New York Jets Three Keys to Success vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Here are three keys to success for the New York Jets as they prepare for their next game with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

East Rutherford, NJ -- October 14, 2024 -- Garrett Wilson of the Jets is taken down in the first half. The Buffalo Bills came to MetLife Stadium to play the NY Jets. The Jets played their first game under new interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich. / Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As if the New York Jets needed any more drama going into their game with Pittsburgh on Sunday, the offense has a shiny new toy. And the defense may not be getting that disgruntled edge rusher back after all.

First, the good news. The Jets (2-4) executed a trade to get Las Vegas wide receiver Davante Adams and pair him with quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The pair were highly productive together in Green Bay and the Jets are hoping for the same thing.

Meanwhile, while disgruntled edge rusher Hasson Reddick has hired a new agent, the Jets have given his new representation, Drew Rosenhaus, a little time to shop Reddick around for a trade. That doesn't mean the Pro Bowl pass rusher is out the door. Rosenhaus is doing a market check.  If Reddick is willing to play ball and come back, he makes the Jets defense all the better.

After squandering an opportunity to beat Buffalo, the Jets have to go on the road and try to steal one in one of the hardest places to play in the NFL.

Here are the Jets’ three keys to success in this game.

What Will Davante Do?

Adams showed up at the team facility on Tuesday and passed a physical to complete the trade. That doesn't necessarily mean Adams is healthy and ready to go. The hamstring issue that kept him out of the last three games bears monitoring. It wouldn't be surprising to see him pop up on the injury report as a limited participant.

Assuming Adams can play on Sunday, the question becomes how best to utilize him in the game plan? He may be ready for a full workload physically, but is he ready for a full workload mentally with this playbook? Especially since play caller Todd Downing is reworking things to make the offense more productive? How the Jets integrate Adams into their offense on short notice can be a benefit or a hindrance, depending upon how they do it.

Keep the Pre-Snap Movement

Remember when Rodgers wasn't a big fan of pre-snap motion? Well, Downing made some obvious adjustments to the offense and one was to use a lot of pre-snap motion. Per Jets X Factor, New York used pre-snap motion on a season high 72.9% of their plays against the Bills. On those plays the Jets averaged 7.7 yards. That certainly had something to do with Rodgers throwing for nearly 300 yards, Breece Hall rushing for more than 100 yards and two different receivers finishing with more than 100 yards receiving. The adjustments had an obvious impact on the offense. Now, New York has to turn that into a win.

Slow Down the Run

How worried should the Jets be after rookie Ray Davis dropped 97 yards rushing on them? Well, as a team Buffalo rushed for 149 yards or 4.5 yards per carry. The Bills were productive and that's been a bit of a trend as the Jets’ run defense has been a little leaky. The return of Leki Fotu didn’t translate like the Jets had hoped. The Steelers are balancing their run game between running back Najee Harris and quarterback Justin Fields. That presents interesting defensive scheme adjustments for coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. New York must account for slowing down Harris and not lose containment when Fields runs the ball.