AFC Steelers own series with Jets

Pittsburgh holds a 14-1 record against New York.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- The New York Jets insist their all-time record against Pittsburgh means nothing.
But bring up the 1-14 mark against the Steelers, and coach Herman Edwards can recite what happened in their lone victory in the series.
"Once in 15 times, 1988 the score was 24-20 and it was here," Edwards said.
Correct. Now the Jets (5-8) go for their second win in the series when they play host to the Steelers (5-8) today in a matchup between two disappointing teams that have been all but eliminated from the playoffs.
Not an incentive
Edwards, one of the best motivators in the league, does not think the poor record against the Steelers gives any added incentive heading into the game.
"I think the motivation for us is to win a game again," Edwards said. "You can use all those things if you choose to do that, but some of these guys weren't even born.
"They don't know what happened 15 years ago. They were blowing their nose trying to get ice cream cones. So I don't use a whole lot of that."
Perhaps the most significant part of the game is the milestones both running backs are set to reach. Curtis Martin of the Jets needs 47 yards to become the second running back in NFL history with 1,000 in each of first nine seasons. Barry Sanders is the other.
And Steelers back Jerome Bettis only needs 5 yards to go past Franco Harris and into eighth place in NFL career rushing.
After a 24-17 win over Tennessee on Monday night two weeks ago, the Jets seemed reinvigorated. The playoffs were not completely out of reach, and late-season rallies are an Edwards specialty.
But they completely flopped last week against Buffalo, losing 17-6. Edwards said the Bills played with more intensity in the second half, in which Travis Henry dominated. He finished with a career-high 169 yards despite a hairline break just above his right ankle and torn rib cartilage.
Even though they have no postseason to play for, a first under Edwards, the Jets do not expect any quitters in the final three games of the season. Center Kevin Mawae remembered his rookie season in Seattle, in which the Seahawks were out of the race and just went their separate ways following the finale.
"This is the first time we find ourselves in a situation where there's no shot of us getting in," Mawae said. "What some players tend to do is shut it down, say we're not playing for anything, just get through these next three weeks and go home. The message is that we're not going to do that, we're not going to give up."
The Steelers hope to do the same. After beating Oakland last week, the Steelers are going after consecutive victories for first time this season. They haven't won consecutive games since winning four in a row immediately before their playoff loss to Tennessee last year.