The last time these two met, the Jets were in the middle of a stretch that seemed to have removed them from any serious title hopes. Then they came up with their best game of the season, a 22-17 win in Pittsburgh.
On offense, wide receiver Braylon Edwards (+2.0) caught eight of 11 balls thrown his way for 100 yards. On defense, cornerback Darrelle Revis (+3.2) was back to 2009 form, only allowing two catches on five throws for 28 yards.
While the Jets won, the Steeler were able to dominate the Jets in the run game. All five members of the Steelers offensive line graded well, and running back Rashard Mendenhall (+1.5) was able to get 100 yards on just 17 carries along with a touchdown. The Jets defense had a total of six missed tackles in the game.
PFF ranks, by unit
Steelers
Pass: 8th
Run: 12th
Pass block: 29th
Run block: 30th
Run defense: 6th
Pass rush: 12th
Coverage: 4th
Special teams: 31st
Jets
Pass: 17th
Run: 11th
Pass block: 1st
Run block: 4th
Run defense: 1st
Pass rush: 30th
Coverage: 4th
Special teams: 12th
Key Matchup: Strength vs. Strength
New York LT D’Brickashaw Ferguson vs. Pittsburgh ROLB James Harrison
Ferguson has been one of the best tackles in the league this year, averaging just 1.6 combined pressures allowed a game, with just five pressures allowed in his last six games. He has also been a good run blocker for the Jets, and will need to be against James Harrison. Harrison has been averaging 4.4 combined pressures a game and is coming off a three-sack performance against the Ravens. When these teams met earlier in the year, Ferguson held Harrison to just a hit and a pressure, but Harrison was a plus in the run game. These two players will be fun to watch, and if either of them can get the edge then that will greatly help their team.
Key Matchup: Mismatch
New York RT Wayne Hunter vs. Pittsburgh LOLB Lamarr Woodley
The transition from Damien Woody to Hunter at right tackle has not been a smooth one for the Jets. He did have one of his better games of the season against the Steelers, only allowing a pressure, but he also had two penalties. Although he seems to be improving in stopping the pass rush, his run blocking continues to be a real negative. The Steelers would love Woodley to be a little more successful when rushing Mark Sanchez in this one compared to the first time they played. Sanchez crumbles under pressure, only completing 35.6% of his passes.
Who's Hot, Who's Not
Hot: While Sanchez's cumulative grade over the last five games (+10.9) wouldn't qualify as a hot streak for most QBs, he was only +11.8 over the first 13 games. For a USC kid, he seems to like the winter. … Jerricho Cotchery has had two of his three best grades the last three weeks. … RG Brandon Moore is quietly having his best stretch of the year. … Darrelle Revis' entire second half has been a hot streak. … For the Steelers, Emmanuel Sanders is making a real impact over the last month. … Maurkice Pouncey is still no Nick Mangold, but he's been consistently good of late. … Brett Keisel has been excellent since a midseason injury hiatus. … Punter Jeremy Kapinos isn't as good as Daniel Sepulveda, but he's been getting a bit better with each week.
Not: Jason Taylor has really been struggling, with four poor games in the last five weeks. To a lesser extent, David Harris is also on a down stretch, with his big interception obscuring a subpar game in New England. … Nick Folk has been brutal on kickoffs the whole second half of the season. … Lawrence Timmons hasn't been a liabilty, but his grades have been down for the last six weeks or so.
Notes
Steelers: Since the start of 2009, Ben Roethlisberger has only been given one negative grade, and eight of +5.0 or better (the basic plateau of awesomeness for a QB). Sanchez, over that same span, has 12 negative grades and zero of +5.0 or better. … Antonio Brown has seen more snaps the last five games (90) than Antwaan Randle-El (61). … The Steelers were essentially playing four guards and a center for much of the second half vs. Baltimore when Doug Legursky and Trai Essex had to come off the bench due to injury. … Casey Hampton has been playing between 20-40 snaps all year; last year it was more like 30-50. … Penalties have been a real problem for this team; they graded No. 28 on offense and No. 21 on defense.
Jets: The Jets only missed one tackle in their playoff opener vs. Indy; they missed 11 vs. New England. … Sanchez has only been hit or sacked four times in two playoff games. … The Jet receivers all grade negatively as run blockers. … Sanchez struggles throwing to his right, especially on short and intermediate stuff. … Cotchery only averaged 5.6 yards per target, one of the lowest in the NFL. … Left guard Matt Slauson allowed six sacks, second most of any guard.
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