It is always fun to pick out the most impactful matchups to watch ahead of each game, and for the Pittsburgh Steelers versus the New York Jets on Sunday Night Football, one of the ones to circle is WR George Pickens against CB Sauce Gardner.
Pickens regards himself as a top-five receiver, while Gardner is definitely one of the top young corners in the league. They were both drafted in 2022. Gardner was the fourth overall draft pick by the Jets, while Pickens was the No. 52 overall selection in the second round by the Steelers.
We will definitely see that matchup at times on Sunday, but Mike Tomlin is uncertain if they will be matched, with Gardner following Pickens around in coverage. Tomlin was asked if Pickens was excited about that matchup.
“I’m sure he is. Whether or not he gets it remains to be seen,” Tomlin said on The Mike Tomlin Show with Bob Pompeani via the team website. “They’re sort of unpredictable about whether they match. They got another quality corner in D.J. Reed, who is a really good player in his own right. And oftentimes, they play it right and left regardless of who the receivers are. And so, if given that matchup, obviously, we’ll be excited about it. But we got no control over it. They do, and they’ve proven already that sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t.”
One thing that could obviously impact the decision is the fact that Reed failed to practice all week and was labeled questionable with a groin injury. If he is unable to suit up, I would imagine they will indeed just shadow Pickens with Gardner.
It may be because of the difficulty of the matchups, but Reed has actually outperformed Gardner this season. Per Pro Football Focus, Gardner is a bottom-ten corner in the league through six weeks. He is only two spots above Beanie Bishop Jr. on the list of adjusted passer ratings when targeted. They have him charted as allowing 10 receptions on 12 targets for 136 yards and a touchdown for an adjusted passer rating allowed of 141.7. Reed, in comparison, is the 10th-best corner on that list, with 11 receptions allowed on 18 targets for 112 yards and zero touchdowns. His adjusted rating allowed is 78.9.
That probably explains why they often play sides instead of matched and highlights how notable it could be if they are missing Reed. Normally, a player who doesn’t practice at all would be labeled doubtful or out, so the fact that he is labeled questionable tells me he is more likely to play, and they were giving him as much time as possible to rest his groin injury.
Russell Wilson is in line to start for the first time this season. There are things the Steelers gain and lose with the move from Justin Fields to Wilson, but the intermediate and deep passing is firmly in favor of Wilson. His touch placement is among the best in the league, even at 35 years old. If Reed is missing, that could mean big things for Wilson.
