Jets and Steelers look for win that would make January easier
PITTSBURGH – This game may not define or validate a season – no, the Jets and Steelers seem long past that. The mere presence of soon-to-be 13,000-yard rushers Curtis Martin and Jerome Bettis could make Sunday a special occasion, but then the very teams themselves ensure that. Reputations won’t necessarily be made, either. Martin and Bettis were certifiable stars years ago, and quarterbacks Chad Pennington and Ben Roethlisberger may soon be in their upper-echelon class, too. Neither defense needs another sack or long shutout streak to authenticate its rigidity, neither offense must produce another 100-yard rusher to prove its longshoreman-like commitment to toughness.
What this mid-December game between two similar, championship-potential teams may decide is which has the strength and resilience to still be playing in early February.
The Jets, whose 9-3 record has been matched by only three teams in franchise history, begin a difficult four-game closing stretch that could propel them into the playoffs on a remarkable roll – or, conversely, leave them too depleted to play beyond early next month.
Coach Herm Edwards’ team owns a two-game lead in the AFC wild-card race that it wants to maintain to gain more favorable matchups in the playoffs. But it won’t be easy, not with the Seahawks (6-6), Patriots (11-1) and Rams (6-6) still to play.
The Steelers (11-1), their own record equaled in franchise history only by one of the greatest teams ever to play the sport, are all but assured of a division championship – but, beyond that, little else. With the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots matching them victory for victory, even one slipup could cost them the potentially decisive home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.
To both teams, the choice is simple: win Sunday, or possibly be forced to win a much more difficult game in January.
“This is a playoff-style game that will prepare both teams for the playoffs,” Pennington said. “We both have a lot at stake. We are trying to solidify a wild-card spot and they are trying to protect home-field advantage. It is important to both teams.”
The Jets have won three in a row, but the Steelers have won 10 straight behind Roethlisberger, one short of the team-record 11-game streak set during a 12-2 season in 1975.
To keep winning, the Steelers admittedly must play much better against the league’s best scoring defense than they have while scoring only 19, 16 and 17 points in their last three wins.
“We are going to have to play our best football to beat this team, I don’t think there is any question about that,” coach Bill Cowher said.
Roethlisberger, the rookie who has yet to lose as a starter, has presided over a virtually mistake-free offense that has relied mostly on Bettis and running back Duce Staley, but has shown little ability to get the ball downfield quickly without receiver Plaxico Burress, who will miss a third consecutive game with a sore hamstring.
“Hopefully, this team is (being looked at as) a team that can do a lot of things and is a pretty dangerous team, but I think a lot of people still aren’t giving us respect and that’s fine with us,” Roethlisberger said.
The same statement could apply to the Jets, who had consecutive low-scoring wins over the Browns (10-7) and Cardinals (13-3) before Pennington returned from a three-week shoulder injury layoff to throw two touchdown passes in a 29-7 victory over Houston.
“We’re going to try to put the whole game in his (Pennington’s) hands, try to take the run away as soon as possible,” Steelers linebacker Joey Porter said. “I think we’re at our best when we can take one dimension away from them.”
That might not be easy. Martin is having, well, a Martin-like season, with a league-high 1,305 yards, and both Martin and Bettis likely will surpass the 13,000-yard career barrier Sunday, a total reached only by Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, Barry Sanders and Eric Dickerson.
With 12,974 yards, Martin figures to pass the benched-again Bettis (12,980) and move into No. 5 in career rushing on his first or second carry, though he will be tested by the NFL’s No. 1 rushing defense.
“It’s inevitable,” said Bettis, whose string of four consecutive 100-yard games ended when Staley returned Sunday after being out a month with a hamstring injury.
The Jets were 1-14 all-time against the Steelers until winning 6-0 behind Martin’s 174 yards during a snowstorm last Dec. 14 at Giants Stadium.
The Jets (0-4), Falcons (0-5-1), Panthers (0-2) and Buccaneers (0-2) are the only NFL teams to have never won in Pittsburgh, where the Steelers are 6-0 this season. It won’t help the Jets that leading pass rusher John Abraham (91/2 sacks) will sit out with a sprained right knee.
“We are pretty confident,” said Martin, who expects to achieve the 13,000-yard milestone in his hometown. “We have seen what we can do. We don’t have anybody doubting anything and we have been able to win some tough games in some tough situations.”