Looking Ahead to Pittsburgh
Darrelle Revis called last week’s game against Seattle a “must-win” for the Jets. Well if last week was a “must-win,” then the level of urgency coming into this week’s game in Pittsburgh is through the roof, and it’s not getting any easier for New York. Revis will likely sit this one out with a strained hamstring, along with guard Brian Winters, who’s out with a concussion, and Eric Decker, who continues to nurse a partially torn rotator cuff.
New York is coming off a 27-17 loss to Seattle, a game in which Ryan Fitzpatrick turned the ball over three times and an injured Russell Wilson torched this Jets secondary. The Jets sit at 1-3, but head coach Todd Bowles assures fans that “The season is not over.” This team knew that they faced a challenge starting the season with the schedule they have. Facing five playoff teams in the first six teams, three of which are on the road, isn’t exactly a recipe for early success, and the Jets know they have the better part of their season ahead of them. They can start that off by beating a tough Steelers team in Heinz Field, a feat that New York has only pulled off once in their history, back in 2010.
Unfortunately for the Jets, they’re not catching the Steelers at the right time. Pittsburgh is coming off their best showing of the season with a blowout of Kansas City, a game marked by five touchdown passes from Big Ben and the return of Le’Veon Bell, who carried the ball 18 times for 144 yards in his season debut. The Steelers are coming in hot, and if the New York can’t slow them down early, it’ll be another long day for Jets fans.
For the Jets, it’s all about defense, the strength of that defense is up front. The defensive line has to continue to dominate the line of scrimmage and take away the run game. The Jets have the league’s second-ranked run defense, and they’ll need to hit Bell early and often in the backfield. The Steelers offense is so multidimensional, and if the run game is strong, it opens everything up in the passing game. For the Jets, it all starts with nose tackle Steve McClendon, who has done his best Damon Harrison impression through four games, and now faces a Steelers offense he knows all too well. McClendon has been pivotal in stopping the run, and he faces his toughest matchup yet across from center Maurkice Pouncey.
Stopping the running game early forces Pittsburgh to look to the passing game to score, which is something they’re more than accustomed to. It’s no secret that Darrelle Revis hasn’t played up to expectations this season, but missing him in this game is a huge loss to a secondary that has really struggled. If Bowles has any plans on containing Antonio Brown, he’s going to have to assign two guys to do it. Brown caught two more touchdowns last week, and he simply can’t be covered one-on-one by the likes of Marcus Williams or rookie Juston Burris. Of course, this will create unfavorable matchups against receivers like Sammie Coates and Markus Wheaton, and it’s been those type of guys that have burned the Jets the past few weeks. But Bowles still has confidence in his secondary, and he attributes the susceptibility to big play more to “miscommunication” than a lack of ability. Brandon Marshall says the defense has had a “championship week” at practice, and the hope is that they can bounce back.
Even if the Jets defense shows up this week, limiting Pittsburgh to less than 25 points is a tall task, and the offense really needs to come to play, something they’ve failed to do since week two in Buffalo. Ideally, Matt Forte would lead the way as he did through the first two games, but he’s been slowed down the past couple weeks, and a matchup against the Steelers third-ranked run defense won’t do him any favors. However, Forte’s greatest strength lies in his ability to catch passes, and with Decker out and Quincy Enunwa listed as questionable, the Jets need to look to throw to their running backs more. Last week, Bilal Powell was able to continuously convert on third and long, catching six passes for 54 yards. It looks like the backs might play a bigger role in the passing game this week in order to boost Fitzpatrick’s confidence through short completions, with Bowles saying of Fitz, “He can’t put the game on his shoulders and try to be Superman. If it’s not there, it’s not there.”
It’s no secret that the bulk of Fitzpatrick’s passes will be headed Brandon Marshall’s way, and Marshall will look to gain some momentum coming off his first touchdown grab of the season. Marshall is the vocal leader of this team, and if his team is to be behind him, he needs to put up a big performance this week in the absence of other weapons on that side of the ball. The Steelers have the league’s third worst pass defense, and Marshall should have a field day if the Jets can get him the ball enough. He’s been plagued by drops, and slipping on routes, but if he can play his A-game this week, the Jets have a shot at the upset.
Nobody needs to come out and call this week a “must-win” for New York. It goes without saying, and if they don’t pull it off, there will be a lot of questions going forward in the Big Apple.