Carney: Four Key Matchups To Watch In Steelers-Jets

It’s a big one Sunday night at Acrisure Stadium as the New York Jets roll into town with a shiny new offensive piece – wide receiver Davante Adams – for quarterback Aaron Rodgers to play with again. Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Steelers might be making a quarterback change, rolling out veteran Russell Wilson.

All eyes will be on the big names in this primetime matchup, and rightfully so.

But beyond the big names, there are other important matchups that will be worth watching and will help determine the result, one way or the other.

There will be games within the game to watch, like the turnover battle, tackling battle and more. Make sure to keep an eye on key individual matchups, though. There are plenty of them this week from top to bottom in all three phases for the Steelers against the Jets.

Below are my four key matchups to watch on Sunday.

STEELERS CB DONTE JACKSON VS. JETS WR GARRETT WILSON

Banging the drum on this one time and time again. Yes, the Jets added Davante Adams and h will be become the new No. 1 target for Aaron Rodgers, much like it was during their time together with the Green Bay Packers for many years. But all that does is push Garrett Wilson into the No. 2 role, which is much more advantageous for him and for the Jets’ passing attack.

On Sunday, that could result in him matching up with Steelers corner Donte Jackson quite a bit. Of course, the Steelers could do the old Bill Belichick thing and double Adams with Jackson and a safety and put No. 1 corner Joey Porter Jr. on Wilson as the No. 2. But that’s unlikely.

So, Jackson will have to deal with Wilson and hold his own. Wilson has 41 receptions for 399 yards and 3 touchdowns on the season. He’s a great route runner, creates good separation (3.2 yards per route run) and has great chemistry with Rodgers. Jackson is no slouch, though. He’s allowed just 15 receptions on 27 targets for 154 yards and no touchdowns on the season. He also has 3 interceptions and 3 pass breakups.

Jackson is in the top 5 in lowest QBR allowed, too. He’s everything the Steelers were expecting, and he has to show that again Sunday night in a huge matchup against Wilson.

STEELERS OLB ALEX HIGHSMITH VS. JETS LT TYRON SMITH

Alex Highsmith is set to make his return to the lineup this week, and it comes at a perfect time for the Steelers. They’ll be going up against a Jets offense that is loaded with playmakers, but has serious issues in the trenches.

One of those issues, arguably the biggest, is left tackle Tyron Smith. He’s allowed 16 pressures and 5 sacks on the season and has largely been a mess in pass protection. Last week, Buffalo’s AJ Epenesa gave him fits, and Highsmith is a much better player than Epenesa.

That bodes well for what could be a big day for Highsmith, who has missed the last three games. Prior to missing three games with the groin injury, Highsmith had 6 pressures and a sack, and was a key run defender. Without him, the Steelers defense has been up and down in those two areas.

A lot of attention will be paid to T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward this week in the trenches, but Highsmith has a matchup advantage and could have a big day.

JETS DL JAVON KINLAW VS. STEELERS RG MASON MCCORMICK

Across the board it’ll be a very difficult matchup in the trenches for both teams on both sides of the football. The Steelers will be starting their sixth offensive line combination of the year, which is truly wild to think about, as center Ryan McCollum will make his first start for the Steelers. 

On the interior, the Jets have a stout defensive line, and a lot of attention will be paid to Quinnen Williams, which should leave Javon Kinlaw in a lot of 1-on-1 matchups against rookie right guard Mason McCormick.

McCormick has been pretty steady so far in his career, while Kinlaw is having a nice season with the Jets. After signing a one-year deal in free agency, Kinlaw has 11 pressures, a sack and 10 run stops. He had a bad personal foul penalty last week for saying something to an official, but he’s a good defender with an impressive combination of size and speed.

McCormick hasn’t quite faced anyone of Kinlaw’s talent level just yet, so it’ll be a nice test. McCormick has allowed just 5 pressures on the season and hasn’t given up a sack, but he’ll be tested in a big way on Sunday night. With Russell Wilson likely the starting quarterback on Sunday, keeping the pocket clean in front of him will be important.

JETS CB SAUCE GARDNER VS. STEELERS WR GEORGE PICKENS

Pardon my pun here, but this matchup is saucy. I’ll see myself out now.

But seriously, a matchup like Sauce Gardner against George Pickens is going to be a very entertaining one, to say the least. The last time the Jets and Steelers matched up, Gardner allowed just 2 receptions for 9 yards on 7 targets. Gardner didn’t give up a reception to Pickens on one target in that game, either.

Both players have grown and improved since then, with Gardner being an All-Pro corner in the NFL already. Gardner has been up and down this year, allowing 10 receptions on 15 targets for 136 yards and a touchdown, while Pickens has made some plays down the field, but has struggled with drops and ball security in recent weeks.

Pickens needs to get his game right, and that could occur with Wilson under center, should that be the decision Tomlin makes. That could unlock more downfield targets for the big receiver. The Steelers could decide to test Gardner with Pickens, even with D.J. Reed limited on the other side.

This is a matchup the Steelers can’t shy away from if it’s there. Pickens is going to need to get back to his play-making ways to help out the offense Sunday night against a strong Jets defense.