National Football League
N.Y. Jets 16, Pittsburgh 10
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, December 22, 2019
Where: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Temperature: 45°
Head Official: Shawn Hochuli
Attendance: 78523

Sam Ficken kicked two of his three field goals in the second half Sunday as the New York Jets pulled away in the second half to upset the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers, 16-10.

Quarterback Sam Darnold passed for 183 yards and a touchdown to Robby Anderson as New York (6-9) reached six wins for the first time in four years. Le'Veon Bell rushed for 72 yards on 25 carries against his former team.

Pittsburgh (8-7) lost its second consecutive game as its hopes for a playoff spot diminished.

Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph, in relief, passed for 129 yards and a touchdown to Diontae Johnson before retreating to the sideline because of a left shoulder injury.

Devlin "Duck" Hodges, started and finished the game, passing for 84 yards and two interceptions.

Pittsburgh lost running back James Conner (thigh) in the second quarter and center Maurkice Pouncey (knee) in the third quarter.

On the opening drive, the Jets moved 75 yards in 11 plays and took a 7-0 lead on Darnold's 23-yard pass to Anderson, who leapt over double coverage in the end zone.

Pittsburgh's first possession ended with Tarell Basham's first career interception.

In the first minute of the second quarter, Ficken extended New York's lead to 10-0 with a career-long 54-yard field goal.

Marcus Maye got his first interception of the year, and the second of the game thrown by Hodges. That gave Hodges six interceptions in two weeks and a seat on the bench.

Chris Boswell cut the lead to 10-3 with a 49-yard field goal with 1:18 left in the second quarter, but Pittsburgh wasn't done in the half.

T.J. Watt stripped the ball from Darnold and recovered the fumble, leading to Rudolph's 29-yard touchdown throw to Johnson, who made an over-the-shoulder catch in the end zone for a 10-10 tie with four seconds left.

The Jets, on a drive spurred by Darnold's 32-yard pass to Trevon Wesco, took a 13-10 lead on Ficken's 37-yard field goal with 6:32 left in the third quarter.

With 3:11 left in the fourth quarter, Ficken kicked a 42-yarder to make it 16-10.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
Rushing
Pittsburgh   N.Y. Jets
James Conner Player Le'Veon Bell
6 Attempts 25
32 Yards 72
5.3 Avg Yards 2.9
0 Touchdowns 0
15 Long 11
Receiving
Pittsburgh   N.Y. Jets
Diontae Johnson Player Jamison Crowder
8 Receptions 4
81 Yards 60
10.1 Avg Yards 15.0
1 Touchdowns 0
29 Long 20
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Pittsburgh 260 75 185 1 1 0 2.0 1
N.Y. Jets 259 85 174 1 3 2 4.0 0
Upcoming Games
  • N.Y. Jets will play their next game on the road against Buffalo. The Jets have a W/L % of .333 after a win and .444 after a loss.
  • Pittsburgh will play their next game on the road against Baltimore. The Steelers have a W/L % of .625 after a win and .429 after a loss.