The Pittsburgh Steelers are doing their very best to make sure this season is exciting. After losing to the Buffalo Bills, the Steelers have put themselves in a position where winning out is almost the only way they make the playoffs.
This week the Steelers go on the road to take on the New York Jets and despite their 5-9 record, the Jets are going to put up a fight. Considering the problems the Steelers have had, this one won’t be easy. Here are our three big worries this week.
The Jets defense
New York might not have a potent offense but their defense is stout. This is especially true of their run defense which is No. 2 in the NFL. The Steelers offense has enough problems without facing another good defense this week.
What about the Steelers quarterback?
We should know at some point on Tuesday who Pittsburgh will start at quarterback this week. But the truth is whether it is Mason Rudolph or Devlin Hodges, the passing offense isn’t going to light things up. The worst part of all this is the skill players this team has been playing better than the underwhelming quarterback play would indicate.
Running the football
As noted above, the Jets defense is really good. They hold teams to under 90 yards rushing per game. Meanwhile, the Steelers can barely muster 91 yards rushing per game. But this isn’t from lack of talent. If offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner can’t get things on track, the Steelers are going to once again struggle to score. Even the healthy return of James Conner last week couldn’t inspire Fichtner to use him.
