Eliminated: Steelers idle for postseason

A 6-0 loss to the Jets officially ended Pittsburgh's playoff hopes.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- When Curtis Martin saw the sheet of snow blanketing the field at the Meadowlands, he figured he could use it to his advantage.
So he practiced running on the turf a few hours before kickoff to get a feel for the surface. And it paid off.
Martin had one of the best games of his career, running for 174 yards on 30 carries and finishing with 228 all-purpose yards for the New York Jets in their 6-0 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. He also became just the second player in NFL history to top 1,000 yards in nine straight seasons to start a career.
Barry Sanders had 1,000 yards in each of his first 10 seasons.
Special meaning
"It is something that I feel good about," Martin said. "I'm not big on statistics and individual goals, but this one is special to me. I'm only the second person in the world to do this."
Martin also passed John Riggins for 11th place on the career rushing list. Martin has 11,488 career yards.
Doug Brien kicked field goals of 41 and 28 yards in the first half, and the defense turned in its finest performance of the season -- including a goal-line stand at the start of the fourth quarter. It was the first time in more than three years that the Steelers (5-9) were shut out, dating to a 16-0 loss to Baltimore on Sept. 3, 2000.
A winter storm dumped several inches of snow on the Northeast, and the first half was played in a virtual blizzard. Neither passing game was effective, so both teams turned to their running games.
Martin had his biggest game since running for 203 yards against Indianapolis on Dec. 3, 2000, and it was his third-highest figure in a regular-season game. He also had a 56-yard run in the fourth quarter, his longest since Nov. 29, 1998 against Carolina, when he had a 60-yard TD run.
"His consistency speaks for itself," Jets coach Herman Edwards said. "He just keeps running. That was the biggest run that I have ever seen him run, that is for sure."
Bus slowed
Jerome Bettis could not muster the same type of performance for the Steelers, who have one of the worst rushing offenses in the league. But he did pass former Steeler Franco Harris for eighth place on career list, and now has 12,184 yards after finishing with 16 carries for 68 against the Jets (6-8).
Tommy Maddox was not any better, going 16-of-38 for 137 yards. Kicker Jeff Reed missed attempts of 42 and 20 yards wide left. With the loss, the Steelers were officially eliminated from playoff contention.
"There are no excuses," Reed said. "I missed two field goals and we lost by six points. I know the guys won't put it on me, but I take the blame myself."
The Steelers tried to rally. On third-and-goal from the Jets' 6 in the fourth quarter, Maddox threw an interception to Ray Mickens in the end zone. But officials called Aaron Beasley for roughing the passer for making helmet-to-helmet contact.
The Steelers had a new set of downs, but failed to score a touchdown. Reed then missed the 20-yard field goal.
"We've got to stick that in some way," Maddox said. "We had our shots. We had some guys open."
Martin then marched the Jets down the field, and his 56-yard run to the Steelers' 10 looked as though it would ice the game. But on the next play, LaMont Jordan mishandled the handoff from Chad Pennington and fumbled.
Mike Logan recovered for the Steelers. After driving to the Jets' 16, they faced fourth-and-10. But Maddox threw incomplete. The Steelers had one final drive, but Maddox threw incomplete on fourth-and-10 from the 45.
"We're proud of the shutout," Jets defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell said. "We'll take it."