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Bettis held to 39 yards in 17 carries

Sunday, December 10, 2000

By Tom Canavan, The Associated Press

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New York Giants are all but in the playoffs, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are all but out. And that's all but guaranteed.

Kerry Collins passed for 333 yards and two touchdowns, and the Giants shut down Kordell Stewart and Jerome Bettis and dampened the Steelers' already slim playoff hopes with a 30-10 win on Sunday.

	Giants' Ike Hilliard snares an 11-yard pass from New York QB Kerry Collins and is brought down by Steelers' cornerback Dewayne Washington this afternoon in the second quarter at Giants Stadium. (Bill Kostroun, AP Photo)

The victory was the third straight for the NFC East-leading Giants (10-4) since coach Jim Fassel guaranteed that the team would make the postseason for the first time since 1997.

The loss ended a two-game winning streak for Pittsburgh (7-7), which is about to miss the playoffs for the third straight year after going there in Bill Cowher's first six seasons as coach.

While the game was a must-win for the Steelers, the Giants showed all the urgency. They jumped to a 13-0 lead on two field goals by Brad Daluiso and a short touchdown run by Tiki Barber, and then they blew the game open in the second half when Collins sandwiched touchdown passes of 9 yards to Ike Hilliard and 2 yards to Amani Toomer around a 21-yard field goal by Daluiso.

Kris Brown kicked a 32-yard field goal for the Steelers late in the first half, but he also missed from 36 and 45 yards in the second half, and the Giants responded with scores after each mistake. Stewart, who was 20-of-34 for 224 yards, threw a 5-yard TD pass to Bobby Shaw with 1:04 to play for Pittsburgh, which was averaging 29 in its four games. Bettis had 39 yards rushing on 17 carries against the NFL's second-best rushing defense.

Collins finished 24-of-35 for 333 yards. Toomer had nine catches for 136 yards, while Hilliard, playing for the first time since bruising his sternum and a lung against Detroit on Nov. 19, had five catches for 90 yards.

New York jumped on the Steelers from the start. Omar Stoutmire returned the opening kickoff 47 yards -- the Giants' longest return of the season. Daluiso, who has made 12 straight field goals, converted from 38 yards for a 3-0 lead.

The Giants, who held Pittsburgh to 68 first-half yards, stretched the lead to 6-0 early in the second quarter as Daluiso kicked a 40-yard field goal after New York got the ball back at the Steelers 33 following a punt.

Barber's 3-yard run capped a nine-play, 60 yard drive that was ignited when Steelers defensive end Kevin Henry was called for a personal foul after an incompletion on the first play.

Brown got the Steelers on the scoreboard late in the half, but he missed for the first time this season from under 40 yards early the third quarter, and the Giants put their postseason run in high gear.

For complete game coverage and analysis see your Monday Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.