The Pittsburgh Steelers have achieved quite a lot in their illustrious history.
The six Super Bowl wins stand out above the rest. Ultimately, that’s what the Steelers are judged on, thanks to the 1970s dynasty and success in the 2000s. They haven’t tasted that success since 2008 though, so the drought is long and frustrating.
Still, the Steelers continue to stack wins and remain one of the most successful — and consistent — franchises in football.
Underrated in that long, illustrious history is what the Steelers achieved in 2013 in Week 6 against the New York Jets.
On that day, the Steelers under head coach Mike Tomlin lugged an 0-4 record into MetLife Stadium, coming off a bye week following a loss in London to the Minnesota Vikings.
Needing to get back on track, the Steelers found the right opponent in the Jets and put together a complete performance to pick up their first win of the season. The Steelers also made AFC history in their 19-6 win over the Jets.
That Oct. 13, 2013, win marked No. 600 for the Steelers all-time, becoming the first AFC franchise to reach that rarified air and the fourth team all-time in NFL history. The Steelers later went on to win regular-season game No. 600 in 2017 against the Ravens, but the win over the Jets in 2013 was No. 600 all-time, including playoffs.
A special accomplishment. Let’s take a look back at that win in today’s Flashback Friday here at Steelers Depot.
Coming out of their bye, the Steelers started slowly against the Jets, going three-and-out on their first possession.
The defense, which didn’t have a takeaway to that point and featured some lineup changes with Cameron Heyward stepping into the lineup, got a quick stop, too. But after another Steelers punt, the Jets mounted an early drive that led to a field goal and a 3-0 lead.
Pittsburgh responded as rookie running back Le’Veon Bell scampered for 12 yards on the first play of the drive. Later, facing a 3rd and 15, the Steelers turned to receiver Antonio Brown.
The Steelers loved utilizing that quick screen to Brown, especially in 2013. Get the ball to him quickly on the perimeter, put him in a 1-on-1 look with the ball in his hands, and let him win.
He did that here, picking up the first down with some nice moves in space, keeping the Steelers’ drive alive.
On the very next play though, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was sacked, ending the first quarter.
That sack didn’t deter the offense though as Roethlisberger, on the first play of the second quarter, dialed up a deep ball to Heath Miller. The veteran tight end made a spectacular leaping catch between two Jets defenders for 31 yards, putting the Steelers in scoring position.
Great ball from Roethlisberger, too. You couldn’t walk and hand the ball to Miller in a better spot than where Roethlisberger threw it between the two defenders.
After Miller’s catch, the Steelers ultimately settled for a 48-yard Shaun Suisham field goal, tying the game at 3-3.
That drive sparked the Steelers as the defense got going, forcing another quick Jets punt, putting the ball back in the offense’s hands. Pittsburgh marched down the field and kicked another field goal, this time a 33-yarder, putting the Steelers up 6-3.
It was largely all Pittsburgh after that.
Though the Steelers’ defense didn’t have a takeaway to that point in the season, New York quarterback Geno Smith was under siege all day, and the Steelers’ blitz was difficult for the Jets to deal with.
Linebacker Lawrence Timmons bowled over a running back, forcing Smith out of the pocket. That resulted in a sack from outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley, forcing a punt.
That’s a heck of a rush from Timmons. The Steelers terrorized Jets running backs in pass protection all game. More on that later.
Following the Jets’ punt, the Steelers went right down the field again, tacking on another field goal, this one from 48 yards with 49 seconds left in the first half. But the Jets kicked a field goal just before halftime, sending the two teams into intermission with the Steelers leading 9-6.
The second half was largely a slog, but the Steelers were able to establish the run game and pound away at the Jets’ defense.
That helped set up a big-time shot from Roethlisberger to wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders that largely put the game away.
Play-action is a thing of beauty when it works. Look how wide open Sanders was for Roethlisberger’s 55-yard touchdown pass.
Good route, no help over the top for the cornerback, and an easy pitch and catch for the touchdown. The Steelers’ offense celebrated in a major way after the score, too, and you could see the relief coming over the team after a tough start to the season.
With a 16-6 lead, the defense continued to hammer away at the Jets’ offense. It led to the first takeaway of the season on the very next drive.
After the Jets drove into scoring position, Smith misfired on a shot toward the end zone, leading to a Ryan Clark interception.
It was a gift for Clark, but it broke the dam for the Steelers’ defense in the takeaway department. When you think of Steelers defense, you think of sacks, hard hits and taking the football away. The Steelers got back to that against the Jets.
Though the Steelers didn’t do anything with the interception, they were able to flip the field again. They eventually took a 19-6 lead on a 32-yard Suisham field goal, aided by Antonio Brown drawing a 25-yard pass interference penalty and a 22-yard catch and run by Miller.
Later in the game with the Jets driving again, outside linebacker Jarvis Jones came up with a great pass rush against another Jets running back, leading to a Lawrence Timmons interception to seal the win.
After Timmons’ interception, the Steelers ran out the clock, picking up their first win of the 2013 season, and the 600th win in franchise history. Heck of a day in New Jersey.
In the much-needed win, Roethlisberger threw for 264 yards and a touchdown on 23-of-30 passing. Brown finished with nine catches for 86 yards, Miller had six receptions for 84 yards, and Sanders had three receptions for 70 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, the Steelers sacked Smith three times and had two interceptions. Woodley, Jason Worilds and Ziggy Hood had the sacks.
After improving to 1-4, the Steelers went on to finish 8-8 in 2013, going 6-2 in the final eight weeks to salvage a .500 record.
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