Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger falls back to Earth in upset loss to Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has returned to planet Earth.

In the previous two weeks, Roethlisberger was other-worldly, completing 65 of 86 attempts (75.6 percent) for 862 yards and an NFL-record 12 touchdown passes in a pair of lopsided wins over the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens. For his efforts, the 32-year-old earned back-to-back AFC Player of the Week honors.

But this is the NFL, and fortunes change on a weekly basis. The Steelers fell behind the one-win Jets by 17 in the first quarter, and Roethlisberger struggled all afternoon to dig his team out of the early hole. New York handed Pittsburgh a 20-13 defeat, dropping the Steelers (6-4) to third place in the AFC North.

Still, Big Ben being Big Ben and the Jets being the Jets, Pittsburgh nearly pulled off a late-game comeback. Held to fewer than 100 yards until his final drive of the third quarter, Roethlisberger padded his numbers late before finding Martavis Bryant for an 80-yard touchdown that slashed New York’s lead to 20-13 with just over a minute left. An onside kick failed, though, and Michael Vick kneeled on a rare Jets victory.

In the end, Roethlisberger finished a respectable 30 of 43 for 343 yards and a touchdown, but his two interceptions matched his total from the previous eight weeks. The MVP discussion that started to boil over the past two weeks has slowed to a simmer with Pittsburgh currently outside the playoff picture.