The Jets are back in prime time again this week after a loss to the Bills on Monday night, and at 2-4, they are in full desperation mode.
That showed in their mid-week trade for Davante Adams, who gives Aaron Rodgers a familiar target and another dynamic weapon.
But will it be enough to beat the Steelers on Sunday night? Let’s dive into the matchup and make a prediction.
When the Jets have the ball
Rodgers bounced back from a rough showing against the Vikings in London, producing 294 passing yards at an 8.4 YPA clip, both season-high marks.
With Adams, Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall, the team’s passing attack suddenly has a plethora of explosive weapons.
The offense wasn’t perfect against Buffalo, but the change from Nathaniel Hackett to Todd Downing as the play-caller paid immediate dividends.
Downing implemented a season-high 70 percent rate of 11 pers onnel in the first half and a 72.9 percent rate of pre-snap motion.
Both aspects helped Rodgers get into a better rhythm, and the introduction of Adams will only make the offense more dangerous.
The Steelers defense ranks very high, allowing the second-fewest points per game (14.3), but their schedule to this point has been highly questionable.
They’ve played Kirk Cousins in his first game back from injury, a rookie in Bo Nix, a hobbled Justin Herbert, second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson, a struggling Dak Prescott and 2023 fourth-round pick Aidan O’Connell.
By a wide margin, Rodgers will be the toughest test they have had this year, especially in the Jets’ new-look offense.
When the Steelers have the ball
Despite a 4-2 start to the season, the Steelers have decided to pass the starting quarterback reins to Russell Wilson.
Justin Fields is coming off his two worst games from a Pro Football Focus grading perspective, and he has five turnover-worthy plays over those two starts.
He’s lucky only to have one interception this season, and it makes sense that the Steelers want to see if Wilson can provide a spark.
The issue is that it’s hard to have much confidence in Wilson based on what we saw last year in Denver.
He threw 27 percent of his passes behind the line of scrimmage, the highest of any quarterback since 2005, and the Broncos had the fewest intermediate passes of any offense over the past two decades.
Expect a heavy dose of dump-offs to Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, with a few deep shots to George Pickens.
It will be much of the same that we’ve seen from Arthur Smith’s offense to start the season, except now it will be without the dynamic rushing element Fields brought from under center.
After a slow start to the year, the Jets defense has also begun to improve.
They now rank sixth in pressure rate and third in PFF’s coverage grades.
It’s challenging to envision Wilson having much success against their defense.
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Final verdict
Despite the loss to the Bills, the Jets should be encouraged by what they saw from their offense under Downing.
It looked like a far more modern, explosive operation, which will only be boosted further by the addition of Adams.
Meanwhile, the Steelers are turning to the veteran Wilson, who has not looked like the same quarterback since leaving Seattle.
The Jets are in desperation mode, and I’m backing Rodgers to lead his team to a road win in prime time over a Steelers defense that has yet to prove itself against high-level competition.
Recommendation: Jets moneyline (-122, DraftKings).
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Jacob Wayne handicaps college football and the NFL for the New York Post. He’s up 84.5 units across the two sports with a 6.27% ROI.
