Big Ben And The Jets Tried To Out-Suck Each Other

Ben Roethlisberger came into today's game on a historically great run, having thrown for a combined 12 touchdowns and 862 yards in his last two games. Because the Jets suck, everyone on earth expected them to get carved up today, and then Big Ben went and crapped the bed. But that didn't stop the Jets from trying to crap the bed harder!

Roethlisberger threw for 343 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions—the first picks he's thrown since Week 6. Those numbers aren't terrible, but they don't quite capture just how bad Roethlisberger looked throughout big chunks of the game.

The Steelers' quarterback spent most of the game looking timid and unsure in the pocket, flinging wobbly passes that were alternately overthrown and underthrown. The low point of Roethlisberger's performance was probably a three-and-out early in the third quarter, which came right after the big quarterback's second interception of the day and featured three truly atrocious passes:

Big Ben got a little better in the second half, and even looked like he might lead the Steelers on a desperate comeback drive when he got the ball with 4:01 left, down 20-6. He began the drive with two laser-beam completions, and then proceeded to nearly throw his third pick before letting a snap go right through his hands for a loss of 16 yards.

And yet! The Jets weren't about to allow an amateur like Ben Roethlisberger come in and show them how to shoot themselves in the foot. With just 2:01 left on the clock, all the Jets needed to do was get one first down in order to seal their victory. Instead, they doubled up on unsportsmanlike conduct plays and had to punt it back to the Steelers after failing to convert a third and 46.

Roethlisberger tossed an 80-yard touchdown on the very next play. The Jets still won.