BY NICK ST. DENIS
When Geno Smith is good, the New York Jets win. When he's bad, they don't.
Coming off a Monday night thriller victory over the Atlanta Falcons in which Smith threw three touchdowns, completed 80 percent of his passes and didn't turn the ball over, the rookie quarterback committed a pair of costly turnovers Sunday in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Smith threw interceptions on the Pittsburgh Steelers' 23- and 13-yard lines in the third and fourth quarter, respectively, missing out on a minimum of six points and a maximum of 14. Gang Green lost by 13.
With that, the Jets have kept their on again-off again routine going through six weeks: W, L, W, L, W, L.
"It seems like it’s different themes, but this season, it starts with the turnovers," Jets coach Rex Ryan said Sunday, via NewYorkJets.com. "If you’re turning the ball over and not getting the takeaways on defense, that’s a recipe for not being consistent or successful.
The Jets have had a hard time forcing turnovers despite boasting one of the NFL's top defenses. New York had just one interception and two forced-and-recovered fumbles heading into Sunday, and it didn't build on that total.
Smith didn't improve the team's turnover differential from his side of the ball, underthrowing an attempted throw-away on his first pick and releasing the ball while getting hit on his second interception.
"Like I said last week, it’s a mindset. I came into this week with the same exact mindset — take care of the ball," Smith said. "It’s just unfortunate that on two occasions, I didn’t get that job done.
"Like I did the weeks before, I’ve got to put it in the back of my memory bank and put it behind me but always remember the times and when I go out there on the field, just be mindful of taking care of the ball, not taking sacks and not throwing interceptions."
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