Jones in spotlight as Steeler QB again
PITTSBURGH — Landry Jones has the closer role down pat. The Pittsburgh Steelers backup quarterback has done the best work of his brief NFL career in relief, throwing a pair of touchdowns to spark a victory over Arizona last month and coming off the bench late Sunday to lead a game-winning drive in the final seconds against Oakland.
“I should sprint out there like John Rocker used to,” Jones said, referring to the former MLB closer.
He’ll likely get the luxury of trotting onto the field as the starter next weekend against Cleveland with Ben Roethlisberger almost certainly unavailable with a left foot injury. Jones is hoping for a better performance than the one he put together in a Week 7 loss to Kansas City, when he completed just 16 of 29 passes for 209 yards with a touchdown and two picks in his first start since his senior year at Oklahoma.
If it rattled Jones’ confidence, it hardly showed when he was suddenly thrust into the game midway through the fourth quarter on Sunday after Roethlisberger hopped to the sideline with his left foot in serious pain after getting sacked by Oakland defensive end Aldon Smith. Jones connected on his first three passes and his final completion turned into a 57-yard catch-and-run by Antonio Brown that set up Chris Boswell’s chip shot from 18 yards with 2 seconds left.
“We’re going to play to win regardless of who is in there,” Jones said.
The Steelers (5-4) have little wiggle room if they want to make any headway in the crowded AFC playoff picture. While the division title is almost certainly out of the question thanks to unbeaten Cincinnati, Pittsburgh still likes its chances even with an injury list that seems to grow by the week.
“We’ve got to rally around Landry,” defensive end Cam Heyward said. “Landry’s had a couple of starts and a couple of plays in. We expect there not to be a drop-off and we’re praying for Ben to get back healthy.”
The schedule at least offers the Steelers a bit of a break. Cleveland and its jumbled mess at quarterback visits Heinz Field on Sunday, a place the Browns haven’t won since 2003. Pittsburgh then gets a needed week off before starting a six-game stretch to end the season that includes road trips to Seattle and Cincinnati.
“If we can run the table and do some things, I think we’ve got a shot,” Jones said.
