Heavy on Jets
The New York Jets and the Pittsburgh Steelers face off in Week 7 on Sunday Night Football.
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New York Jets – Pittsburgh Steelers Pre-Game Chatter
Things to watch in the Jets versus Steelers game…
Tae Day
The shiniest new object at One Jets Drive is here to distract the Jets fanbase and media members from the fact that this ‘Super Bowl contender’ is a complete dumpster fire that booted their coach and hasn’t done anything at a top level this season. Perhaps Davante Adams was a firefighter in his past life and will be able to put this fire out – but I’m not sure how much his known expertise in receiving will impact the ultimate result of games.
I was one of the fans who inquired if he can kick field goals or play on the offensive line. Still, I wholeheartedly acknowledge that if Aaron can get the ball out quickly and Davante moves those chains consistently, those other things will become less relevant. For those plays we’ve seen this year where it looks like a receiver is going one way and Rodgers is thinking another, Joe Douglas has done his best to eradicate them. Rodgers now has two talented WRs who have played with him for years, know how he thinks and what he likes, and runs routes accordingly.
For that third talented WR, Garrett Wilson, has been a consistent separator since his rookie season whose catch radius goes much beyond his frame so even when he’s not necessarily on the same page with Aaron we’ve seen him make adjustments to still complete the catch. Speaking about his rookie season, this will be the first game since then that Garrett isn’t targeted by the opposing team’s top cornerback. Garrett now has a bonafide opportunity to supplant guys like Tee Higgins and Chris Godwin as the league’s most dangerous WR2.
Are there any numbers or metrics to look for here? I found it funny that the one game in which both Lazard and Wilson had 100+ yards and a TD was the game that they decided to trade for Davante, who had those same numbers in 1 of the 3 games he played this year with Gardner Minshew as his QB.
I’m curious to see quite a few things: what will the target share look like amongst those 3 wideouts? Will Breece Hall, the most prolific pass-catching RB in the league, still be a factor in the passing game? Are there any scraps left for Conklin/Ruckert? It just seems like too much for any opposing defensive coordinators to try to figure out.
Had Rodgers not thrown that interception on that miscommunication with Mike Williams, he was destined to get his first 300-yard passing game as a Jet and his first one in nearly 3 full years (Nov. 2021). He finished with 294 yards instead. In 6 games this season, the Steelers have only allowed a 300-yard game through the air once: 352 yards to Dak Prescott’s Cowboys. Are the stars aligning this week to make way for Aaron to finally accomplish this achievement again?
No Matter Watt
TJ Watt has been one of the best edge rushers in the NFL for several years now and there is no end in sight for his reign of terror. Ultimately, he will most likely end up in the Hall of Fame, just like current Jets LT Tyron Smith, but in 2024 Watt vs Smith seems like the mismatch of a century. Tyron has clearly lost a step (or three) this season as he’s struggled to protect Rodgers in a variety of situations.
A man who has given up 5 sacks going against a man who has 4.5 sacks but wrecks the game consistently on all plays, not just passing plays. Please don’t forget the holding call Tyron accrued that wiped away a Braelon Allen touchdown this past Monday night. It’s been bad so far, and the only reason why it doesn’t look worse is because Aaron Rodgers’s 2.55 seconds it takes him to throw on average is the third fastest in the league. For Jets fans, this is a stark contrast to the Zach Wilson era where he had the longest time to throw and ate so many horrible sacks because he couldn’t read the field.
Aaron is the best in the league at reading the play before the snap, has been getting the ball out quickly, but still getting beat up due to the steep decline of Smith. TJ Watt’s defense is second in the league in points allowed per game (14.3), 4th in rushing yards allowed per game (85.5), and 6th in takeaways per game. This is one of the league’s toughest defenses and while we just discussed how exciting the Jets’ skill position players are, I’d imagine Rodgers won’t be able to complete passes from his back.
Is there anything new play-caller Todd Downing can do to get the Steelers’ defense out of position or dial up more protection for Aaron to give him those extra milliseconds to make magic happen?
Danger Russ?
Ciara and I are probably the only people outside of the Steelers facility who aren’t shocked to see that Russell Wilson is starting this week for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Russell was signed in the offseason with the full intent of playing QB1 and Tomlin showed full confidence in him all summer. An injury robbed him of the ability to start the season but people ran with the media narrative that this was a sign of this ‘steep decline’ of Russell Wilson.
Russell Wilson had 26 touchdowns last year for the Denver Broncos, good for 9th in the NFL. He is the only person in the top 10 who played less than 16 games (he played 15 because Sean Payton hated his guts and benched him for the final two games of the season). His 8 interceptions were the fewest of anyone in the top 10, meaning that his 26:8 TD:INT ratio was one of the absolute best in the league. Out of players who started in 14+ games, only Lamar Jackson and C.J. Stroud had better ratios.
Keep in mind that his coach hated him all year and that his supporting cast wasn’t in the same stratosphere as the supporting casts of the other QBs who were in the top 10. Feeling the pressure of ESPN constantly calling him washed, he also rushed for 300+ yards for the first time in years and added 3 TDs on the ground. He also had 4(!) game-winning drives last season, including wins against the Packers, Bills, and Vikings.
Before you scoff at how impressive that is, take time to realize that Aaron Rodgers has had three straight opportunities to secure a game-winning drive and miserably failed all three times. Russell didn’t have Garett catching out Breece in the backfield he was making things work with Courtland Sutton and Jaleel McLaughlin.
Thinking that the Steelers willingly downgraded at QB makes no sense, especially coming from one of the most widely respected and longest-tenured coaches in the NFL today, Mike Tomlin. Tomlin chose Russell back in March and his belief hasn’t wavered. Russell knows that this is his last chance and he has nothing left to lose with everything to gain – a dangerous combination for the New York Jets to go up against.
Russell is certainly a more accurate and willing thrower than Fields, but the underrated aspect is that even at 35 he’s still willing to use his legs to get first downs. We’ve seen that be a consistent weakness for the Jets this week with Will Levis, Bo Nix, and Josh Allen all moving the chains against the Jets with their legs this season. Last year, Wilson was 6th among QBs in rushing yards per game (minimum of 14 games played) so thinking he’s a statue would be a grave mistake.
Can the Jets defense stifle his motivation, can Will McDonald put him on his back (without getting a penalty)? Can the Jets secondary cause a rare turnover from this Steelers offense? Let’s go Jets
Game info
Time/TV: Sunday 8:15 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock
Spread: -2 Jets | Moneyline: Steelers (+110), Jets (-130)
Total: 38.5
Site: Acrisure Stadium
Announcers: Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Cris Collinsworth (analyst)
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Heavy on Jets Hub