Le'Veon Bell Has 93 Total Yards as Jets Win Revenge Game vs. Steelers

Le'Veon Bell got his first shot against his old team Sunday and made it count as the New York Jets earned a 16-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.  

Bell finished with 93 yards from scrimmage, fourth-most this season, in the Week 16 battle in MetLife Stadium. The running back earned three Pro Bowls in five seasons in Pittsburgh but sat out all of 2018 due to a contract dispute before leaving in free agency this offseason.

Though the season hasn't gone as expected, Bell got some revenge against his former team while lifting the Jets to 6-9.

Pittsburgh (8-7) remains in playoff contention, but the road to the No. 6 seed has gotten tougher with the loss.

Notable Stats

• Sam Darnold, QB, Jets: 16-of-26, 183 passing yards, 1 TD
• Le'Veon Bell, RB, Jets: 25 carries, 72 rushing yards, 4 catches, 21 receiving yards
• Robby Anderson, WR, Jets: 2 catches, 32 receiving yards, 1 TD
• Devlin Hodges, QB, Steelers: 11-of-17, 84 passing yards, 2 INTs
• James Conner, RB, Steelers: 6 carries, 32 rushing yards
• Diontae Johnson, WR, Steelers: 8 catches, 81 receiving yards, 1 TD

Bell Keys Jets Offense in Win

The Jets did their best to feature Bell early, which led to plenty of success in the first quarter.

It also opened things up in the passing attack for Sam Darnold.

There wasn't a lot of offense after that with only a few field-goal drives, but the defense did enough to keep the team in front.

Bell then came up big again on the final drive, gaining a key first-down run on third down and then putting the team into field-goal range to extend the lead to 16-10.

The numbers weren't overly impressive, but the running back made key plays when needed, and that was enough to help his team win in a low-scoring battle.

With 29 touches on 60 offensive plays, Bell's impact in this one was clear.

Duck Struggles to Generate Offense for Pittsburgh

Devlin Hodges got the start despite his four-interception game last week, but he wasn't any better against the Jets with two first-half picks.

It was enough for the Steelers to make a switch and put Mason Rudolph back under center.

Rudolph played well, generating some of the only offense of the day for Pittsburgh.

However, a shoulder injury forced him out of the game, leading to more Hodges.

The second chance wasn't any better, as the Steelers failed to keep drives alive on two drives leading to punts. With one final chance to get a go-ahead touchdown, the offense turned it over on downs.

It leaves a lot of question marks at the position for Pittsburgh going forward.

What's Next?

The Steelers will hope to secure a playoff spot in Week 17 with a road game against the Baltimore Ravens, who could be resting their top players having clinched the AFC's No. 1 seed. The Jets close their season against the Buffalo Bills, who also have nothing to play for after clinching the No. 5 seed Saturday.