Next opponent: Jets might be 2-4, but they probably won't play like it

The Steelers got back into the win column with a 19-point victory over the Raiders in Las Vegas. Now, they come back to Pittsburgh for two games, with Russell Wilson now leading the way under center. Up next is a potentially difficult matchup against a Jets team that is much more dangerous than their 2-4 record indicates.

Here's a snapshot of what New York brings into Week 7:

NEW YORK JETS

Record: 2-4
Standing: Third, AFC East
Last result: Lost to Bills, 23-20

THE TREND

The Jets are coming off a 7-10 season in which they had their new, shiny star quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, for four whole snaps. It was a season to forget, especially for a franchise that is desperately trying to snap a 13-season playoff drought, the longest in the NFL.

With Rodgers now back, following a solid offseason in which the Jets tried to beef up their roster in the trenches, the Jets have their eyes set on making it back to the playoffs. However, they are off to a poor start, losing four of their first six games.

No doubt, the Jets have had some tough matchups. They opened the season on the road against the defending NFC champion 49ers and lost by 13 points. They've also had to fly to London to take on a red-hot Vikings team and lost by six points, then fell to Josh Allen and the Bills at home last week by just three. However, this is also a team that had victories over the Titans and Patriots, two bad football teams, and lost at home to Bo Nix and the Broncos, 10-9.

The Jets are desperate, despite coming into tonight's game on a three-game losing streak. They recently fired head coach Robert Saleh, handing the reins to defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich in the interim. And just this week, the Jets traded for star receiver Davante Adams. They are going all out to salvage this terrible start, and will pull out all the stops to walk into Pittsburgh and improve to 3-4.

THE QUARTERBACK

There isn't much that needs to be said about Rodgers. He's been in the league long enough for people to know just what he's capable of. No, he's no spring chicken anymore, but the Steelers are still preparing as if he's the same guy that beat them in Super Bowl XLV.

"He has maybe the quickest release I've ever seen on a quarterback," Teryl Austin said of Rodgers on Thursday. "He can flick the ball, and it can go a long way, and he is very accurate. His accuracy is unbelievable. He presents a lot of problems that way. He still can move around. When he was younger, I think that's one area that, as they all do, as they get a little older, they don't move as well, but he can still move around. That would be the one area that I think he's maybe going down in, but that's about it."

No, Rodgers can't move around the same way he did. But, he is still more than capable of spreading the ball around to a variety of dangerous targets. And, man, even at nearly 41 years old, he can still sling it downfield:

Perhaps most importantly for this game, Rodgers gets rid of the ball very quickly. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Rodgers ranks fourth in the NFL with an average time to throw of 2.55 seconds. And, 55.4% of Rodgers' passes have been thrown in less than 2.5 seconds, the second-highest percentage in the league.

This poses a huge problem for the Steelers. When the ball is out in less than 2.5 seconds, the Pittsburgh defense ranks 31st with a 0.35 EPA per dropback and ranks 25th with a 104.5 passer rating against. Should the Steelers' pass rush not be able to get to Rodgers, he could have a field day against this defense.

THE OFFENSE

The Jets are loaded with talent on offense. Just rattling off names for starters: Breece Hall and Braelon Allen as a duo at running back. A formidable trio of Adams, Garrett Wilson and Allen Lazard at receiver. Tyler Conklin's a solid tight end. Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses are experienced veterans at tackle.

Yet, this is a unit that currently ranks 23rd with 4.9 yards per play, 22nd in total offense with 304.3 yards per game, 30th with 87.2 rushing yards per game and ranks 23rd with 18.8 points per game. That's not even as many points per game as the Steelers.

Their offensive metrics aren't great, either. They rank 22nd in EPA per play, 19th in success rate, 19th in dropback EPA, 20th in dropback success rate, 28th in rush EPA and 29th in rush success rate. Again, to compare, they rank behind the Steelers in every single one of these categories. It's not a great offense.

However, sometimes the star power comes through, regardless of what the unit has done previously. And, with the addition of Adams, Rodgers has a guy at his disposal that he has a lot of familiarity with. This is a duo that has connected for 76 touchdowns in the past, just two behind Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown for fourth-most in NFL history. You can bet they're going to try and get that going.

It'll be most important for the Steelers' defense to make the Jets one-dimensional and find ways to pressure Rodgers without leaving guys open. They may have to go to much more man coverage than they have in previous weeks, just to disrupt the timing of routes to give the pass rushers a chance to get to Rodgers. Otherwise, it could be a long game for this defense.

THE DEFENSE

The Jets are definitely more formidable on the defensive side of the ball. It begins up front with Quinnen Williams in the middle and Will McDonald IV on the edge. Williams is a former first-team All-Pro who excels in both run defense and as a pass rusher. He's as dangerous as it gets in terms of interior defender.

On the other hand, McDonald is primarily a threat as a pass rusher. He's got seven sacks so far this season, which is one of the reasons why the Jets are tied for third with 20 sacks as a team. His speed off the line is a major problem, and he'll give Broderick Jones plenty to worry about. And, these two together can be a nightmare for quarterbacks:

However, McDonald's not very stout as a run defender. In fact, their defense is not nearly as efficient against the run when team run to the edges. So, I'd be prepared for plenty of mid zone, wide zone and outside zone concepts by the Steelers. Despite having a pretty solid collection of linebackers (Jamien Sherwood, C.J. Mosley and Quincy Williams), this is still a defense that ranks 20th in rush EPA and 28th in rush success rate. They are vulnerable on the ground.

The star of the defense is Sauce Gardner, one of the best cornerbacks in the game. Gardner's only in his third season, and he's already been first-team All-Pro twice. He hasn't quite had the splash in pass coverage this year as we've come to expect. And, Gardner hasn't actually intercepted a pass in 27 games. But, that doesn't mean he won't make an impact. The Jets have the second-ranked pass defense for a reason.

The Jets are a bit vulnerable on defense this week. Nickel cornerback Michael Carter II is out with an injury and D.J. Reed, who's having a great year opposite Gardner at outside cornerback, didn't practice all week and is questionable. That could make the Jets a bit easier to throw against, but the offensive line has to give Wilson time to throw. But, the name of the game for the Steelers should be running the ball. This is another defense that they should be able to have some success against.

THE SPECIAL TEAMS

The Steelers have been facing some great specialists as of late, but not this week. Greg Zuerlein handles placekicking duties for the Jets and he's off to a rough start to the season. He's made just 8 of 12 field goal attempts, including just 1 of 4 from 40 yards or more. Thomas Morstead is the punter. While he was once a pretty good punter, he doesn't quite have the leg he used to. The Steelers actually have an advantage on special teams. That could be a significant factor in this game. 

THE INJURY REPORT

• Davante Adams, WR (hamstring) -- Adams went to the Jets in the trade with the Raiders this week and immediately went to work. He was a full participant in practice all three days, and he carries no injury designation for this game. So, the Steelers will see Adams this season, after all.

• Michael Carter II, CB (back) -- Carter wasn't able to practice at all this week and is ruled out. This is a significant loss to the Jets secondary as he's the starting nickel cornerback. Isaiah Oliver could be next in line for Carter.

• D.J. Reed, CB (groin) -- Like Carter, Reed wasn't able to practice all week with his groin injury. However, the Jets left the light on for him on Friday by giving him a questionable designation. However, no practice at all on a groin injury sure seems like an indication that Reed's chances are slim. Should he not play, Brandin Echols, Qwan'tez Stiggers or Jarrick Bernard-Converse should get a chance.

• Tyler Conklin, TE (hip) -- Conklin was limited in practice Wednesday and Thursday, but was able to fully participate on Friday. The Jets are being cautious as Conklin's officially questionable for the game. Should he not be able to go, Jeremy Ruckert and Brenden Bates are next in line at tight end.

• Chazz Surratt, LB (heel) -- Surratt is officially questionable for this game, but he was able to fully practice more than one time this week. A larger workload is generally a good indication of being active. Surratt is a depth option at off-ball linebacker for the Jets.

• Aaron Rodgers, QB (ankle) -- Rodgers didn't practice Wednesday, but fully practiced Thursday and Friday. No indications of any issues as he's cleared with no injury designation.

• Will McDonald IV, EDGE (shoulder) -- The Jets' standout edge rusher was limited in practice Wednesday and Thursday, but managed to fully participate on Friday. He's cleared to play, but still worth noting that he may not be 100% healthy.

• Mike Williams, WR (non-injury/personal) -- The Jets officially put Williams on the trading block this week, which may indicate why he didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday with a non-injury designation. He did practice Friday and is cleared to play, so nothing is stopping the Jets from making him active despite the Jets trying to get something in return for him.

Players on injured reserve:

• Zaire Barnes, LB (ankle)
• Chuck Clark, S (ankle)
• Jermaine Johnson, LB (Achilles)
• Wes Schweitzer, OL (hand)
• Malik Taylor, WR (undisclosed)
• Kenny Yeboah, TE (groin)

QUOTABLE

"I would say from the past game perspective, not much will change. Arthur Smith, his passing game is very conducive to an athletic quarterback, as we've seen over the years from Ryan Tannehill to all the guys that he's had, so from that standpoint, I don't see a whole lot of change. Where you have to account for Justin Fields is the scrambling and the quarterback runs because he'll have designed runs that aren't necessarily Russell's forte, so having an answer for the quarterback runs and then at times just accounting for this scrambler and you can do that a lot of different ways. Whether you appoint a spy, a free player, from a cover standpoint, you can create more vision where more guys are looking at him, but we have answers either way." -- Jeff Ulbrich on preparing for either Russell Wilson or Justin Fields

"He was a young guy when I was there. But he is an amazing running back. The same person he is now is the same person he was in college. The things he does now are the same things he did in college. The stiff arm, the jumping over people, the running over people and just the talent he has is unbelievable." -- Quinnen Williams on his relationship with fellow Alabama alum Najee Harris

"He's nice. I went against him my rookie year. Pretty good route runner, great hands. He can do pretty much everything. He can block. Their whole offense has some pretty good talent. Najee, Jaylen Warren, Cordarrelle (Patterson), Calvin (Austin III), Van (Jefferson). They've got a pretty good group." -- Sauce Gardner on facing George Pickens

This isn't a quote, but a video worth watching. On his appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers took plenty of time to talk very highly about how Pittsburgh is one of the special places in the NFL: