The Pittsburgh Steelers and their offense are on a roll. Three straight wins have given the Steelers the most wins in the AFC North. In week ten the Steelers head to MetLife Stadium to take on the New York Jets, who have not a game since September 7. Here are a few players to watch for on Sunday.
Ben Roethlisberger
An obvious choice to watch but Ben Roethlisberger has been so good over the past three weeks it’s hard not to choose Big Ben. He has not thrown an interception since the Browns game in week six. During the three game win streak he has 14 touchdowns and no picks. Heading into the Jets game he has the possibility of having another huge game. The Jets rank 18th in passing yards allowed and these are no longer the days of Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie in the Jets secondary. The Jets current cornerbacks Antonio Allen, Darrin Walls, Kyle Wilson, and Phillip Adams. Those names don’t exactly scare me considering they have to take on the Steelers wide receiving corps that has been great ever since Martavis Bryant was added to the group.
The Sons of Anarchy
By Sons of Anarchy I mean the Jets defensive line that contains Sheldon Richardson, Muhammad Wilkerson, and Damon Harrison. While the Jets offense has been pretty dreadful this year the Jets defensive line is the strength of the team. The Jets are fifth in the league with 25 sacks this year, with Wilkerson leading the team with 4.5. The Jets run defense is also solid, ranking seventh in yards per game allowed with an average 88.4 yards. If the Jets have any chance of pulling the upset it will be due to the defensive line wreaking havoc.
Speaking of the Jets defensive line, I almost chose Le’Veon Bell as a player to watch. Against the Ravens last Sunday he was held under 100 total yards from scrimmage for the first time all year. Bell only ran for 20 yards on 10 carries. While it is entirely possible for Big Ben to carry the offense for another week it would be nice to see Le’Veon get back on track and average over 4.0 yards per carry for the first time since the Texans Monday night game.
Percy Harvin
The Jets newest weapon, Percy Harvin, made a big impact last week against the Chiefs catching 11 of 13 targets for 129 yards. He also returned two kickoffs for an average of 44 yards. One return went for 65 yards that Harvin returned eight yards deep in the end zone. The Jets began their possession at the Chiefs 33 yard line thanks to a tripping penalty on the kicker. After the way the Jacoby Jones ran back a kickoff last week against the Steelers special teams unit, kicking to Harvin could be a risky move. The Jones return was ridiculous. He was never touched and if he had the speed of a 300 pound offensive lineman he still may have scored. The Jets are 1-8 but if the Steelers can’t contain Harvin or get to Michael Vick the defense could give up some big plays.
There you have it Steelers Nation. Who else should we keep an eye on during the Jets game?