The Jets will need their star running back to ball out against one of the league’s best defenses in the Steelers.
While the Jets have nothing to play for except pride on Sunday, they still have a chance to put Pittsburgh’s playoff hopes on the self.
Jets running back Le’Veon Bell and offensive assistant Hines Ward will be squaring off against their former team for the first time. Bell has insisted that this is just another game, but Ward wants a Gatorade shower if the Jets are able to pull off the upset.
A win over the Steelers wouldn’t be the most surprising thing New York has pulled off this season. However, besides the injuries that continue to afflict Gang Green, the offensive ineptitude has plagued one of the league’s worst units. It might be more of the same against one of the league’s best defensive units on Sunday.
Here are four things you need to know for the Jets’ Week 16 clash with Pittsburgh.
Le’Veon Bell faces his former team
(Photo by Todd Olszewski/Getty Images)
Le’Veon Bell will play his first career game against his former team on Sunday.
While Bell expects a 50/50 reception mixed with cheers and jeers, the Jets running back claims he won’t have any added motivation facing the Steelers.
“Each and every game I play I try to give it my all. I guess if I can find an extra squeeze in there, I’m going to try,” Bell said Friday. “It is what it is with me. I always try to go out there and give my best.”
Whether Bell believes that or not, he is having his worst statistical season to date. He has rushed for just 676 yards on 204 carries with three rushing touchdowns. He also has 57 catches for 404 yards and a score.
The Jets are going to need Bell to run rampant on Sunday to give themselves a fighting chance. A revenge game might not be in the cards for Bell, but he’ll certainly be looking to eclipse the season-best 87-yard rushing performance that he set last week.
The Steelers want to make Jets quarterback Sam Darnold as uncomfortable as possible when they come to MetLife Stadium in Week 16.
Remember when Sam Darnold said he was seeing ghosts against the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football?
The Steelers want to make that happen again in Week 16.
Darnold was beyond rattled against the Patriots, as New England kept him off balance and running for his life with a variety of blitz packages and defensive formations. He has settled back in since his infamous Monday night admission, but members of the Steelers’ defense believe they can get the second-year signal caller rattled when they come to MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
“That’s the plan,” Pittsburgh safety Terrell Edmunds said on Wednesday. “Just put a lot of people in his face, hopefully make him make some false throws and get turnovers. That’s our gameplan. That’s just how we play the game every week. So that’s how we are trying to carry it out.”
Pittsburgh certainly has the personnel to make Darnold uncomfortable this weekend. TJ Watt is a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, while Bud Dupree has undergone somewhat of a career renaissance in 2019. Veteran cornerback Joe Haden is also a key contributor in the secondary, giving the Jets a ballhawk they’ll have to account for at all times.
“We’d like to try to confuse him,” Haden said. “He’s still a [second-year] quarterback. So we’re trying to not just stand out there and let him know what defense we are in. Just trying to keep him on his toes. Once he snaps the ball, get a little movement in, so he has to realize what [type of coverage] we are in during the play. Just trying to hold our disguises and move around and keep him thinking.”
Whether or not Darnold sees ghosts against the Steelers, he’s going to have to play his best football against a Pittsburgh team fighting to keep its playoff hopes alive if he wants to lead the Jets to their sixth victory of the year.
Buffalo Bills opponent information on the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
The Bills find themselves in a wonderful predicament, but could be all for naught if they can’t find a win over the next three weeks. The 9-4 Buffalo Bills meet the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football, their first appearance in that primetime slot in some time. Major playoff implications are at stake here, as a Bills loss can knock them back a spot in the Wild Card Race, though still in by a hair.
This is easily the biggest Bills-Steelers match up in some time, so let’s get into their history, statistics and more:
The Bills and Steelers first met on Oct. 11, 1970, in Pittsburgh, with the Steelers winning 23-10.
They met in the 1974 postseason, with Pittsburgh taking a 32-14 win in that game.
The Bills won five straight games against Pittsburgh, from Nov. 9, 1986 to their 1992 AFC Divisional Round Game on Jan. 9, 1993.
Buffalo and Pittsburgh also met in the 1995 AFC Divisional Playoff Game, with the Steelers winning 40-21.
The Bills have not defeated the Steelers in the 21st Century, with their last victory over them on Oct. 10, 1999, in a 24-21 victory.
Buffalo had an opportunity to make the post-season in the 2004-05 season. In a “win and your in” scenario. The Bills starters failed to defeat the Steelers backups, who were 14-1 heading into the final game of the season. Pittsburgh beat Buffalo 29-24, in Buffalo.
Their most recent encounter was a 27-20 win for Pittsburgh, in Buffalo.
Pittsburgh leads the all-time series, 16-9, including playoffs.
2019 So Far
In what has been a challenging year for the Steelers, including their fallout with Antonio Brown, losing Le’Veon Bell, and Ben Roethlisberger succumbing to season-ending injury in Week 2, somehow, the Steelers are still in the playoff picture, and have some favorable circumstances going for them. This season has been a massive testament to Head Coach Mike Tomlin’s ability to lead men on a football field, and is certainly a candidate for Coach of the Year.
Pittsburgh began the season with a blowout loss to the Patriots in the opening Sunday Night Football game for 2019. A 33-3 loss on primetime was no way to start the season, especially with many questioning how Pittsburgh would be effected by the losses of Bell and Brown. From there on, two more losses, a close one against Seattle, 26-28, their last game with Big Ben under center for this year, as well as a 20-24 loss to the 49ers. All three quality teams, and playoff teams at that, right now, in Week 15. Not too shabby for a team of backups despite the losses.
They earned their first win on Monday Night Football in Week 4 against the Bengals, a dominant win against a team that only has one win to it’s credit so far this season. This is also when the Steelers traded for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, a trade that turned around their defense.
However, since that Bengals win, Pittsburgh has only lost twice. To the Baltimore Ravens, a 23-26 loss in overtime, and to the Cleveland Browns in Week 11, a 21-7 loss that ended in a chaotic situation.
Pittsburgh has defeated the Chargers, Dolphins, Colts, Rams, Bengals again, Browns and Cardinals, and face a relatively favorable schedule these last three weeks. They hold criteria over a few teams that are breathing down their neck, and a win over the Bills would nearly secure their playoff aspirations.
Currently, Pittsburgh is the 29th ranked offense, with 3,771 yards of total offense. They are 31st in passing, with 2,541 pass yards and 25th in rushing with 1,230 yards on the ground.
It’s truly impressive how successful that Pittsburgh has been, especially with their personnel under center. Three quarterbacks have taken snaps for the Steelers in 2019. Ben Roethlisberger, Mason Rudolph, and most recently and successfully, Devlin Hodges. The Bills had four last season and their season was not a success.
Rudolph’s tenure as starting QB was enough for him to be at 31st in the NFL in passing yards with 1,636 passing yards, 12 passing touchdowns and nine interceptions. He had a 5-3 record as a starter. In three starts, Hodges is 3-0, and 39th in passing yards with 682 passing yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. Roethlisberger had 351 passing yards, zero touchdowns and one interception in his tenure.
It hasn’t been a great year for last year’s emerging rush sensation, James Conner. Conner was a certified stud in 2018, filling in seamlessly for the boycotting Bell. This year has been drastically different, with injuries. James Conner is currently ranked 44th in the NFL amongst rushers, leading Pittsburgh with 390 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. Benny Snell is next up in rushing leaders for Pittsburgh with 320 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. Snell is ranked 49th in rushing.
Pittsburgh’s highest ranked receiver in yardage, is James Washington, who is currently ranked 50th in the NFL. He has accrued 611 yards receiving on the year, Next in line, Ju-Ju Smith Schuster, who is ranked 63rd in receiving yards, with 524 yards. Schuster has dealt with injuries all year, and has not been able to handle the workload of being a No. 1 WR with Brown leaving, and it has harmed him statistically.
One aspect that is keeping the Steelers alive and well in the playoff race is their defense, which is star studded. They are the fifth ranked defense in the NFL, allowing 4,042 yards of offense against them. Pittsburgh is also the fifth ranked passing defense, allowing 2,727 yards by air, and they are eighth in rush defense with 1,315 yards allowed.
Their defense is led by talents of T.J. Watt, Joe Haden, Bud Dupree, Cameron Hayward, Fitzpatrick, and many others.
My observations and reactions to the Pittsburgh Steelers week 14 win against the Arizona Cardinals.
Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Steelers took care of business against a competitive Arizona Cardinals team in week 14. The defense continued to roll holding their fifth straight opponent to 21 or fewer points. Devlin Hodges turned in an efficient performance and became the first rookie undrafted free-agent quarterback to win his first three starts. The Steelers have won seven of their last eight games and control their playoff destiny. Here are my gut reactions:
Beating the Odds
It was good to see the Steelers actually get to play with a lead. The offensive game plan was still conservative, Hodges finished with 16 completions and a touchdown on 19 attempts, but that was good enough for a win. Just as important as Hodges 152 passing yards was the fact that he didn’t turn the ball over.
Hodges’ contributions as a rusher shouldn’t be overlooked either. He scrambled five times for 34 yards and ironically outrushed counterpart Kyler Murray. Hodges an undrafted free agent beat the first overall draft pick at his own game, but his solid performance was overshadowed by Dionte Johnson’s breakout day.
Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joe Haden spent his first seven seasons with the Cleveland Browns. When Cleveland decided he wasn’t part of their plans, the Steelers didn’t hesitate to add him to their roster. All he’s done since is be the best cornerback on the roster for what is now his third season with Pittsburgh.
On Sunday, Haden got some payback on the team that didn’t want him when he picked off Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield to end any hope of a comeback by Cleveland. This season has been huge for Haden and he’s on pace for one of his best years as a pro.
