The Jets are getting ready for their home opener on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Aaron Rodgers. They have a new head coach in Aaron Glenn, a new quarterback in Justin Fields, a new attitude and one of the youngest rosters in the NFL.
The Steelers play in one of the toughest divisions in the league, have an elite defense and now Aaron Rodgers, who may have a chip on his shoulder facing his former team at MetLife Stadium. This is a good first test for Aaron Glenn as well as a new look Jets roster to see if they have truly bought in to what he's been preaching all offseason.
Here are three key matchups for the Jets against the Steelers on Sunday:
Membou was the team's first round pick this year and his side of the line suffered a major loss earlier this week with Alijah Vera-Tucker gone for the season with a torn triceps. Joe Tippmann will move to right guard at least for Sunday's game and Josh Myers will now start at center. Membou had an up and down preseason and losing AVT, arguably the team's best offensive lineman, during their final preparation for Pittsburgh is tough. Tippmann is more than capable to handle the right guard position, but Membou could struggle as he'll be facing off TJ Watt, one of the best pass rushers in the game and now the highest paid defensive lineman in the league.
Watt is coming off a season of 11.5 sacks, which would be a solid year for most pass rushers, but a disappointment for him after he posted 19 sacks in 2023. Expect Glenn and offensive line coach Steve Heiden to try and give Membou some additional help on the right side with either Mason Taylor or Stone Smartt. Josh Reynolds and Allen Lazard are also good blockers and they could help out on that side of the line as well.
Fashanu begins his first full season as the team's starting left tackle. He'll probably be on an island all by himself against not only Alex Highsmith, who had six sacks last year, but Cam Heyward as well. Heyward is in a bit of a contract squabble with the Steelers and he did not dress for practice on Thursday. It's something to keep an eye on heading into Sunday's game and could be a break for the Jets if Heyward does not play.
The Jets offensive line struggled a bit against speed rushers in the preseason and it made Justin Fields look rattled and his passes badly inaccurate. While they are a very young offensive line, they'll need to grow up quick and give Fields time to make plays against an experienced and elite Steelers pass rush.
The Steelers acquired Metcalf from the Seahawks back on March 13 and he is now the clear cut WR1 in Pittsburgh, something that may be considered uncharted territory for him. While in Seattle, he shared targets with Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. After acquiring Metcalf, the Steelers traded George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys, which may have inadvertently weakened the position. Calvin Austin III and second-year receiver Roman Wilson are WR2 and WR3 respectively and will be asked to take big steps forward in their development this year.
Sauce Gardner will be responsible for covering Metcalf and if he can limit his impact on the game, it will force Rodgers into a position where he'll need to rely on two receivers with not much experience. Sauce also needs to be careful in coverage as depending on the officials, he may get called more for pass interference than he would like. Sauce has taken on more of a leadership role this year with the Jets and became the highest paid cornerback in the league after signing a four year, $120.4 million extension back in July.
He's got the money and now he needs to go out and prove the Jets made the right decision to pay him. Shutting down Pittsburgh's best receiver on Sunday would be a good place to start.
Outside of Garrett Wilson, the Jets depth chart at receiver is a mixed bag and most teams already know that. Opposing defenses will not be the least bit intimidated by Josh Reynolds or Allen Lazard. The Jets have pretty much laid their cards on the table with the offense and will be a very run heavy team with Breece Hall, Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis. The hope is that the run game will be good enough where teams will lose focus on Wilson and the passing game.
Wilson will be covered by Jalen Ramsey for a good portion of Sunday's game. Reynolds did not play nor was targeted much in the preseason, so it's difficult to know how useful he will be in the passing offense. Lazard had a few receptions against the Green Bay Packers in the team's first preseason game, but injured his shoulder and missed the last two games against the Eagles and Giants. Fields didn't play much during the preseason either due to the team playing it safe with their starting quarterback after Tyrod Taylor's injury and didn't get much time to develop a rapport with Reynolds, Lazard or any of the other receivers.
The Steelers could double team Wilson tomorrow and put the pressure on Fields to rely on Reynolds and Lazard, who are not known for big-play ability, to move the chains. Darius Slay, fresh off a Super Bowl ring with the Eagles, will start opposite Ramsey in the Steelers secondary, but expect Joey Porter Jr. to receive some reps as well. Slay, a six-time pro bowl cornerback, was released by the Eagles on March 3 and signed a one year, $10 million contract with Pittsburgh. Slay is 34 years old, but still a solid coverage corner that finished with a PFF grade of 73.3 last year, ranking him 23rd out of 128 cornerbacks.
The Jets offense works best when the ball is spread among multiple receivers. Tanner Engstrand needs to find a way to establish Reynolds, Lazard and even rookie tight end Mason Taylor as receiving threats to open up more big play ability from Garrett Wilson.