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Studs and Duds from Jets’ Week 4 win in Pittsburgh
The Jets either get completely embarrassed or find a way to win late by a miracle. Week 4 was the latter as the Jets scored with less than 20 seconds left as Breece Hall broke the plane just before losing control of the football to give the Jets a 24-20 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers to move to 2-2. Let’s run through some studs and duds from the victory.
Instant analysis after Jets’ miracle win in Pittsburgh
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Sunday was quite a wild ride for the New York Jets with plenty of highs and lows throughout. Yet somehow, someway, that ride ended on a high note as the Jets came from behind with a late score from Breece Hall to defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers, 24-20, to move to 2-2, while the Steelers drop to 1-3.
Here’s some quick thoughts and notes from the game with a couple of game balls to boot.
3/3 in the red zone: The Jets didn’t have a ton of opportunities to score from close. But when they did, they definitely took advantage. The Jets entered the red zone three times. They scored on all three trips, including the final possession. And that was with the Steelers going 2/2 themselves.
WR Corey Davis: When the Jets needed a big play late, Corey Davis was there. He had some big-time catches late, including on the final drive, to help set up the game-winning touchdown and finished with a team-high five catches for 74 yards.
DT Quinnen Williams: Williams once again was the leader of the pack on the Jets’ front. He showed why the Jets don’t need to rush more than four because he can put pressure on himself. He finished with six tackles (one tackle for a loss), one sack and two QB hurries.
S Lamarcus Joyner: For as much heat as Joyner has incurred over the first three weeks, and certainly warranted, he stepped up big time against the Steelers with six tackles, two interceptions and four passes defended.
“Ugly win”: That’s exactly how Zach Wilson described the win after the game. The Jets had no business winning this game in the third quarter. They looked flat, they looked defeated. Yet, like the Cleveland game, the Jets proved the game isn’t over until the clock reads 0:00. A lot to clean up, however. Wilson needs to make better decisions and the defense has to be more consistent getting off the field on third down. But the bottom line is the Jets are 2-2, which is a success given they didn’t have Wilson for three games, their offensive line has been a carousel and they went through the entire AFC North. They will gladly take a split of their first four games. Divisional play begins next week when the Jets host the Miami Dolphins (3-1), who are coming off a loss on Thursday to the Cincinnati Bengals.
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Jets defense has come to play thus far as New York lead at half in Pittsburgh
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We had said if there was a week for the defense and the pass-rush to finally get going, this was the week. Especially after all the commotion between the defense and the coaching staff, particularly, Quinnen Williams and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.
So far, mission accomplished. The Jets sacked Steelers quarterback Mitch Trubisky three times in the first half en route to a 10-6 lead at the break.
One of the keys for the Jets was getting off the field on third down and the Jets have done just that so far. The Steelers are just 1/6 on third-down attempts through two quarters. Overall, the Jets defense has played very well. Of course, the Jets could have had a seven-point halftime lead if it wasn’t for a late roughing the passer penalty on Carl Lawson that gave the Steelers a chance at a 59-yard field goal, which Chris Boswell converted.
The offense, on the other hand, has been quite the mixed bag, to say the least.
The big highlight on offense was Zach Wilson catching a touchdown pass from WR Braxton Berrios on their own version of Philly Special.
At times, Zach Wilson looked like he was getting comfortable again and moving the ball well, connecting with a number of receivers.
Then came the interception late in the second quarter on a poor decision and poor throw that went past Jeff Smith and landed in the hands of Cameron Sutton. So, between that and the Lawson penalty, the Steelers saw a six-point swing in their favor. Instead of potentially 17-3, but certainly 13-3 at the least, it’s 10-6.
The offense also isn’t doing well themselves on third down. They are just 2/7 on third down.
Overall, the Jets are doing better than they have the first three weeks of the season, which is why they have the lead. But plenty of sloppy moments have factored into the lead being just four points instead of more. The Jets get the ball to start the second half.
The New York Special!
Call it the New York Special! The Jets just successfully ran their own version of the Philly Special as Zach Wilson handed the ball off to Garrett Wilson, who handed off to Braxton Berrios on a reserve, who hit Wilson in the end zone for the touchdown, giving the Jets a 10-0 lead over the Steelers.
The Jets have quickly started to settle in on offense, including two big throws to Elijah Moore to finally get him going.
Welcome back, Zach.
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Jets announce inactives for Week 4 vs. Steelers
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The Jets have announced the seven players that will be inactive for Week 4 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
QB Mike White
WR Denzel Mims
CB Bryce Hall
S Will Parks
LB Quincy Williams
OT Cedric Ogbuehi
TE Lawrence Cager
Defensive lineman Bryce Huff is active for the first time this season, meaning the Jets are dressing ten defensive linemen. CB Brandin Echols was questionable with a hamstring injury but he is ready to go after practicing in full on Friday. Quincy Williams was already ruled out with an ankle injury.
The following players are inactive for the Steelers:
QB Mason Rudolph
CB Ahkello Witherspoon
OG Kendrick Green
WR Steven Sims
DT Isaiahh Loudermilk
LB Mark Robinson
LB David Anenih
It’s that time again. Give us your score predictions for today.
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Sunday is a chance for the Jets to “get right” after being utterly dominated last week against the Bengals. A chance to get through the first quarter of the season at 2-2 with their starting quarterback and starting left tackle both out for a majority of the time. Can they get back to .500 in Pittsburgh?
The key for the Jets is trying to get the ground game going. While the Jets do come in ranked 26th in rushing offense, they face a Steelers team ranked 28th in rushing defense and a team that was dead last in the category in 2021. If there is a week to feature Breece Hall and Michael Carter, this is the week. It would also be a good way to help ease Zach Wilson back into game action and not have to throw so much onto his plate so soon in his first live game action in about six weeks.
On the flip side, will defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich finally let Quinnen Williams turn loose? The moments from this past week are well-documented, but this would be a week to really feature Williams if possible. The Jets need to rattle quarterback Mitch Trubisky and if they can do that, the Steelers are really going to struggle to move the football. If New York can get Pittsburgh into 3rd and long or 3rd and medium situations, the Steelers have to rely on Trubisky’s arm and that’s not always a good thing.
Of course, the Jets also need to do a much better job of getting off the field on third downs as well. The Jets rank 31st in opponent third-down conversions per game (6.7). But you know who ranks 32nd? Yep, the Steelers (7.7). It sounds cliche, but third downs are going to be the key in this one.
We’ll give the slight edge to the Jets in what could be an ugly defensive struggle in Pittsburgh. The field likely will be a little messy as well. It rained in Pittsburgh Saturday and Pitt and Georgia Tech just played there less than 24 hours ago, so the field conditions will be interesting to monitor.
Prediction: Jets 23, Steelers 20
Matchups to watch in Jets vs. Steelers
The Jets conclude their tour of the AFC North Sunday when they visit Acrisure Stadium to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. There are definitely some intriguing matchups in this game as both teams look to get back to .500 at 2-2. Let’s take a look at a couple of them.
Jets vs. Steelers live stream, viewing and game info for Week 4
The New York Jets (1-2) really could use a bounceback performance after a very disappointing Week 3 showing against the Bengals. They head to Acrisure Stadium to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers (1-2). Here’s your viewing and game information for Sunday.
TV info: CBS (Greg Gumbel, Adam Archuleta, AJ Ross)
In-market live stream: fuboTV (try it for free).
Radio: WEPN-FM, ESPN New York 98.7 (Bob Wischusen and Marty Lyons)
Location: Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA
Forecast: Cloudy, 59 degrees
Referee: Brad Rogers
Opponent Wire site: Steelers Wire
The NFL fined Jets cornerback Arthur Maulet $21,056 for an unnecessary roughness penalty in New York’s 16-10 win over the Steelers.
The NFL fined Jets cornerback Arthur Maulet $21,056 for an unnecessary roughness penalty in New York’s 16-10 win over the Steelers last weekend.
Maulet dragged down Steelers wide receiver James Washington with a horse-collar tackle. Washington hobbled directly off the field to the trainer’s table after the ugly play.
Washington returned to Sunday’s contest and caught five passes of his eight targets for 41 yards. He missed out on a chance for possibly the game-winning score when Jets safety Marcus Maye broke up what would have been a 44-yard touchdown on Pittsburgh’s final drive.
Despite the NFL digging into his pocket, Maulet has been a nice addition to the Jets secondary with the team reeling at the cornerback position.
Formerly with the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts, Maulet signed a reserve/future contract with New York back in January 2019. In Week 3, Maulet made his first mark in green and white by returning a muffed punt for a touchdown in the Jets 30-14 loss in New England.
New York subsequently waived Maulet on Oct. 15 but re-signed him to the team’s practice squad. The Jets promoted him to the active roster at the end of the month with Trumaine Johnson placed on injured reserve and Daryl Roberts sidelined.
Maulet has nursed a calf injury of his own but has made the most of his opportunity, despite his ugly tackle in Week 15. It would be surprising if he wasn’t back with Gang Green in 2020, being a camp body at the very least.
Adam Gase blamed himself for Sam Darnold’s costly turnover, which allowed the Steelers to tie the game at 10 in the Jets 16-10 win on Sunday
The Jets’ offensive performance in their 16-10 win over the Steelers in Week 16 wasn’t pretty, but it was exactly what Adam Gase had hoped for.
In order to pull off the upset, New York knew it needed to win a dog fight on offense, defense and special teams. Gase expected the game to be a low-scoring, defensive battle where Gang Green had to rely on avoiding self-inflicted mistakes.
Despite low offensive production, the gameplan went accordingly. Gase praised Sam Darnold’s ability to manage the game, limiting the second-year quarterback to controlling the tempo of a defensive-dominated game.
“He played that game exactly the way that we talked about it on Wednesday,” Gase said on Monday. “When we met with our team and we talked about how we had to play that game, offense, defense and special teams, it was, outside of that one play, our guys executed what we wanted to do as a team. That was what really excited me because we took what we talked about on Wednesday, we practiced the right way, and then we went out and executed it.”
Darnold didn’t stuff the stat sheet, but that’s not was his head coach was asking of him in Week 16. He completed 61.5 percent of his passes for 183 yards and a lone touchdown, which came on the Jets’ opening drive.
After the Jets’ opening 11-play, 75-yard drive, the offense sputtered. New York averaged only 4.1 plays for 15.3 yards per drive through its next 12 possessions, which netted nine points and one trip to the red zone.
Still, Darnold avoided throwing any interceptions and only turned the ball over on a strip-sack by T.J. Watt — a play that allowed the Steelers to tie the game at 10 before halftime.
Gase shouldered the blame for that mistake, insisting it was his fault with the way the Jets were lined up. Darnold, who has always been accountable in his two years with the Jets, refused to let his head coach accept the blame. Instead, he accepted responsibility for holding on to the ball for too long.
“I put us in a bad spot,” Gase said. “He was waiting on a route which is 100 percent on me, I wish I would’ve stayed with a different personnel grouping which would’ve helped him in that situation get the ball out quicker, it was just a bad call by me that forced him to hold onto the ball.”
