The Steelers had the momentum in the fourth quarter yesterday, taking a 20-10 lead over the New York Jets when rookie Kenny Pickett scored his second rushing touchdown with 13:36 remaining. But the defense surrendered 14 points in the final quarter and the Jets squeezed out a 24-20 win.
Corey Davis caught a 5-yard touchdown pass with 7:31 left in the game and Breece Hall powered in a 2-yard run with 16 seconds left to give the Jets the win. The Davis TD capped an 81-yard drive and the Hall score came at the end of a 65-yard drive following a tipped interception of a Pickett pass that he was trying to throw out of bounds.
Coach Mike Tomlin says it’s no mystery why the Steelers lost.
Tomlin says the Jets were the better team down the stretch in the fourth quarter.
Tomlin would not say if Kenny Pickett is his starting quarterback.
Pickett threw an interception on his first NFL pass. He finished the day 10-of-13 passing with three picks, although the final two were the tipped pass by tight end Pat Freiermuth and a Hail Mary pass on the last play of the game. Starter Mitch Trubisky was 7-of-13 for 84 yards and an interception and was sacked three times.
Pickett says the cheers of the Steelers’ fans were great when he entered the game, but the bottom line is he didn’t get the job done.
Because of the game situation when he went in, Pickett didn’t get caught up in the emotion of playing his first NFL game.
The Steelers’ defense gave up 146 yards and two touchdowns on the Jets’ final two drives.
Defensive lineman Cam Heyward says the loss, again, was the defense’s fault.
Heyward says the defense isn’t doing the things it needs to do to win, like taking the right angle on rushes and finishing tackles.
At 1-3, the Steelers now enter a stretch of games against some of the toughest teams in the NFL, starting on Sunday with a visit to Buffalo to play the 3-1 Bills, and then taking on Tampa Bay, Miami, and Philadelphia. The next four opponents are a combined 12-4 so far this season.
With TJ Watt already out, the Steelers’ defense is in trouble, with four more starters injured yesterday. Heyward hurt his ankle and elbow, Minkah Fitzpatrick injured his knee, Cam Sutton strained a hamstring, and Terrell Edmunds is in concussion protocol.
Former Pitt great Jim Sweeney died on Saturday at age 60. Not only was he an all-time lineman for the Panthers, he played 16 seasons in the NFL, 11 of them with the Jets, one with the Seahawks, and four with the Steelers.
A fan died after the game yesterday after he fell from an escalator at Acrisure Stadium. The unidentified man passed away at a local hospital. Police are investigating.
The two Steelers’ AFC North rivals who played yesterday both lost. Both Baltimore and Cleveland had fourth quarter leads but the Bills rallied to beat the Ravens, 23-20, while the Browns fell to Atlanta, also by a 23-20 score. Cincinnati won their week four game last Thursday over Miami.
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