When the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets meet on Sunday afternoon, it’ll be a battle between a Jets team that wants to have a high-powered offense with Aaron Rodgers and Garrett Wilson with the newly acquired Davante Adams against a defensive-minded Steelers team. With players like T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward and Minkah Fitzpatrick, the Steelers defense has talent at every level, and Jets play caller Todd Downing understands just how talented Pittsburgh’s defense is.
“They have some really talented players. They have elite players on every level of the defense. You have to figure out a way that you’re gonna handle some guys up front, and then you gotta figure out ways that you’re gonna make sure you get to linebacker-level defenders. And then they got Fitzpatrick and [Joey] Porter [Jr.] in the back end. Playmakers all over the place,” Downing said via the Jets’ team website.
He said the Jets need to make sure they still play fast and don’t lose sight of their goal while trying to take away Pittsburgh’s defense.
“Obviously, that comes with some intentionality and purpose in terms of making sure people don’t wreck the game,” he said. “We have great respect for the guys on the other side of the line of scrimmage every week, especially this week.”
The Jets’ offense hasn’t been as good as expected this season. That led to a change, the Jets making Downing, the former Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator, their new play caller instead of OC Nathaniel Hackett. This will be just Downing’s second game calling plays for New York’s offense, the first a 23-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills in which New York totaled 393 yards of total offense.
There’s no doubt that New York’s offense will be a difficult one to stop, but the Jets are going to have to go up against a Steelers defense that’s coming off a performance where it forced three turnovers and has been one of the best defenses in football this season. Aaron Rodgers might be the best quarterback Pittsburgh has faced so far this year, though, and the Jets are going to look to open things up for him, especially with Adams in the fold and expected to play.
That’s going to be a big challenge for Pittsburgh’s secondary, and the pass rush is also going to have to get home. That will be easier if Alex Highsmith is able to return from a groin injury, and Mike Tomlin said Tuesday the team is optimistic that the outside linebacker will. It’s going to be a big test for both units, and both teams are desperate for a win. The Jets are 2-4 and hoping to turn their season around while the Steelers are 4-2 and looking to continue to build some momentum in the AFC playoff race.
