After dropping their last two games, the Pittsburgh Steelers limp back home to take on the New York Jets in the fourth week of the season. In what showed so much hope and promise in the preseason, Mitch Trubisky and the offense continue to have troubles with the ball and points are becoming more and more rare.
The Steelers' Mitch Trubisky gets ready for practice before taking on the Jets in Week 4 in Pittsburgh, PA. | Credit: Abigail Dean/Pittsburgh Steelers
In a week where fans were hoping to see the rookie Kenny Pickett get the start after an extended week off, head coach Mike Tomlin committed himself to Trubisky getting the start this week and staying the course with the offense. Meanwhile, the defense is struggling to make up for the major absence of T.J. Watt and is looking to avoid going another week allowing over 370 yards. We typically don’t see a ‘must-win’ game so early in the season in Pittsburgh, but with a 1-2 record, this game is exactly that.
MYBOOK PICKS OF THE WEEK -- WEEK 4
Cleveland Browns AT Atlanta Falcons (+1) -- LOCK IN THE UNDERDOG BROWNS
Tennessee Titans AT Indianapolis Colts (-4.5) -- LOCK IN THE UNDERDOG TITANS
New York Jets AT Pittsburgh Steelers (-3.5) LOCK IN THE STEELERS
Let’s take a look at some things we can look forward to when the Steelers take on the Jets.
MATCHUPS AT A GLANCE
Offense: It is tough to pinpoint what exactly we should watch on offense. Fans are getting restless with every offensive possession and are anxious for a touchdown. But in order to get to that point, the offense has to maintain control of the ball for longer than three plays. Therefore, the first matchup I’m watching is the offense versus third down.
While this may sound like an odd matchup, this could be the difference in winning and losing. Pittsburgh is an abysmal 13 for 39 so far this season on third down. Last week in Cleveland, they only converted a single third down. Meanwhile, New York has allowed opponents a third-down conversion percentage of over 51 percent. This is the second-worst in the entire league. This game is poised to have a large amount of third downs, and whoever is able to convert the most will win. This is a great chance for the offense to maintain drives and keep their defense off the field.
Steelers' Head Coach Mike Tomlin works to get the offense ready to take on the Jets in Pittsburgh, PA. | Credit: Abigail Dean/Pittsburgh Steelers
The second matchup I’m watching is the pass catchers versus Jordan Whitehead and rookie Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner. Trubisky keeps insisting he’s looking to be more aggressive with his throws and wants to get the ball downfield more consistently. Whitehead makes his homecoming back to Pittsburgh and is a key component to their defensive unit. He’ll most likely be covering the middle of the field watching Chase Claypool and Pat Freiermuth.
Although he’s a rookie, Gardner has been impressive on the outside and will likely be squaring off against fellow rookie George Pickens or Miles Boykin on the outside. Pickens proclaimed he is “open about 90 percent of the time” while ESPN’s Seth Walder thinks a bit differently. This test against Gardner will be the biggest test Pickens has faced thus far and he’ll need to put his money where his mouth is to prove his proclamation.
Defense: New York hasn’t featured a decent offensive attack in several years. However, a pair of young running backs and a rookie wide receiver are looking to change that. Therefore, the first matchup to watch is running backs Breece Hall and Michael Carter versus Myles Jack and Devin Bush. The combination of Hall and Carter is a mix of speed and physicality that will be a tough task for Bush and Jack. They are averaging a healthy 4.8 yards per carry between them and are also key contributors as pass catchers. If Jack and Bush can keep a lid on their involvement and wrap them up before getting to the next level, good things will happen.
The other matchup to watch is rookie Garrett Wilson versus Levi Wallace and Arthur Maulet. With Ahkello Witherspoon missing this week’s action with a hamstring injury, Wallace moved up to the starting spot and has a tough test in covering Wilson. Wilson is averaging just under 12 yards-per-reception with a pair of touchdowns. With Wilson spending a lot of the time lined up in the slot, Maulet will be rotated in to help relieve Wallace on some situational instances.
Maulet and Wallace are going to have a busy day with Wilson, as Wilson is seeing about a third of the total receiver targets and is targeted in the red zone about half of the time. The Jets know how dangerous he can be with the ball, and Wallace and Maulet are going to need to lock him down if the defense wants to get off the field consistently.
The Steelers' Devin Bush gets ready to take on the Jets' running back duo in Pittsburgh, PA. | Credit: Abigail Dean/Pittsburgh Steelers
PREDICTION
As this season progresses, it seems as though a lot has to happen for the Steelers to come away with a win. This was evident in the first game, and we quickly learned how bad the offense truly is. In what could be the final test of the ‘Trubisky experiment’, it is hard to trust the offense to maintain long drives and put points on the board. Prediction, Steelers, 16, Jets, 24.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Although the Steelers hold a 20-6 all-time record against the Jets, Tomlin has had his fair share of struggles. Tomlin is 4-4 against the Jets, but is only 3-4 in the regular season. Most of his struggles have been on the road, but home games have been a different story. Since 2007, Tomlin is 3-1 at home against the Jets with the only loss coming in 2010. In the month of October, the Steelers are a dominant 6-1 against the Jets all-time with the only loss coming in 1988. For the Steelers in October overall, they are 26-10 since 2012 and are 14-3 in the last five seasons. Tomlin is 40-15 all-time in the month of October.
One final note, this is the Steelers’ second of three quarterbacks from the AFC East division they’ll be facing for the first time in 2022. They saw Mac Jones a couple of weeks ago, Zach Wilson this week, and are slated to see Tua Tagovailoa later in October.
What are you watching for on Sunday? What do you think the final outcome will be? Let us know in the comments below!
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