Welcome to the Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Jets Preview! This is your one-stop shop for everything you need to know about the Steelers and their upcoming opponent! Mike Drakulich of Pittsburgh SportsNation brings you inside the huddle for both teams, provides a game outlook, score prediction, individual stats, team stats, Fantasy Football impact, the most up-to-date injury report, and even the weather at kickoff! The only thing you’re missing is a game ticket!
A look at the Pittsburgh Steelers!
Overall Record: 3-1
Head Coach: Mike Tomlin (10th Season with Steelers)
Overall Regular Season Record: 95-53 (.642)
Playoff Record: 6-5 (Qualified for playoffs six times)
2016 Pittsburgh Steelers Roster
Last Week: The Steelers, behind the arm of Ben Roethlisberger, buried the Chiefs 43-14. Roethlisberger threw for 300 yards and five touchdown passes, and Le’Veon Bell, in his first appearance of the year, ran for 144 yards and caught five passes for 34 yards.
Breakdown of the Pittsburgh Steelers: Roethlisberger is starting to heat up, and he has 11 touchdown passes on the year and just four picks. Antonio Brown continues to terrorize defenses weekly and has 28 receptions for 369 yards and four TDs. Sammie Coates has picked up the slack in Martavis Bryant’s absence and is Big Ben’s favorite deep threat. Markus Wheaton and Darrius Heyward-Bey will get their looks with Eli Rogers out again this week with Turf Toe. Jesse James is establishing himself as one of Roethlisberger’s weapons on short yardage situations and inside the Red Zone.
Le’Veon Bell is back as the starter and is the league’s best dual-threat. He can kill you both by land or air. De’Angelo Williams will be in to spell Bell at times, as well as line up as the prime runner with Bell spreading out wide as a receiver.
With both Marcus Gilbert and Ryan Harris out at tackle, Chris Hubbard steps in to make the start. Ramon Foster is expected to play this week after missing last week.
“We have faith and trust and belief in whoever the next man up is,” Roethlisberger said. “We’ve been able to do that and proven that over the years here. Guys prepare themselves to be ready to go. We’ll have faith and trust in whoever needs to be out there.”
Cam Heyward, Javon Hargrave, and Stephon Tuitt continue as the starters along the defensive line, with Arthur Moats, Vince Williams, Lawrence Timmons, and the normal combo of Jarvis Jones and James Harrison at linebacker. Normal starting inside LB Ryan Shazier will miss his second straight game and hopes to return next week vs. Miami.
Will Gay and Ross Cockrell line up at corner for the Steelers, with Mike Mitchell patrolling the middle of the field with Jordan Dangerfield, who is in for the injured Robert Golden?
Dangerfield, a fixture on the Practice Squad the past few seasons, has made the most of his opportunity.
“The biggest thing that stands about Danger is we both came here the same (2014) offseason, and I remember us both putting in the work,” Arthur Moats said. “I’m not surprised to see what he’s been showing. It’s all about having the opportunity.”
A look at the New York Jets!
Overall Record: 1-3
Head Coach: Todd Bowles (3rd Season with Jets)
Overall Regular Season Record: 13-10 (.565)
Playoff Record: 0-0 (Qualified for playoffs 0 times)
Last Week: Seattle rolled into town and left with a 27-17 victory over the Jets. Ryan Fitzpatrick had 261 yards passing and a score, but was intercepted thrice and sacked four times. The Jet defense allowed Russel Wilson to throw for 309 yards and three scores.
Breakdown of the New York Jets: Ryan Fitzpatrick is having a brutal start to the 2016 season as the New York’s starting QB. Fitzpatrick has thrown only four touchdown passes and has been intercepted 10 times.
Matt Forte is the featured back and has 288 rushing yards so far with 11 catches for 83 yards. Bilal Powell is the back-up and has been seeing his role in the offense increase each week. Powell only has 99 yards via the ground so far, but is dangerous out of the backfield, catching 15 passes for 103 yards.
Brandon Marshall and Quincy Enunwa will be Fitzpatrick’s main weapons downfield. Marshall has been battling several injuries this season, even though he is not listed on the injury report. Eric Decker is out this week.
The Jets defense has been torched through the air all year, and this week it gets worse, as CB Darrelle Revis is unlikely to play.
Out of the 3-4, the defensive line features Leonard Williams, Steve McClendon, and Muhhamad Wilkerson. At linebacker, Mike Catapano, David Harris, Darron Lee, and Sheldon Richardson provide pretty good run support, as the Jets are ranked 2nd against the run. With Revis out, Marcus Williams will be in, with Buster Skrine at the other corner. Calvin Pryor and Marcus Gilchrist guard the middle.
Game Preview: This game comes at a bad time for the Jets. With Roethlisberger heating up, Le’Veon Bell back in top form, and Antonio Brown racking up fines for touchdown dances, Darrelle Revis being out is the icing on the cake for what should be a Steelers rout.
Look for Roethlisberger and the Steeler offense to lead a balanced attack that will keep New York on their heels the entire game. As long as Pittsburgh plays to its strength, which is attacking down the field, they should be able to head into week six with a 4-1 record. The last time these two teams met, Pittsburgh played conservative, throwing sideways most of the day, and it cost them in the end, as the Jets shocked the Steelers 20-13.
Roethlisberger has been excellent in finding multiple receivers in all games this season. That’s when the Pittsburgh offense is at it’s best.
“When it’s being spread around, it’s an ideal scenario,” offensive coordinator Todd Haley said. “There’s no one person the defense can focus on. It’s one thing we’ve been pressing our guys about — guys not named AB have to make plays.”
Prediction: Steelers 38 Jets 17
Fantasy Football Impact
Pittsburgh Steelers
Start: QB- Ben Roethlisberger, WR- Antonio Brown, RB- Le’Veon Bell
Sit: RB- DeAngelo Williams
Sleeper: WR- Sammie Coates
Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, and Le’Veon Bell are always going to be your starters unless you hate points. Sammie Coates can be of value in PPR leagues.
New York Jets
Start: No One
Sit: WR- Eric Decker
Sleeper: WR- Brandon Marshall, WR- Quincy Enunwa
I have Brandon Marshall listed as a sleeper as I’m not quite sold on him being 100% healthy and being able to give you what you need out of a #1 or 2 WR. Approach with caution. Enunwa may be the better choice this week.
Individual Statistics
Pittsburgh Steelers
Passing
QB- Ben Roethlisberger (1,116 yards passing | 11 TD passes | 4 interceptions | 8 sacks)
Rushing
RB- DeAngelo Williams (265 yards rushing | three rushing TD’s | 15 receptions | 91 yards receiving | one receiving TD’s)
RB- Le’Veon Bell (144 yards rushing | 0 rushing TD’s | 5 receptions | 34 yards receiving | 0 receiving TD’s)
Receiving
WR- Antonio Brown (28 receptions | 369 receiving yards | four receiving TD’s)
WR- Sammie Coates (13 receptions | 282 receiving yards | 0 receiving TD’s)
WR- Eli Rogers (9 receptions | 100 receiving yards | one receiving TD’s)
WR- Darius Heyward-Bey (2 receptions | 38 receiving yards | one receiving TD’s)
WR- Markus Wheaton (2 receptions | 32 receiving yards | one receiving TD’s)
TE- Jesse James (12 receptions | 85 receiving yards | two receiving TD’s)
TE- Xavier Grimble (3 receptions | 45 receiving yards | one receiving TD’s)
Kicking
K- Chris Boswell (Extra Point: 13-13 | FG: 3-4 | 0-19: 0-0 | 20-29: 0-0 | 30-39: 0-1 | 40-49: 3-3 | 50+: 0-0 | Long: 49
Steelers Team Statistics, including Defensive Stats
New York Jets
Passing
QB- Ryan Fitzpatrick (1,012 yards passing | 4 TD passes | ten interceptions | 6 sacks)
Rushing
RB- Matt Forte (288 yards rushing | three rushing TD’s | 11 receptions | 83 yards receiving | 0 receiving TD’s)
RB- Bilal Powell (99 yards rushing | 0 rushing TD’s | 15 receptions | 103 yards receiving | 0 receiving TD’s)
Receiving
WR- Quincy Enunwa (23 receptions | 243 receiving yards | one receiving TD’s)
WR- Brandon Marshall (16 receptions | 249 receiving yards | one receiving TD’s)
WR- Eric Decker (9 receptions | 194 receiving yards | two receiving TD’s)
TE- Kellen Davis (0 receptions | 0 receiving yards | 0 receiving TD’s)
Kicking
K- Cairo Santos (Extra Point: 7-8 | FG: 8-9 | 0-19: 0-0 | 20-29: 5-6| 30-39: 2-2 | 40-49: 1-1 | 50+: 0-0 | Long: 45
Jets Team Statistics, including Defensive Stats
Team Rankings through Week 4
Total Offense: Steelers rank 10th | Jets rank 15th
Rushing: Steelers rank 13th | Jets rank 12th
Passing: Steelers rank 12th | Jets rank 19th
Scoring: Steelers rank 9th | Jets rank 23rd
Total Defense: Steelers rank 27th | Jets rank 16th
Rushing: Steelers rank 4th | Jets rank 2nd
Passing: Steelers rank 30th | Jets rank 26th
Scoring: Steelers rank 12th | Jets rank 21st
Game Information
NFL Week 5
Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1) vs New York Jets (1-3)
Venue: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh PA.
Game-time: Sunday, October 9th, 1:00 pm
TV: CBS / Announcers: Ian Eagle (play-by-play) Dan Fouts (color analyst) | Evan Washburn (sideline)
Local Radio: Pittsburgh- 102.5 WDVE-FM | Announcers: Bill Hillgrove (play-by-play) Tunch Ilkin (analyst) | Craig Wolfley (sideline)
National Radio: ESPN | Announcers: Adam Amin (play-by-play) Bill Polian (analyst)
Weather at Kickoff: 62 and sunny.
Vegas Line: Pittsburgh -7
Steelers-Jets History
- Series History: Series began in 1970.
- The Steelers are 17-5 in the overall Regular Season series against the Jets.
- Steelers lead the series playing at home 7-1.
- Streak: Jets won the previous meeting.
- Last Regular-Season Meeting: Nov. 9, 2014, at New York- New York 20 Pittsburgh 13
- Steelers are 2-0 in the Post-Season vs. the Jets.
- Last Post-Season Meeting: Jan. 23, 2011 in Pittsburgh- Pittsburgh 24 New York 19 – AFC Championship
Game Notes
- Jets All-Pro CB Darrelle Revis graduated from Aliquippa High School and went on to compete collegiately at the University of Pittsburgh.
- New York DL Steve McLendon was signed to the Steelers’ practice squad as an undrafted free agent in 2009 and went on to become a key part of the Steelers’ defense from 2010-15.
- Ben Roethlisberger with a win, would improve to 117-57 as a starter during the regular season and to 67-21 at home.
- Big Ben is two touchdown passes shy of becoming the 12th player in NFL history with at least 285.
- Antonio Brown is 39 catches from surpassing Heath Miller (592) for the second-most in Steelers history.
- Brown needs three touchdowns to become the sixth player in Steelers history with at least 50 overall scores.
- Le’Veon Bell‘s next rushing touchdown will mark the 20th of his NFL career.
- Sammie Coates with a reception of at least 40 yards on Sunday, he will become just the second player in team history to record a reception of at least 40 yards in five straight games (Mike Wallace, 2011, six consecutive games (Weeks 2-7).
- Cameron Heyward needs 5.0 sacks on the season to record 5.0 quarterback takedowns in four straight seasons and 7.0 quarterback sacks to post 7.0 or more in three consecutive campaigns.
- Will Gay will break a tie with Rod Woodson to set the record for the most interceptions returned for touchdowns in team history with his next pick six of six.
Injury Report (10/7/2016)
Pittsburgh Steelers
Out: CB Justin Gilbert (knee), T Marcus Gilbert (ankle), S Robert Golden (hamstring), CB Senquez Golson (foot), T Ryan Harris (shin), RB Roosevelt Nix (back), WR Eli Rogers (toe), LB Ryan Shazier (knee), C Cody Wallace (knee)
Doubtful: N/A
Questionable: N/A
New York Jets
Out: TE Brandon Bowman (knee), WR Eric Decker (shoulder), QB Bryce Petty (right shoulder), G Brian Winters (concussion)
Doubtful: WR Jalin Marshall (shoulder), CB Darrelle Revis (hamstring)
Questionable: WR Quincy Enunwa (knee)
NFL Standings
Pittsburgh Steelers 2016 Schedule
Preseason (1-3)
Friday, Aug. 12 DETROIT L, 30-17
Thursday, Aug. 18 PHILADELPHIA L, 17-0
Friday, Aug. 26 @ New Orleans W, 27-14
Thursday, Sept. 1 @ Carolina L, 18-6
Regular Season (3-1)
Monday, Sept. 12 @ Washington W, 38-16
Sunday, Sept. 18 CINCINNATI W, 24-16
Sunday, Sept. 25 @ Philadelphia L, 34-3
Sunday, Oct. 2 KANSAS CITY W, 43-14
Sunday, Oct. 9 NEW YORK JETS* 1 p.m. (CBS)
Sunday, Oct. 16 @ Miami* 1 p.m. (CBS)
Sunday, Oct. 23 NEW ENGLAND* 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
Sunday, Oct. 30 BYE WEEK
Sunday, Nov. 6 @ Baltimore* 1 p.m. (CBS)
Sunday, Nov. 13 DALLAS* 4:25 p.m. (FOX)
Sunday, Nov. 20 @ Cleveland* 1 p.m. (CBS)
Thursday, Nov. 24 @ Indianapolis 8:30 p.m. (NBC)
Sunday, Dec. 4 NEW YORK GIANTS* 4:25 p.m. (FOX)
Sunday, Dec. 11 @ Buffalo* 1 p.m. (CBS)
Sunday, Dec. 18 @ Cincinnati* 8:30 p.m. (NBC)
Sunday, Dec. 25 BALTIMORE 4:30 p.m. (NFL Network)
Sunday, Jan. 1 CLEVELAND* 1 p.m. (CBS)
Postseason
Sat.-Sun., Jan. 7-8 Wild Card Weekend
Sat.-Sun., Jan. 14-15 Divisional Playoff Games
Sunday, Jan. 22 Conference Championships
Sunday, Jan. 29 Pro Bowl (Orlando, Fla.)
Sunday, Feb. 5 Super Bowl LI (Houston, Texas)