5 things we learned after Steelers lose control of playoff destiny in loss to Jets

Five things we learned from Jets 16, Steelers 10:

1. Wild final weekend

The most simplistic formula for the Steelers to get into the playoffs is to win Sunday in Baltimore and have the Tennessee Titans lose their game at the Houston Texans.

The Steelers still could get into the playoffs even if they lose to the Ravens. For this to happen, they would need losses by the Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders.

According to ESPN, another scenario that clears a path to the playoffs in the event of a loss in Baltimore is for the Steelers to get losses by the Titans, Jaguars, Bears, Lions, Chargers and Patriots.

The website FiveThirtyEight.com lists the Steelers chance of making the postseason at 30%, which trails Tennessee at 60%. Oakland has a 10% chance of making it at 8-8.

What underscores the mediocrity at the bottom of the AFC playoff picture is that if the Steelers or Titans make the postseason with an 8-8 record, the final berth would go to a team riding a three-game losing streak.

The Steelers are coming off losses to Buffalo and the New York Jets. The Titans are coming off losses to Houston and New Orleans. The Raiders, at least, would take a two-game winning streak into the postseason if they were to buck the long odds.

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2. Running on empty

The quarterback play rightfully has gotten most of the blame for the offense generating one touchdown in seven of the past eight games. The running game, however, is just as culpable.

Consider that James Conner was the leading rusher against the Jets with 32 yards on six carries — and he exited with a thigh injury in the second quarter. Kerrith Whyte had 22 yards, Benny Snell gained 14 on seven attempts and Jaylen Samuels totaled 7 yards on three carries.

The Steelers averaged 3.0 yards per carry against the Jets, who have one of the best defenses in the NFL despite a 6-9 record.

If Conner doesn’t return against Baltimore, he would end the season with a team-high 464 yards — about half of what he totaled in 2018. That would be the fewest rushing yards by a Steelers single-season leader since Don Shy topped the 1967 team with 341 yards.

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3. Late surge

Diontae Johnson may not win the Joe Greene Great Performance Award given annually to the Steelers top rookie — linebacker Devin Bush is the favorite — but he has emerged as their best offensive player in recent weeks.

The third-round pick had eight catches on nine targets for 81 yards, and his 29-yard reception with four seconds left in the first half qualified as the Steelers’ only touchdown.

Johnson leads all Steelers receivers with 55 catches, and his 626 yards are second to James Washington’s 735. Johnson also leads the team with five touchdown catches.

While Johnson is heating up, JuJu Smith-Schuster is limping to the finish line. Returning from a four-game absence, Smith-Schuster caught two of four targets for 22 yards.

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4. Dynamic duo

The Steelers sacked Jets quarterback Sam Darnold just twice, but they came courtesy of the team’s two most reliable pass rushers.

T.J. Watt had a strip sack and fumble recovery in the first half that set up the touchdown pass to Johnson. Bud Dupree had the other sack.

Watt increased his season total to 14 sacks, and Dupree reached 10 1/2, giving the Steelers a pair of double-digit pass rushers for the first time since 2010.

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5. Stingy defense

The Jets stole a page from the Steelers playbook by winning a game in which the offense scored just one touchdown.

It came on the first drive of the game when Darnold directed an 11-play, 75-yard march to the end zone. From that point, the Jets were held to 184 yards on 12 possessions, averaging 3.8 yards per play.

For the fifth consecutive game, the Steelers held their opponent to 17 points or fewer. But for the second week in a row, it wasn’t good enough.

It also marked the ninth time this season that the opposite was kept under 300 yards. The Steelers are 5-4 in those games.

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