The highs and lows of the Steelers Week 5 game vs. the New York Jets.
What went right
- If there still was any doubt whether Sammie Coates could develop into the kind of deep threat capable of replacing Martavis Bryant, there should be none now. On a third-and-7 on the Steelers opening possession, Coates ran by cornerback Marcus Williams, Ben Roethlisberger dropped the ball right in his hands in full stride, and it became a 7-3 Steelers lead with 10:16 left in the first quarter.
- When Brandon Marshall dropped a pass on third-and-9 at the Steelers 42-yard line, Lachlan Edwards came on to punt. That punt almost was downed at the 2-yard line, but the Jets gunner stepped across the goal line and didn't re-establish himself in the field of play before touching the ball. That meant the Steelers took possession at their own 20-yard line.
- It took only 80-plus seconds for the Steelers to re-take the lead following Brandon Marshall's touchdown. On the 75-yard drive, Ben Roethlisberger completed 7-of-10 (with one drop) for 67 yards and the touchdown to Jesse James. And by scoring in the final minute of the first half and getting the ball to start the second half, the decision to defer after winning the coin toss has a chance to pay off big.
- The Steelers were right back on the attack, as a result of a three-and-out capped by a sack of Ryan Fitzpatrick by Arthur Moats and Ryan Shazier on third down. Then on Lachlan Edwards' punt, Antonio Brown returned it 33 yards to the Jets 31-yard line.
- The Steelers managed a 47-yard field on the possession set up by Antonio Brown's 33-yard punt return for a 17-13 lead. It could've been more, but Sammie Coates was unable to come down with a deep pass in the right side of the end zone.
- Two good series by the Steelers defense to open the second half. After the three-and-out on the first series, the second series was a Ryan Shazier showcase. On second-and-1, Jones batted a pass at the line of scrimmage. On third down, he stuffed an attempted shovel pass, and the Jets punted.
- After a couple of series where Ben Roethlisberger and his receivers were a bit off, they caught fire on the final possession of the third quarter. On that drive, Roethlisberger completed 6-of-6 for 69 yards and the 5-yard touchdown to Antonio Brown that gave the Steelers a 24-13 lead early in the fourth quarter.
What went wrong
- An inauspicious beginning for the Steelers defense, to be sure. After winning the coin toss and choosing to defer, the Steelers sent their defense out to face the Jets at the 25-yard line following the touchback. Ryan Fitzpatrick completed a 13-yard pass, then a 10-yard pass, then there was an 8-yard run by Matt Forte, the Fitzpatrick completed an 18-yard pass, all on successive plays. The drive ended with a 35-yard field goal by Nick Folk and a 3-0 Jets lead with 11:45 left in the first quarter.
Game action from Week 5 against the New York Jets.
- Inside the five-minute mark of the second quarter, Sammie Coates again was the target on a third-down situation, this time a third-and-2 from the Jets 28-yard line. Coates made a nice move to the inside to get in position to make a play on the ball, but then he couldn't secure the catch around the 10-yard line. On the ensuing field goal attempt, the Steelers attempted a fake but Jordan Berry was tackled behind the line of scrimmage and Al Villanueva was flagged for an illegal formation anyway.
- The Jets capitalized on that failed fake field goal with a touchdown to take a 13-7 lead with 2:06 remaining in the first half. On the scoring play, Stephon Tuitt got his hands on a pass that was intended for Brandon Marshall, but ti bounced off his hands and Marshall secured the ball for the touchdown.
- Bookending halftime with scores didn't happen for the Steelers this week, with the Steelers having to punt after a Ben Roethlisberger pass to Antonio Brown was almost intercepted in the flat by Marcus Williams, who dropped the ball.
- The Steelers were moving toward more points that would've increased their 24-13 lead, but the Steelers' first turnover of the game resulted when Leonard Williams sacked Ben Roethlisberger and punched the ball out and Sheldon Richardson recovered at the Jets 19-yard line. On the play, Roethlisberger held onto the ball, apparently as a result of a receiver not being where he was supposed to be.