Former Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum believes his team was a defensive stop away from completing a comeback in the 2010 AFC Championship Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Tannenbaum appeared on the “Around the NFL” podcast on Friday and shared his memories of the Jets’ 24-19 loss. After trailing 24-3 at halftime, Mark Sanchez got the Jets back in the game with two touchdown passes to Santonio Holmes and Jerricho Cotchery in the third and fourth quarter, respectively.
The Jets had one last opportunity to get the football back with a chance to win the game with a touchdown. However, on 3rd and 6 from the Jets’ 40-yard line, Ben Roethlisberger found Antonio Brown for a 13-yard completion to ice the game.
Had the Jets made the third-down stop, Tannenbaum believes Sanchez and the offense would have scored the game-winning touchdown to move them onto Super Bowl XLV.
“One hundred and fifty percent,” Tannenbaum said. “There’s no doubt in my mind.”
The Jets would have had momentum on their side had their defense got the stop. The Jets offense was coming off a 10-play, 58-yard drive that resulted in the Cotchery touchdown, and they were outgaining the Steelers 231-74 in total yards in the second half.
The Jets had a golden opportunity to get themselves back in the game just before the midway point of the fourth quarter, down 24-10. Sanchez had the offense driving down the field, and they set themselves up for a 1st and goal from the Steelers’ two-yard line.
However, on first down, Shonn Greene was only able to gain a yard. On 2nd and goal, Sanchez’s pass was incomplete to Dustin Keller, followed by another incomplete pass to Holmes on 3rd and goal. Instead of kicking the field goal on 4th down, the Jets kept their offense on the field, and LaDainian Tomlinson got stuffed at the one-yard line.
New York had its chances to win the AFC Championship Game, but in the end, it fell just short for the second consecutive season. It wound up being the Jets’ last time in the postseason, as they have been in a 10-year playoff drought since then.
