by Joe Grinwis
Quarterback – C+
Kellen Clemens – 14-31, 162 yards, TD, INT
Nothing great, nothing horrible from Kellen as after his first quarter flea flicker to Laveranues Coles (1 reception, 56 yards), he managed the game and didn’t make mistakes, aside from his 4th quarter interception. When the Jets needed a field goal late in the 4th to force OT, Clemens led the team down the field.
Running Back – A
Thomas Jones – 30 carries, 117 yards
Jones had perhaps his best game of the season by shredding the Steelers defense for 117 yards, the first time in 35 games that the Pittsburgh defense let a rusher run for 100+ yards on them. Hats off to Thomas Jones for moving the chains all day.
Wide Receivers – C
Coles – 1 reception, 56 yards
Brad Smith – 3 receptions, 26 yards
Justin McCareins – 2 receptions, 22 yards
Tight End – A
Baker – 4 receptions, 34 yards, TD
Baker had perhaps his best game of the season yesterday as he hauled in four receptions, including one big one in the 4th quarter on the Jets’ game tying drive. He’s the touchdown maker for a reason folks. In the right offense you would hear his name with the other top tier tight ends in the league. Believe it.
Offensive Line – B+
The unit let up three sacks but when the game was on the line they protected Clemens well enough to give him a chance to beat a tired, worn down Steelers defense. Yesterday was one of those few days that the line decided “Hey, let’s run block today”, and look what they were able to accomplish. They played a huge role in Jones’ big day against the number one defense in the NFL.
Defensive Line – A+
Shaun Ellis (5 tackles, 2 sacks) and Dewayne Robertson (5 tackles, 2.5 sacks) had HUGE days as Mangini moved around defensive players throughout the day and gave Robertson more time to rest so he was fresh in the 4th quarter. There was pressure throughout and if it wasn’t for Roethlisberger escaping from another three or so potential sacks, this defense would’ve had a double digit number in the sack column. Kenyon Coleman and C.J. Mosley had a half a sack each as well. Oh yeah, and Willie Parker (21 carries, 52 yards) did absolutely NOTHING all day.
Linebackers – B+
What can you say about David Harris (11 tackles, 1 sack), except that he is the real deal. This kid just makes plays and has helped this defense improve in the three games he’s started since Jonathan Vilma’s season ending knee injury. It was not just the line applying pressure as the linebackers came at Roethlisberger at well. Parker was not able to break tackles once he got past the line either.
Secondary – B+
Darrelle Revis (6 tackles) had good coverage all day on Hines Ward (2 receptions, 47 yards) and Santonio Holmes (5 receptions, 75 yards, TD) and made a couple of open field tackles as well. Kerry Rhodes (2 tackles, INT) had his second interception of the season and the unit helped keep Big Ben under 200 yards passing.
Special Teams – A-
Mike Nugent was 4-for-4 on his field goal attempts, hitting huge kicks in both the 4th quarter and Overtime to help win this game. He did have one kickoff sail out of bounds for a penalty. The Steelers were scared to kick to Leon Washington, but when they had to punt to him in overtime, Leon made them pay. Washington returned Pittsburgh’s punt to the Steelers 26 and Nugent came in and won the game.
Coaching – A
Great job by Eric Mangini. This was easily the best Jets game of all season and a solid job by Mangini & Co. mixing up the defense and giving the ball to Thomas Jones to help wear down the Steelers defense.
Studs of the Game (I couldn’t choose just one): Thomas Jones, Dewayne Robertson and Shaun “Big Katt” Ellis.