The Pittsburgh Steelers delivered a huge statement in their quest for their first division title in four years with a resounding 43-23 win over AFC North rivals Baltimore to climb into second in the division’s standings. They can create further separation from the pack this coming Sunday when they face the struggling New York Jets who are mired in an eight-game losing rut.
Can Big Ben deliver another tour-de-force performance? Or will the Jets stand tall? Read on for a complete preview of this showdown and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of the Sunday Night Football game between division rivals Green Bay and Chicago here.
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Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New York Jets Preview
When: Sunday, November 9, 1:00 PM ET
Where: MetLife Stadium, New Jersey
Line: Pittsburgh Steelers (-4) at New York Jets (+4); total 45.0 – view all NFL lines
Betting on the Pittsburgh Steelers
Ben Roethlisberger showed that last week’s performance was indeed no fluke as he powered the Pittsburgh Steelers to a commanding 43-23 win over division rivals Baltimore Ravens Sunday to stake a major claim in the fascinating AFC North race.
[sc:NFL240banner ]A week after passing for a club-record six touchdowns against Indianapolis, Big Ben was at it again, torching the Ravens with the same number of touchdowns. His 12 touchdown passes over this two-game period broke the record (11) set by Tom Flores for Oakland in the AFL back in 1963 and matched by New England’s Tom Brady seven years ago.
He joined Y.A. Tittle (1962) as the only quarterbacks with a pair of games with at least six touchdown passes in the same season. It isn’t hard to imagine that Roethlisberger will continue this sort of form this coming weekend as he will face a New York Jets team that has been inept on the defensive end this season.
The Jets are the second-worst defensive team in the NFL, allowing a massive 28.0 points per game this season. That’s a frightening thought considering that the Steelers have been unstoppable on the offensive end as of late, averaging 41.3 points in their recent three-game homestand.
Key to Pittsburgh’s offensive surge is the play of their wide receivers Antonio Brown and rookie Martavis Bryant. Brown caught 10 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown in the game against Baltimore and is a close second among receivers this season in the receiving department with a 110.7 yard per game average.
Bryant, on the other hand, has been a revelation for the Steelers. After starting the season on the inactive list, the rookie has made the most of his recent opportunity, grabbing five touchdowns in Pittsburgh’s last three games as teams focus on the versatile Brown. Both are expected to attack the Jets’ secondary which is 12th in the NFL in passing defense this season with a 231.0 YPG clip.
The New York Jets’ horror show continued on Sunday as they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 24-10 to extend their losing streak to a staggering eight games.
It is the Jets’ worst losing streak since going 1-15 in their final year under head coach Rich Kotite back in 1996. The Jets have never lost nine in a row, though, in their entire franchise history, so that will be an embarrassment that they will wish to avoid when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers this coming Sunday.
Beating the Steelers, however, will be such a huge task. First, the Steelers are flying at the moment, going 3-0 in their last three games. Second, Big Ben is just playing out of his mind, completing 65 of 86 passes in his last two games for 862 yards and 12 touchdowns with no interceptions.
So what chance is there of New York scoring a major upset? First off, the Jets now have Percy Harvin to help boost their struggling offense. The former Seahawks star had 11 receptions on 13 targets for 129 yards against the Chiefs, all top-five totals in his career.
The 26-year-old was exceptional against the Chiefs on Sunday, finishing with 78 yards after the catch. He only had 102 yards after the catch in his entire Seahawks career. He finished the game with 225 all-purpose yards and will be the focal point of the Jets’ attack when they square off with the Steelers this coming weekend.
Providing the passes to Harvin is Michael Vick. Vick may not be as versatile as before but he is still miles better than the highly ineffective Geno Smith. Vick completed 21 of 28 passes for 196 yards and a touchdown but the most important stat here is that he didn’t throw any interceptions. With the Jets now limiting their turnovers, they will stand a better chance of beating the Steelers.
Lastly, the Jets have a defense that can stand toe-to-toe with the explosive Pittsburgh offense. The Jets are sixth-best in the NFL in the total defense department allowing just 319.4 yards per game this season. They will need to be at their best, though, against a Steelers offense that is averaging 413.6 yards per game, third-best in the league.
