New York Jets Stumbling Into Key AFC Contest with Pittsburgh Steelers

The New York Jets prepare to head to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers in a Sunday night showdown at Acrisure Stadium.

Oct 14, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets running back Breece Hall (20) runs with the ball against the Buffalo Bills during the first half at MetLife Stadium. / Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

The New York Jets will take a three-game losing streak into their Sunday night showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

It was a bittersweet loss to the Buffalo Bills on Monday, as the Jets (2-4) had plenty of chances to win the game but missed two field goals, went 1-for-4 in the red zone and saw quarterback Aaron Rodgers throw a late interception as his receiver slid to the ground while trying to get back to the football.

This will be the second week of the Jeff Ulbrich era. No doubt the interim head coach has plenty of adjustments to make after his first week in charge of the team. Same goes for new offensive play-caller Jeff Downing, who was calling the signals from the sidelines for the first time this season.

But there could be more drama off the field once again, but it may end up being positive. Holdout pass rusher Haason Reddick has a new agent, Drew Rosenhaus, and he’s engaging with the team to try and get the holdout to end.

There is positive news coming out of New York as they traded for Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams, even before the owners’ meeting in Atlanta on Tuesday where some speculated a deal would be made.

The Steelers (4-2) are coming off a win over Las Vegas, so momentum will be on their side as well.

Pittsburgh traded for two quarterbacks in the offseason — Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Most expected Wilson to be the starter, but an injury set him back and Fields has taken control of the position, so much so that Wilson is, for the moment, the backup.

The Steelers’ offensive coordinator is Arthur Smith, one of four play-callers former Jets head coach Robert Saleh was rumored to be trying to hire in the offseason.

Here is a preview of the Jets and Steelers.

New York Jets at Pittsburgh Steelers

Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh

Time, Day: 8:20 p.m., ET, Sunday

TV: NBC

Radio: 104.3 FM (flagship)

Records: Jets: 2-3; Steelers: 4-2

Last week: New York Jets lost to Buffalo, 23-20; Pittsburgh def. Las Vegas, 32-13.

Coaches: Jets — Jeff Ulbrich (interim, 0-1 with Jets and for career); Steelers — Sean McDermott (18th year, 177-102-2 with Steelers and overall).

Fun fact: Both Ulbrich and Tomlin came up coaching the defensive side of the ball. Tomlin was a defensive backs coach and the defensive coordinator for Minnesota in 2006 before taking over the Steelers.

All-Times Series: Pittsburgh leads series, 20-7.

Last meeting: New York Jets 24, Pittsburgh 20 (Oct. 2, 2022)

Series notes: Because the Jets (AFL) and the Steelers (NFL) were in different leagues until the merger, they didn’t play each other until 1970. Pittsburgh won the first nine meetings and New York didn’t win a meeting until 1988.  

About the Jets: On one hand the Jets offense looked like it had life with Downing calling the plays on Monday. Rodgers threw for nearly 300 yards, Breece Hall rushed for more than 100 yards and two different Jets receivers had more than 100 yards receiving. But, the unit had trouble in the red zone and the offensive line had way too many holding penalties.

Ulbrich was doing double duty, calling defensive plays and acting as head coach. The Jets defense had a rough first half but came back and held the Bills to just three points in the final 30 minutes. Ordinarily, that would be enough to win the game. In fact, one could argue that most weeks the Jets defense has done enough to win the game.

Kicker Greg Zuerlein is likely to be under a bit more pressure this week after missing two field goals in the second half. Both bounced off the uprights in windy conditions at MetLife Stadium. Either could have given the Jets the lead before Buffalo took the lead for good.

About the Steelers: Pittsburgh is the model of stability. Same ownership for decades. Three head coaches (Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher, Tomlin) since the 1969 season. All three head coaches have won at least one Super Bowl. The franchise has six in all.

But, the retirement of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger after the 2021 season has challenged the franchise like no other since the retirement of Terry Bradshaw in the 1980s. The Steelers have weathered it well. The Steelers are 23-17 since Roethlisberger retired, which includes last season’s playoff berth.

Quarterback has been an inconsistent spot, but Justin Fields — the first-round pick and castoff from the Bears — seems to have solidified it this season, even with veteran Russell Wilson now healthy.

The defense? Well, it’s the Steelers and they have pass rusher T.J. Watt, quite possibly the best overall defender in the NFL. The unit is doing its job. Some things in Pittsburgh don’t change.  

Next Up: The Jets travel to New England on Oct. 27. The Steelers host the New York Giants on Oct. 28.