The Pittsburgh Steelers avoided an 0-2 start with an impressive 27-10 victory over the New York Jets in their 2012 home opener.
New York led for the majority of the first half, but Heath Miller's one-yard TD reception handed the Steelers a 13-10 lead with 1:08 left until halftime. Pittsburgh didn't look back, using every weapon in its arsenal to batter the Jets throughout the third and fourth quarters.
The Jets had their opportunities, but Pittsburgh turned away all challenges in the second half and Rex Ryan's crew couldn't get out of their own way.
Isaac Redman's two-yard touchdown run with 3:34 left sealed the deal for the Steelers, moving Ben Roethlisberger's record to 6-0 in home openers.
I'll let NFL.com's highlights show you some of the game's finer points:
Todd Haley's offense got off to a bit of a rocky start against the Denver Broncos in Week 1, but Roethlisberger orchestrated an efficient attack versus New York.
The Steelers signal-caller went 24-of-31 for 275 yards and two touchdownsâ€"good for an outstanding 125.1 quarterback rating. He also reached a pretty impressive milestone, according to Fox Sports:
Ten different players were on the receiving end of Roethlisberger's passes, with Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown leading the way. The tantalizing young duo combined for 12 catches and 153 yards, including Wallace's 37-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE
Roethlisberger was on point, but he also received some help. The Steelers offensive line is always under heavy scrutiny, but they answered the call this week.
Allowing just three sacks to the Jets defense is impressive, given how many blitzes Jets defensive coordinator Mike Pettine dialed up. Roethlisberger's Houdini-like elusiveness in the pocket aided their cause, but the effort was also considerably better this week.
Mark Sanchez doesn't deserve the same lofty praise. He started the game well enoughâ€"hitting Santonio Holmes for the game's first touchdownâ€"but he was dead silent beyond that.
He finished 10-of-27 for 138 yards and one touchdown. He didn't throw an interception, but his inefficiency killed a number of his team's drives. He received 90 yards of support from his ground game, but he never seemed comfortable in the pocket.
Justin K. Aller/Getty Images
After catching the early touchdown, Santonio Holmes was nearly shut out by Ike Taylor. Taylor played with a chip on his shoulder, making it his mission to keep his former teammate from impacting the game any further.
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the NFL's weekly watch on Tim Tebow. The polarizing quarterback had one rush for 22 yards in the second half, but didn't make any impact otherwise. Oddly enough, he did make an appearance in punt protection.
The Steelers offense was largely one-dimensional, receiving just 66 yards from their running backs, but Roethlisberger got better as the game rolled along.
A stellar defensive effort, of course, made Big Ben's task that much easier.
The Jets will look to bounce back against the Dolphins in Week 3, while the Steelers head to Oakland.
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