For once, when facing the Steelers, Vinny Testaverde didn't lose the game.
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Jets quarterback Vinny Testaverde dropped to 2-9 for his career against the Steelers despite turning in a rare mistake-free effort against them. (Gabor Degre, Post-Gazette) |
His whole team did.
Each of the New York Jets could claim a slice of responsibility after an 18-7 defeat yesterday at Heinz Field, one that marked the first time they have lost two in a row this season and dropped them to 7-5, third in the AFC East Division.
Most frustrating, they had chances to take it. Right to the final time they touched the ball.
"When you don't make plays against good teams ... there's a window of opportunity, and we didn't take advantage of it," Coach Herman Edwards said. "We had some plays that were out there that we didn't make. If you're going to be a good football team, you have to do that."
Start with Testaverde.
No, he didn't have any interceptions, fumbles or sacks, highly uncommon for him in this town. But neither did he do anything exceptional to lead his team. Owner of 23 300-yard performances on his NFL resume, he finished 15 of 26 for 141 yards. Only seven passes produced double-digit yardage, none more than 19, and most were safe outlets to running back Curtis Martin or quick throws to wide receiver Wayne Chrebet.
"It wasn't good enough to win, obviously," Testaverde said of his work. "There's an old coach that I had who told me, 'Just get your team in the end zone.' Right now, we're not doing a good job of that. We've scored seven touchdowns in the past six games. We need to do a better job of scoring touchdowns."
Testaverde's record as a starter against the Steelers fell to 2-9, and he gave credit to his longtime nemesis.
"They're a very tough defense. We knew that coming in. ... Linebackers who can run. A front seven that pressures the quarterback. DBs that can not only cover but also be great run stoppers. They rank right up there with the best of them."
The Steelers flashed that form to Martin, too.
The NFL's leading rusher had 18 carries for 58 yards, none longer than 11. He caught four passes for 29 yards, none longer than 10. His biggest play actually came on a pass, an 18-yard touchdown to Chrebet in the second quarter.
"We have the talent, and we have the system," Martin said. "But we're not getting it done."
That was the case on both sides of the ball, Edwards stressed, as the defense made a dubious contribution to the offense's season-low output.
The Jets had only three offensive drives in the first half and finished with a deficit in possession time of 23:07 to the Steelers' 36:53, including just 3:07 with the ball in the fourth quarter. Most remarkable, New York ran just 46 offensive plays.
"The Steelers kept the chains moving, and that was pretty important for them because it kept us off the field," Edwards said. "It seemed like they had the ball forever."
Most of the Jets pointed to their inability to stop Kordell Stewart and the Steelers from clicking on 11 of 18 third-down attempts.
"They just executed. They out-executed us," defensive tackle Steve Martin said. "We didn't get enough pressure in his face. If we would have gotten more, we probably would have cut down on those third downs."
"We couldn't get off the field," linebacker James Farrior said. "That hurt us."
The Jets dropped to 1-14 all time against the Steelers, the worst record any NFL team has against any opponent. And they added to their bizarre string of December failures, falling to 12-29 since 1991.
But their concerns now have little to do with the past and everything to do with the postseason.
"There's no question this team believes we can win some games and get to the playoffs. That's our goal," Testaverde said. "It's just a matter of our players focusing a little bit more, working a little harder and getting the job done."
Making some plays, too.
"This wasn't good enough, and we know that," Edwards said. "We've got to improve if we're going to try to make a playoff run."
This one can't be pinned on Vinny alone 
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