Dissecting Most Crucial Matchups in Jets' Week 10 Matchup with Steelers

It seems as though moral victories are the only victories the New York Jets can count on at 1-8.

Led by veteran quarterback Michael Vick, Gang Green put up a competitive fight at Arrowhead Stadium but still came up short. According to the Jets’ official website, Vick will lead the charge at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Steelers come in rolling on all cylinders. They’re riding a three-game win streak, and Ben Roethlisberger is distributing the ball exceptionally well to a variety of offensive targets.

Player	Position	Receiving Yards	Touchdowns
Antonio Brown	WR	996	8
Le'Veon Bell	RB	433	2
Heath Miller	TE	401	2
Markus Wheaton	WR	395	2
Martavis Bryant	WR	167	5

The timing couldn’t be any worse for New York. In Week 8 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Rex Ryan was scrambling for answers to patch up the Jets' undermanned pass defense. Cornerbacks Josh Thomas and Marcus Williams saw the field for the first time this season as part of the Jets' struggling secondary.

The good news is the Chiefs' wide receivers were held without a touchdown. The Chiefs' leading receiver, Dwayne Bowe, had six receptions for 55 yards.

The bad news is Alex Smith hasn’t completed a touchdown pass to a wide receiver all season. Secondly, Kansas City doesn’t have a fraction of the explosiveness on offense that the Steelers have shown over the past three weeks.

The following matchups will be crucial for the Jets when attempting to slow down Pittsburgh's steaming locomotive.

Ben Roethlisberger vs. Jets’ Inexperienced Cornerbacks

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Ryan continued to experiment with his secondary plagued by injuries and inexperience. Williams and Thomas played significant time against the Chiefs last week.

Player	Snaps on Defense
Marcus Williams	56
Antonio Allen	30
Josh Thomas	28
Kyle Wilson	14
Phillip Adams	0

Pro-Football-Reference indicates Darrin Walls is questionable for the Steelers game. The possibility of Walls playing isn’t exactly the antidote for the Jets’ woes on pass defense. He has surrendered 449 receiving yards, four touchdowns and the best quarterback rating (subscription required) among New York’s cornerbacks.

The constant role switch from safety to cornerback and vice versa has hurt Antonio Allen in both positions. ESPN's Rich Cimini noted that he was burned by tight end Travis Kelce last week:

According to Newsday's Kimberley Martin, Allen was benched in favor of Marcus Williams for obvious reasons:

Ryan is stuck with shuffling the deck to see what sticks leading up to a game with a quarterback throwing at a record-breaking pace, per Bleacher Report’s Chris Roling.

Offensive coordinator Todd Haley is allowing Big Ben to use his arm strength to beat cornerbacks deep. Roethlisberger has completed 21 passes for 644 yards and seven touchdowns without an interception when throwing 20-plus yards downfield (subscription required).

The Jets' defensive backs are completely inept at forcing turnovers. Meanwhile, Big Ben is completing 68.3 percent of his passes with a plethora of weapons at his disposal.

Le’Veon Bell vs. Jets' Defensive Line

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All the hoopla is surrounding Big Ben’s arm, but Le’Veon Bell quietly ranks third in rushing with 711 yards. Since Roethlisberger’s takeoff within the last three weeks, Bell’s rushing numbers have dipped, but he’s still well on his way to eclipsing 1,000 yards in his sophomore season.

More importantly, he makes the most out of his rushing attempts, recording 4.7 yards per carry.

Gang Green’s top-five rush defense has slipped to seventh. Last week, the Chiefs collectively ran for 113 yards, led by Jamaal Charles with 78 of those yards.

ChiefsDigest.com's Herbie Teope noted the early and aggressive play-calling attacking the Jets’ run defense:

If Ryan's men cannot close the gaps in the trenches, expect another blowout loss. Just like Charles, Bell is a dual-threat running back who can run and catch the ball out of the backfield. He's second in the league in yards from scrimmage (1144).

Defending Pittsburgh’s receiving corps will be a huge task. New York can ill afford to allow gaps up front with a talent like Bell on the field.

Eric Decker vs Cortez Allen/Brice McCain

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When Ike Taylor went down with an injury in Week 3, Pittsburgh's pass defense was a concern. Cornerback William Gay stepped in opposite Cortez Allen. Allen and the Steelers came to a new deal early in the season, per Ian Rapoport:

To the Steelers' dismay, Allen hasn’t played up to expectations this season as Pittsburgh’s No. 1 cornerback. A victory against the Indianapolis Colts didn't stop Mike Tomlin from benching his $26 million dollar cornerback, per Alan Robinson of the Pittsburgh Tribune.

Receptions	Yards	Touchdowns	Interceptions	NFL QB Rating When Targeted
34	552	5	2	106.8

Last week, in a bitter division battle against the Baltimore Ravens, Allen was benched in favor of Brice McCain, who also had difficulties in coverage.

Joe Flacco targeted McCain seven times and was able to complete all seven passes, including a touchdown pass to Torrey Smith.

Regardless of who starts at cornerback opposite Gay, Decker has a favorable matchup with the number of targets he has received since Percy Harvin stepped onto the field. He’s no longer the lone threat. Defensive backs have to account for Harvin’s potential to break out for a touchdown—especially after the catch.

The Jets' starting receivers made strides after a full week of practice with Vick. Harvin racked up 129 receiving yards, while Decker caught his fourth touchdown pass this season.

Assuming the Steelers will attempt to further embarrass the Jets' secondary, Jets offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg has to take shots down the field as well. Take advantage of a weaker No. 2 cornerback and keep pace with the fourth-ranked pass offense in the league.

Advanced statistics provided by Pro Football Focus (subscription required).