Jets vs. Steelers 2012: Ben Roethlisberger Outplays Mark Sanchez, Leads Convincing 27-10 Week 2 Win (via sbnation)
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin spoke for SteelerNation during a spontaneous and unusual burst of emotion late in the fourth quarter of Pittsburgh's 27-10 win over the Jets in Week 2.
In his best Ric Flair impression, Tomlin paced around the sideline excitedly, giving fist bumps, pounding players on the back yelling "WOO!" over and over.
He had good reason. His team had just sealed a huge Week 2 win over AFC rival New York in a game that showed all three phases of the Steelers' team dominate their visiting opponents.
Video of excited Mike Tomlin, with full audio, is after the jump.
The Steelers rode the wake of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger through the first half, getting 13-for-16 and a touchdown (to tight end Heath Miller) from him.
Their defense looked sagging, much like it did in a Week 1 loss at Denver, gave up a touchdown and a field goal on the opening two drives of the game, and shut the Jets out the rest of the way.
By the time Roethlisberger hit wide receiver Mike Wallace on a 37-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter, the Jets' offense was essentially non-existent.
That was largely in part of the Steelers defense that was considered flat-lined by many heading into its second game this season. While splash plays weren't coming easily - Pittsburgh had three sacks and one turnover in the game - brutal efficiency against the pass in particular stifled the confused-looking Jets.
New York didn't catch a pass in the entire second quarter, and quarterback Mark Sanchez was 3-for-16 passing over the last three quarters of the game.
It wasn't without a battle, though. The Steelers secondary was flagged often in the defensive secondary, sometimes with merit, sometimes without. The Jets failed to capitalize on the extra yardage, and never threatened to score after their second drive of the game.
The Steelers' defense wasn't without fault. The Jets rushed for 90 yards on 22 carries (4.1 yards per carry), but the suffocating pass defense - which looked to be moving in the opposite direction than where it finished last week - helped hold the Jets to just 120 yards on their final eight drives of the game.
Oddly, Sanchez was 10-for-27 in the 27-10 loss with 138 yards and a touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes.
Roethlisberger's second half wasn't as dominant as his first, but finished the game 24-for-31 with 275 yards and two touchdowns.
A negative in an otherwise impressive performance was the lack of overall success within their running game. The Steelers again struggled to open holes, early in the game in particular, and rushed for just 66 yards on 28 carries. They've rushed 54 times this season for 141 yards (2.6 yards per carry).