Steelers just 3 point favorites against the Jets this week

The Steelers are coming off a disappointing loss to the Buffalo Bills. Here’s why they are just three-point favorites against the New York Jets this week.

The Steelers had a chance to really boost their playoff chances with a win last week. Defeating Buffalo on Sunday Night Football would have meant that Pittsburgh would have surpassed the Bills for the fifth seed in the AFC and one more win would have guaranteed them a spot in the playoffs.

However, things got a little more complicated after their 17-10 loss last week. The Steelers can now only control their destiny if they win both of their last two games. If they lose this week against the Jets, a win against the Ravens will be required and it will not assure them a spot in the playoffs – depending on how the Tennessee Titans do in their last two contests.

The good news is that Steelers are favored this week against the New York Jets. Pittsburgh is -3 this week, courtesy of The Action Network.  Although we would have liked to have seen Mike Tomlin’s team favored by more than just three points against a 5-9 football team, this line hasn’t moved since being released.

Many fans wondered if Coach Tomlin would revert to Mason Rudolph after a dismal, four turnover performance from quarterback Devlin Hodges last week. However, Tomlin announced Tuesday that he is sticking with Hodges.

The undrafted rookie is desperately seeking a bounce-bounce performance. Despite Pittsburgh’s defense playing lights-out against the Bills in a game where they surrendered just 139 passing yards to Josh Allen, the Steelers offense couldn’t take care of the ball and they found a way to lose.

The New York Jets were in contention for the worst team in football during the first half of the 2019 season. They started the year with just a 1-7 record in their first 8 games. Since then, however, Adam Gase’s team has won 4 of their previous 6 matchups.

Jets quarterback Sam Darnold has played some of his best football over the past 5 games – throwing 10 touchdowns to just 3 interceptions and averaged 267 yards over that span. The Steelers currently don’t have a quarterback on their roster that can match that type of production.

Fortunately, the Steelers defense is no stranger to slowing down opposing quarterbacks, and Sam Darnold will be no exception on Sunday. If Hodges can outproduce Darnold this week, the Steeles will stand a very good chance of coming away with a win.

Pittsburgh can ill-afford to drop another game – especially because winning out is the only way they control their own destiny. If Pittsburgh fall short this week, it will take a combination of them defeating the Ravens on the road next week and the Titans losing at least one of their next two to get into the playoffs.