EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- When they're making the highlight film of the 2019 Steelers season, they can just show segments of the team's game Sunday here at Met Life Stadium for the script.
They can call it, "From Duck to Mason and Back Again: A Tale of Woe."
The Steelers have walked a fine line with their two inexperienced quarterbacks this season, nursing them through the many highs and lows of being first-time starters in the NFL.
In this game, Devlin Hodges was pulled after throwing two interceptions in the first two quarters, only to be thrown back in when Mason Rudolph was injured late in the third quarter.
The result was an offense that worked in fits and spurts -- again -- as the Steelers lost to the Jets, 16-10, falling out of control of their own playoff hopes along the way.
It will lead the Steelers back to scoreboard watching, just as they did last season when they defeated the Bengals in Week 17, only to see the Browns come up short at Baltimore to give the Ravens the division title.
"It's frustrating," said linebacker Bud Dupree. "It's a situation where we are hoping and wishing again like last season. We shouldn't be in this situation. We had opportunities from early in the season to today to go out and win games. Even with the adversity we have been through all year, we had control of our own destiny and we failed."
That might be a bit harsh, but that was the overwhelming feeling in the locker room. Despite losing star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger early in the season and starting 1-4, limping to the finish line isn't sitting well, no matter how it's happened.
"When you lose a hall-of-fame guy and you’ve got young guys coming in and getting reps, yeah," guard David DeCastro said when asked if it's been a difficult situation all season. "I remember my first year, NFL defenses are fast and different. I take it upon us as a unit that we’ve haven’t done enough. It’s not just one guy."
The Steelers (8-7) scored just one offensive touchdown for the seventh time in their past eight games. And like last week, when they dropped a 17-10 decision to the Bills at home, it just wasn't enough, especially when they turned the ball over twice in the first half with Hodges at quarterback, giving him six interceptions in his past six quarters.
"You take care of the ball or we have decisions to make," Mike Tomlin said. "Devlin didn't take care of the ball early, so we made a decision."
And it nearly worked.
The Jets (6-9) opened the game with a quick passing attack supplemented by their running game against the Steelers' nickel defense to score first on a 23-yard Sam Darnold pass to Robbie Anderson. They then added a 54-yard Sam Ficken field goal to make it 10-0 before Hodges was pulled after throwing his second interception.
The Steelers drove to the New York 19. Facing third-and-3, Hodges missed an open receiver underneath that would have given the Steelers a first down and instead lofted a pass toward running back Jaylen Samuels in the front corner of the end zone. Safety Marcus Maye intercepted the pass to turn the Steelers away.
"I missed a guy in the flat wide open," said Hodges. "I had (Samuels) in the corner. I probably underthrew it a little bit. I could have thrown it earlier."
That was enough for Tomlin, who turned back to Rudolph, who had not played since being benched early in the third quarter Nov. 24 at Cincinnati.
Rudolph, who had gone 5-3 as a starter earlier in the season in place of Roethlisberger, seemed to give the Steelers a spark. He led a field goal drive on his second possession, moving the Steelers into range for a 49-yard Chris Boswell field goal with 1:22 remaining in the first half.
Then, with the Jets trying to answer, T.J. Watt sacked Darnold, forcing the ball free and recovering it at the Jets' 42.
That seemed to be the other spark the team needed.
With nine seconds remaining in the half, Tomlin eschewed kicking a field goal after James Washington forced an illegal contact call to move the ball to the 29. Rudolph, who had attempted a deep shot down the sideline to Washington, went to the other side this time, finding Diontae Johnson behind the defense for a 29-yard TD pass that tied the game at 10-10.
"Mason coming in there and getting us points on those last two drives gave us some great hope," DeCastro said.
But it was short-lived.
Running back James Conner suffered a quad injury early in the second quarter. Center Maurkice Pouncey injured his knee late in the third. On the next play, Rudolph suffered an injured left shoulder as he got his tripped stepping away from under center and then was tackled by multiple players as he tried to get up.
Rudolph stayed in the game for the remainder of that possession, but Hodges came back in after that.
"Just 'Let's go,'" Hodges said of the message he received going back into the game. "It's not a question on if I can get the job done. I don't think I'm a bad player. I've just been playing bad. At the same time, I have to settle in and focus."
In this case, he didn't have much time.
With the Jets leading 13-10, the Steelers drove to the New York 29. But on second-and-7, Hodges was sacked for a 9-yard loss, then fumbled the snap, losing ground back to the 46, completely taking the Steelers out of field goal range.
"We had to score those points the way we play offense," DeCastro said.
The Jets made the Steelers pay, driving from their own 22 following a short punt, with former Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell converting a big third-and-5 play from the 39 by gaining seven yards to put the Jets back in Ficken field goal range.
"It was fun going against my old teammates, guys who could never hit me in practice," said Bell, who had 72 rushing yards on 25 carries, a 2.9 yards-per-carry average. "We had an opportunity to really go at it. So it was fun. I respect all those guys over there. They play hard. It was tough."
Trailing 16-10, the Steelers went three-and-out, kicking the ball back to the Jets with 1:53 remaining. But they got a quick stop, using all three timeouts to conserve time, and after a 28-yard punt, got the ball back at their own 40 with 1:27 remaining.
Hodges pushed the team to the New York 44, but on third-and-7, he took a shot to Washington down the middle of the field, with Maye going up with Washington and getting a hand on the ball to break up the potential touchdown.
"It was a one-on-one matchup, so I just wanted to give him a chance on a jump ball," Hodges said. "He’s been good all year with those."
In this case, Maye was just better.
"It was probably one of my top plays for sure," said Maye. "Just the situation of the game."
Another bad snap on the Steelers' final offensive play, left Hodges scrambling. He picked up the loose ball and threw the ball high over the middle to JuJu Smith-Schuster, himself returning after missing four games with a knee injury.
"They brought pressure and I had to get it out quick to JuJu," Hodges said. "It was one-on-one also and I wanted to give him a chance."
Smith-Schuster got a hand on the ball but couldn't bring it down.
"It’s frustrating," Smith-Schuster said. "It’s more frustrating when you’re the guy that can make a play and I didn’t make the play. It’s not the first time I’ve let down my team, let down Steelers fans. It’s the worst feeling in the world."
Not as bad as having your playoff hopes in your hands and losing the last two games when a postseason berth was within your grasp.
"It sucks to have your playoff hopes in the hands of somebody else," Washington said. "(Especially) when you can just go ahead and solidify that."
But that's the spot in which the Steelers find themselves.
The Steelers need to win next week in Baltimore -- with Rudolph unlikely to be an option to play because of his injured shoulder -- and hope the Titans lose at Houston. Both the Ravens and Texans have already clinched playoff spots and could be resting starters.
There are some other scenarios in which they can get in if both teams lose, but that seems unlikely.
"We put ourselves in this situation," DeCastro said. "We’ll see what happens next week."
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
THE DATA
• The NFL flexed next Sunday’s game to 4:25 p.m so that the Titans and Steelers will be playing at the same time. The Steelers are at Baltimore, the Titans at Houston.
• Bell finished with 93 total yards, getting four receptions for 21 yards to add to his rushing total.
• Rudolph was 14 of 20 for 129 yards and a touchdown with a passer rating of 104.0.
• The Steelers sacked Darnold twice, with Watt recording his career-best 14th sack and Dupree getting one and increasing his career high. He now has 10.5, giving the Steelers their first duo with double digits since James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley in 2010.
• Johnson led the Steelers with eight receptions for 81 yards.
• Conner had 32 rushing yards on six carries before leaving.
• The Steelers had 260 total yards. The Jets gained 259.
• The Steelers were 3 of 14 on third downs. The Jets were 4 of 15.
• Mike Hilton led the Steelers with eight tackles, while Mark Barron, Dupree and Cam Heyward had seven each. Dupree led the team with two tackles for a loss.
THE INJURIES
• James Conner (quad, did not return)
• Maurkice Pouncey (knee, did not return)
• Mason Rudolph (shoulder, did not return)
THE SCHEDULE
The Steelers will head home to Pittsburgh to prepare for their next game, next Sunday at Baltimore. The team will hold film review meetings Monday, with an open locker room from 1:15 to 2 p.m.. Mike Tomlin will hold his weekly press conference Tuesday at noon. I'll have all of the coverage.
THE COVERAGE
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PHOTO GALLERY
Steelers vs. Jets, East Rutherford, N.J. - AP / DKPS