Scouting the Steelers' Week 4 opponent: New York Jets
The New York Jets will visit Acrisure Stadium at 1 p.m. Sunday to face the Pittsburgh Steelers in a meeting of 1-2 football teams.
Here’s a look at the Steelers’ Week 4 opponent:
The basics
Coach: Robert Saleh, second season (5-15 record)
Record: 1-2
Division: AFC East, third place
Win: Browns (31-30)
Losses: Ravens (24-9), Bengals (27-12)
Stat leaders
Passing: Joe Flacco, 91-155, 901 yards, 5 TDs, 3 INTs
Rushing: Michael Carter, 28-122 yards
Receiving: Garrett Wilson, 18-214 yards, 2 TDs
Tackles: C.J. Mosley, 30 (18 solo)
Sacks: Quinnen Williams, 1.5
Interceptions: Ashtyn Davis, D.J. Reed, 1
2022 storylines
• Zach Wilson, the Jets’ first-round draft pick in 2021 (second overall), has been sidelined since mid-August with a meniscus tear and bone bruise in his knee. He threw for 2,334 yards (55.6 completion percentage) with nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions last season.
Jets coach Robert Saleh said it will be up to Wilson’s doctors to clear him for a possible return this week. In his place, Joe Flacco has thrown for 901 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions.
Coach Saleh says the team will know more about QB Zach Wilson being cleared to play Sunday within the next 24-36 hours. pic.twitter.com/P0kRfGT7Yj
— New York Jets (@nyjets) September 26, 2022
• The Jets could easily be 0-3 if not for a miraculous comeback in a Week 2 victory over the Browns. Trailing 30-17 with less than two minutes remaining, the Jets scored twice to win 31-30.
Flacco quickly hit wide receiver Corey Davis on a 66-yard TD to pull the Jets within 30-24. New York then recovered an onside kick and Flacco drove to the 15 without any timeouts. He then threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to rookie Garrett Wilson (No. 10 overall pick) with 22 seconds left. Greg Zuerlein drilled the point after for the win.
The victory snapped a 13-game losing streak in September games.
• Offensive lineman George Fant also has been battling a knee injury and left Sunday’s loss to the Bengals. The Jets’ banged up offensive line allowed four sacks and nine QB hits on Sunday.
• Cornerback Sauce Gardner, the Jets’ 2022 first-round pick (fourth overall) has made an impact during his rookie campaign with four tackles and two passes defended against the Bengals. He has nine tackles and four PBU this season.
SauceAngel™ pic.twitter.com/1aBDXvzzbH
— New York Jets (@nyjets) September 27, 2022
• The Jets have struggled on offense and defense in the early going but have been solid on special teams. Zuerlein made four field goals in Sunday’s loss and is 6 for 7 this season, all beyond 40 yards. Punter Braden Mann averaged 48.7 yards per boot and has put five inside the 20 this season.
• CBS cameras captured a sideline confrontation Sunday between defensive lineman Quinnen Williams and d-line coach Aaron Whitecotton in the second quarter. Williams was the team’s No. 3 overall pick in the 2019 draft.
Sliding down
• The Jets are 31st out of 32 teams in this week’s ESPN power rankings of all NFL teams, down from 29th last week.
• New York had the league’s worst defense in 2021 and hasn’t improved much despite a heavy effort to improve in free agency and through the draft. The Jets have allowed 27.0 points (27th), 105.3 rushing yards (16th) and 231.0 passing yards (14th) per game.
• Over the past five seasons, the Jets have a record of 31-59.
Last meeting
• The Jets defeated the Steelers, 16-10, on Dec. 22, 2019, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., in the teams’ most recent meeting. Sam Darnold tossed a 23-yard TD pass to Robby Anderson, and Sam Ficken kicked three field goals for the Jets. The Steelers scored on a 49-yard field goal by Chris Boswell and a Diontae Johnson 29-yard TD reception from Mason Rudolph.
Rudolph (14-20, 129 yards) and Devlin “Duck” Hodges (11-17, 84 yards, 2 INTs) both saw time under center for the Steelers.
• The Jets lost 24-19 to the Steelers in the 2010 AFC Championship Game. The Steelers led 24-0 before a Nick Folk 42-yard field goal just before halftime, and March Sanchez threw TD passes to Santonio Holmes and Jerricho Cotchery and the Jets got a safety to make it close.
• The Steelers lead the all-time series 20-6.
Facts and figures
5: Number of touchdowns scored, compared to 10 touchdowns allowed.
17/47: Jets’ third-down conversion rate, a success rate of 36%.
15,333,333: Salary cap hit for DE Carl Lawson, the Jets’ highest-paid player.
-4: Jets’ turnover ratio through three games.
"Any time you turn the ball over four times and get one takeaway, obviously you're never going to win a football game." pic.twitter.com/pCFzcnBNum
— New York Jets (@nyjets) September 25, 2022
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