Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets Feature Different Receiving Groups

When the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets meet in Week 7 on Sunday Night Football, the teams will take similar approaches to the game: defense and running the football. However, the two groups are extremely different regarding their wide receivers, which could determine who walks away with a victory.

Steelers Are Extremely WR Poor

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Despite coming into Week 7 with a 4-2 record, the Steelers are one of the more receiver-poor teams in the league. In terms of receiving yards, Pittsburgh has George Pickens with 363 (19th in the NFL), but the next closest receiver is Calvin Austin III, who only has 167 yards (96th in the NFL).

No other wide receiver in black and gold has more than 62 yards (Van Jefferson) or one touchdown (Austin III) total in just over a quarter of the 2024 season. To make the situation more challenging, Justin Fields has been throwing to the most covered receivers in the entire league through six games.

Whether it was arrogance or being used, the Steelers saw the bottom fall out of the Brandon Aiyuk situation earlier in the year. Davante Adams' going to the Jets continued that inability to bring a big-name pass catcher to the Steelers.

Outside of Pickens—and whatever the oft-injured Roman Wilson will one day show—Pittsburgh simply has a collection of bodies within the receiving corps, which has proven woefully ineffective. Against a dangerous New York secondary, it will be even harder to find any daylight when the Steelers are on offense.

Rodgers Has More Toys

On the opposite sidelines during Sunday Night's game, the Jets have a group of receivers that could present some mismatches against Pittsburgh's defense. The recently-acquired Adams joins Garrett Wilson (399 receiving yards, three touchdowns) to create an immediate one-two punch.

However, Allen Lazard is no slouch (354 receiving yards, five touchdowns) and was already a viable second receiver before Adams' arrival. Joey Porter Jr. and Donte Jackson will have their hands full with Adams and Wilson, but the concern is what the Steelers will do to minimize Lazard.

Beanie Bishop Jr. has been a solid tackler in his rookie season, but when it comes to coverage, there have been more than a few errors. For a Pittsburgh team with practically no margin for anything but forward motion, the prospect of seeing Lazard lined up against Bishop has Steelers fans worried about the result.

Aaron Rodgers may not be his old self, but when you give him receiving weapons and Breece Hall at running back, even the highly-paid defense of TJ Watt and company will need to have a statement game.

Steelers and Jets Need a Win

For the first time in the Steelers 2024 campaign, Fields will not be the starting quarterback. Russell Wilson will be taking his first meaningful snaps as a member of the black and gold, and considering the polarizing move that has him under center in Week 7, success is a must.

Even for a veteran with Super Bowl experience, Wilson will have quite the battle ahead with a primetime game against the Jets to kick his season off. The fact that it will be played at Acrisure Stadium is the one positive, but Wilson has a ton to prove and not many weapons with which to do so.

If Rodgers can avoid overthinking the need to include Adams in the game plan too often or forcing the ball, the Steelers, still finding their identity in the secondary, will struggle. The defensive backs thrive off chaos and turnovers, with Jackson having three interceptions to lead the team.

Pittsburgh will rely on the defense to lead the way on Sunday Night, and with Adams joining the Jets' pass-catching crew, it should be a game played through the air. Considering that pass defense has been a struggle over the last few years for the Steelers, it will be on Teryl Austin and his defensive unit to blaze a new trail going forward.

Final Thoughts

If the Steelers offense, especially the passing game, wants to have a positive impact and be a reason why the team gets to 5-2, the receivers will need to play above their means. Only so much can be asked of a group of depth players trying to do their best.

But, other than Pickens, there is no receiving weapon that will get respect from the New York defense. Wilson is supposed to read defenses and react better than Fields, and if that is still the case, then there is no better time than Sunday Night Football to prove that he still has plenty left in the tank.

Starting 2-4 isn't what Rodgers expected after returning from an Achilles tear in 2023. With another friendly face back on his side, not to mention a valuable piece of the offensive attack, there could be added confidence once those lights go on.

.The Jets came into 2024 with Super Bowl aspirations, and a loss on Sunday Night would throw a wrench into those plans. The Steelers weren't sure what this campaign would hold, and a 4-2 start is already ahead of schedule. When the two collide in primetime, two franchises will be battling to prove who has a chance this season.

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Article originally written by Zachary Franciscus