Bettis's touchdown pass was set up by his four previous rushes. Because Bettis had been so effective, the Jets defenders were playing the run all the way. Bettis took the hand off, sucked the safeties in, and then threw a 10 yard pass to a wide open Jerame Tuman.
That touchdown, while clever, was not nearly as impressive as Bettis twelve-yard, game-clinching touchdown run on the next drive. Bettis came around the right side of the line, bounced off one defender, and out-ran the defensive backs into the end zone. That run was a thing of beauty; it reminded me of Bettis back in 1996.
Of course, back in 1996, Bettis was the entire offense. Since then, his role has diminished. But, Jerome has always said that he does not care what his role is, as long as the team wins...and ultimately wins the championship. That kind of selflessness is classy.
Speaking of classy, I love seeing the Jets play in Pittsburgh; the colors of both teams' uniforms are so vibrant. It is a little know fact that the colors that contrast the most are black/yellow and green/white. (Note: that is why warning signs are black/yellow, and street signs are green/white.)
In short, the Steelers in their black/yellow uniforms playing against the Jets in their green/white makes for an engaging visual display. Yet, my love for the color schemes could not overcome my disdain for the number of flags thrown. Penalties disrupt the ebb and flow of the game. Speaking of which....
Last week, when the Steelers were overly penalized, I mentioned that these things tend to even out. Man, did it ever. The Jets were penalized 12 times for 84 yards. I am not going to say that those penalties changed the outcome of the game, because many of those flags were for pre-snap infractions (e.g. false start, delay of game). But, accruing 12 penalties is hard for any team to overcome.
Even when the Jets seemed to muster a solid, penalty-free drive, something would occur to stifle their progress. For most opponents of the Steelers, the main reasons for drives being halted can be directly attributed to James Farrior and Troy Polamalu. In almost every game, one of those two Steelers makes a momentum-changing type of play. If it is not Farrior, then it is Polamalu. Or, vice versa.
In this game, it happened to be both of them.
After forcing the Steelers to punt from deep in their own territory, the Jets had a nice return to about mid-field. In short, the Jets were about to win the battle of field position. Then, on New York's first play from scrimmage, Polamalu darted in front of Santana Moss, made an amazing interception, and returned it 22 yards.
It should be noted that Pennington's pass was not poorly thrown, but rather, Polamalu simply made a very athletic move.
Then, it was Farriors turn for an acrobatic interception of his own.
The Jets had moved the ball from inside of their own 2 yard line all the way out to the Steelers 40-yard line. New York was preparing to tie the score, if not take the lead. Then, Farrior jumped in front of Justin McCareins, tipped the ball back to himself, and returned it 22 yards (again, like Polamalu).
As impressive as Farrior's and Polamalu's plays were, the game ball has to go to Bettis. Not so much for his running or for his two touchdowns, but for his unselfishness. He is the epitome of what a winner is.
Because of his selflessness, Jerome might never regain his lead over Curtis Martin on the all-time rushing list. But, as long as Bettis wins a championship (or two), he will happily accept his new role. Now, that is a Hall of Famer.