The New York Jets blew their opportunity to make the NFL playoffs on the final weekend of the regular season on Sunday, which opened the door for the Pittsburgh Steelers to sneak in and grab the AFC’s final wild-card spot.
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Going against former coach Rex Ryan and the division foes the Buffalo Bills, New York suffered a 22-17 loss in a turnover-laden contest.
Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick threw three interceptions on the day, all on the final three Jets’ drives, including one in the red zone with New York trailing by two.
The offence had one last, improbable chance when they received the ball back at their own 18-yard line with 44 seconds left. A deep bomb down the right sideline by Fitzpatrick was nearly hauled in by Kenbrell Thompkins, but the wide receiver failed to bring in what could have potentially been a game-winning touchdown.
Look of shock, disbelief on face of every player going into locker room #Jets pic.twitter.com/07wXcdXnJj
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) January 3, 2016
The drive, game and the Jets’ season ended on the next play when A.J. Tarpley picked off Fitzpatrick near midfield. New York will miss the playoffs for a fifth-straight season, with Ryan, who was at the helm the last time the team made it in 2010, ending their hopes.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, meanwhile, took care of business on their end with a 28-12 victory over the Cleveland Browns to earn the final available postseason berth.
Ben Roethlisberger peppered go-to target Antonio Brown for 17 targets, 13 of which the wide receiver caught for 187 yards and a touchdown.
The Steelers quarterback, who was forced to sling the ball after running back DeAngelo Williams was carted off the field with a leg injury in the second quarter, finished with 349 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.
In the AFC South, the Houston Texans cruised to a comfortable 30-6 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars to wrap up the division title and crush the slim hopes of the Indianapolis Colts.
Josh Freeman and Ryan Lindley combined at quarterback to push the Colts to a 30-24 victory over the Tennessee Titans, but Indianapolis needed a long list of results to claim the division for a third straight time.