Steelers vs. Jets: Breaking Down New York's Game Plan

There is no sugarcoating it: the New York Jets are nothing but a complete and total disaster. Every job is in question, making these final seven remaining games crucial for retaining positions throughout the coaching staff, roster and front office. 

Unfortunately for the Jets, they cross paths with the Pittsburgh Steelers in their finest form of the season, winning their last three games in decisive fashion. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is playing arguably the best football of his career with his offense scoring over 90 points in the past two weeks. 

Rex Ryan's team has at least looked more competitive since the benching of Geno Smith. The addition of Percy Harvin and insertion of Michael Vick into the starting lineup gives the Jets a completely new look than what they had less than a month ago. 

Still, the Steelers present a difficult matchup for the Jets, especially on the defensive side of the ball. If the Jets are going to win for the first time since opening day, they will need to execute a near-perfect game plan. 

Bet on the Front Seven

There are bad cornerback situations—then there is the New York Jets'. Their top cornerback, underrated Darrin Walls, appears to be out this week with a calf injury (according to Kimberly Martin of Newsday):

This leaves the likes of Phillip Adams, Marcus Williams and Josh Thomas as the only options to start at outside cornerback. These players would not be on the practice squad of most playoff-caliber teams, but they will somehow have to find a way to keep pace with Antonio Brown and the Steelers' terrific receiver corps. 

With so much unproven "talent" in the secondary, the Jets have no choice but hope their highly touted defensive line can produce on its own.

While it hardly has been a liability, New York's defensive line has fallen short of the "elite" category in which it was prematurely placed. It was nearly invisible against the Chiefs, hardly getting any pressure on Kansas City quarterback Alex Smith and not sacking him until late in the game. 

Against the Steelers, however, there will be much more opportunity for this front four to hit Roethlisberger. There is one primary weak spot on the Steelers offensive line—the left guard position, manned by Ramon Foster. 

Player	Hurries Allowed	Hits Allowed	Sacks Allowed	Position Rank
Ramon Foster	13	2	2	36/78

The Jets could essentially line up any of their interior pass-rushing defensive linemen against Foster—whether it be Muhammad Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson or even Quinton Coples (a former defensive tackle)—and have a decisive matchup advantage. They need these players to win these one-on-one matchups consistently if they want to stop Antonio Brown and Markus Wheaton running all over their secondary.

Attack the Perimeter

While unusual for a Rex Ryan-coached team, the Jets have a much better chance of winning this game on the back of their offense than with a lock-down defensive performance. For the first time in a long time, the Jets have more offensive weapons than the Steelers will be able to account for. 

The Steelers themselves are experiencing a defensive "depression" this year; they no longer stop the run at will as they once did, yielding 4.4 yards per rush. Their pass defense, however, is an even more severe weakness, thanks to underwhelming play from the starting cornerbacks, Brice McCain and Cortez Allen. 

With the ink still drying from a $26 million extension he signed in September, Allen has been one of the biggest disappointments of the 2014 season. In just eight games, he has surrendered 552 yards, five touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 106.8, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required)—numbers suited for a practice squad player, not a No. 1 cornerback. 

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On the other side of the field, McCain has hardly been a rock playing in place of the injured Ike Taylor. He surrendered 85 and 95 yards in his last two starts. However, his performance is a lot easier to explain than Allen's, as McCain was never meant to be a starter. 

Nonetheless, the Jets have a clear matchup advantage at both of these spots with Eric Decker and Percy Harvin. Coming off an 11-catch game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Harvin will be a load for either Allen or McCain to handle. 

Fans may be looking for rookie tight end Jace Amaro to return to being a centerpiece in the game plan, but this is not the week to attack the middle of the field. The Steelers have a glaring weakness on the perimeter, and the Jets need to expose that flaw to have a chance at keeping pace with the red-hot Steeler offense. 

Defend the Deep Pass

Given the massive gap in talent between the Jets cornerbacks and Pittsburgh's receiving weapons, there is no doubt that Pittsburgh is going to make some plays through the air. Selling out to stop every completion would be a hopeless approach, so the Jets need to concern themselves with limiting the plays the Steelers do make, forcing them to drive the entire field. 

This is essentially the plan the Jets used against the Chiefs in Week 9, accounting for Kansas City's strong running game without leaving their cornerbacks out to dry. 

Here is an example where the Jets elect to take no chances against a two-wide receiver set. Instead of lining up to stop the run, they sit in a more conservative Cover 2 look. 

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Even when the Chiefs lined up in traditionally "run" personnel packages with two or fewer receivers, the Jets were wary of leaving their cornerbacks out to dry with help from just one safety. While hardly a modern version of the Steel Curtain, they did keep the game in check by yielding just 24 points with this method. 

The Jets may yield a lot of completions with this style of defense, but it forces the Steelers to methodically drive down the field instead of exploiting inexperienced cornerbacks with explosive downfield plays.

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Meanwhile, the Steelers have been among the most explosive teams in the NFL. They enter this game with the fourth-best yards-per-play average (8.1), and that number takes into account their slump on offense earlier in the season. 

The problem the Jets must solve is not whether they can cover Antonio Brown; they already know the answer. They need to make sure they tackle him after he makes the catch. 

Frankly, the Jets do not have many matchup advantages. With so many Steeler fans expected to be at MetLife Stadium this Sunday, even their home-field advantage will be neutralized. 

To compound matters, the timing of this matchup could not be much worse, as the Steelers are one of, if not the hottest, teams in the NFL. 

The best hope the Jets can hang on to is the fact that they are just scratching the surface of their new-look offense under Michael Vick. Vick and his new target, Harvin, have now had a full game to build some chemistry, which already appears to be happening based on Harvin's production against the Chiefs. 

If the Jets can get some heroic performances from their quarterback and defensive line, they have a fighting chance to pull off the upset over one of the hottest teams in the league to get their second win of the season. 

Advanced statistics provided by ProFootballFocus.com (subscription required).

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