yard line to the Steelers 34. Moss was called for offensive pass interference, however, and Pennington threw into tight coverage and had a pass intercepted by linebacker James Farrior.

The Jets fared better with another long drive in the third quarter, again starting at their 4. Pennington connected with wideout Justin McCareins on a long sideline pass for a 43-yard gain to set up Brien's 43-yard field goal.

The Steelers had their next drive ended when Roethlisberger threw a tipped-ball interception to safety Reggie Tongue. But they regained the lead on their following possession. Bettis began to soften up the Jets defense with some battering-ram runs, then took a handoff from Roethlisberger and appeared ready to slam his way off tackle again. But he pulled up as Tuman maneuvered past Tongue, and Bettis ended up with his third touchdown in his six career passing attempts.

"We've been in a lot of close games,'' Cowher said, "and no one is flinching.''