Sometimes you just a dig a hole so deep, you can't get out.
For that must have been the frustration for the New York Jets who came roaring back from a 24-0 blowout late in the first half to make a game of it. But, the Pittsburgh Steelers (14-4) led by Ben Roethlisberger defeated the New York Jets (13-6) to win the AFC Championship for the eighth time and the right to play the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XLV.
And when you dig a hole that deep, it's hard to overcome a twenty-four point deficit against the kind of big game player Ben Roethislberger has become.
For Big Ben didn't have a great game, but when it mattered most he made the necessary third down plays to extend drives both with his feet and his arm to earn the right to win his third Super Bowl ring in just seven seasons in the National Football League.
Going just 10 of 19 for 133 yards and no touchdowns, it was Roethislberger's second half leadership that was the difference in a game of two distinct halves.
With the Steelers owning the Jets in the first stanza with long drives and an impressive ground game led by Rashard Mendenhall's 121 yards on 27 carries. The Jet defense looked flat as the front three just couldn't make the tackles and the linebackers were pushed around by a very physical Pittsburgh offensive line.
In the end, it was two-time Super Bowl champion Roethlisberger who moved the chains when it mattered most which forced the Jets to abandon the running game and play catch-up all game long.
While Shonn Greene had just nine carries for 52 yards, LaDanian Tomlinson was ineffective on running schemes that fooled no one with just 16 yards on nine carries.
But this game of two halves began to turn when the Jets kicked a field goal to get on the board at 24-3.
They came out in the second half as quarterback Mark Sanchez began to find himself on a great hook-up with Santonio Holmes to get back into the contest at 24-10.
Sanchez was 20 of 33 for 233 yards and two touchdowns and played well enough to win as the Jet's fortunes began to change after a 17-play drive stalled at the 1-yard line to regain the ball as Roethlisberger fumbled and was tackled for a safety to cut the lead to just 12.
Sanchez would methodically move the team downfield and end the drive successfully with a pick play to Jericho Cotchery for the touchdown to close the lead to 5 at 24-19.
But Cinderella wouldn't receive her slipper when all was said and done.
For Ben Roethlisberger proved why he's the ultimate big game player and why his ability to run the football and sacrifice his body for the sake of a win makes him a far more dangerous player than either Peyton Manning or Tom Brady.
After missing the season's first four games Ben Roethlisberger proved why he's the best quarterback in the NFL, and how his intangible abilities make him a far more dangerous player than Michael Vick or any other quarterback who can pass as well as scramble in the biggest of sports stages.
So after losing back-to-back AFC Championship games, are these the same old, New York Jets?
Hardly.
While Jet haters will revel in this heart breaking defeat, the future of Gang Green is optimistic and bright.
The New York Jets have proven they can win on the road and have built a culture of winning and success in an organization that had accepted medicority for decades.
Those days are over.
While Head Coach Rex Ryan may rub some people the wrong way, he has the confidence of Jet fans who see him as someone who won't be satisfied until a Lombardi Trophy is attained.
After two seasons he's proven that winning is about defense, discipline, and determination.
Few second-year coaches can claim the kind of sucess Rex has brought to the Jets, and the goal to win a championship is certainly in-reach.
It could have been very easy for the New York Jets to fold their tent and mail-in the effort after being down 24-0.
That didn't happen.
The New York Jets had problems in terms of tackling, executing on third down, and pass coverage.
To come out flat was certainly disappointing. But credit the Pittsburgh Steelers for pounding the Jets and pushing them around the field in that first half.
But the Jets simply ran out of opportunities and were beaten by the better team tonight at Heinz Field.
That's something that will hurt for some time over the off season as the Jets will make the necessary personnel adjustments to improve a squad that is on the right track and could have certainly won this game.
And the operative phrase for this franchise is right track.
They have a committed ownership and management team that wants to win.
They have an excellent head coach that players like and want to play for, which will make the Jets an appealing alternative for free agents committed to winning.
But most importantly Mark Sanchez is improving and growing as a leader.
This franchise has improved and has established itself as a top football team in the AFC.
Is that the goal?
Obviously not.
For bouncing back from a stinging defeat is always difficult.
That will be Rex Ryan's first priority as he evaluates this roster and prepares again for another run at an NFL Championship.
For that's what matters in the face of a very disappointing defeat no matter how much was accomplished in 2010.
For losing is the foundation for the success Rex Ryan and the New York Jets crave, and that foundation is certainly is in place.
Lindsay Price Zoe Saldana Rachel Perry Mary Elizabeth Winstead Piper Perabo
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