In the midst of a difficult September, the New York Jets should be happy with the play of rookie corner Sauce Gardner. In the Week 3 loss to Cincinnati, Gardner had to face Bengals star Ja’Marr Chase, and Gardner came out ahead more often than not. Joe Burrow tested Gardner with a deep ball in the first quarter, and Gardner got down on the field to do a snow angel after the ball fell incomplete. Chase did get into the end zone, but Gardner wasn’t covering him then. He had four tackles (with one for a loss) and two passes defensed. The offense will get second-year quarterback Zach Wilson back from injury this week, so expect some rust. The Steelers have gotten to rest since a 29-17 loss in Cleveland last Thursday, and it will be interesting to see if Mitch Trubisky is ready to take more shots down the field and give the Pittsburgh offense more of an edge. We have your NFL betting preview of this AFC showdown right here.
NFL Preview: N.Y. Jets at Pittsburgh Steelers
(Sunday, October 2)
When: Sunday, October 2, 2022, 1:00 pm ET
Where: Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh
TV: CBS
Radio: ESPN 98.7 FM New York City / WDVE 102.5 FM Pittsburgh
Live Stream: Sling TV
NFL Odds: Pittsburgh -3 / O/U 41.5 // Pittsburgh -170 / New York +143
Why should you bet on the Jets?
Zach Wilson has several targets who have already started to put up solid numbers in 2022. Tyler Conklin leads the team with 18 catches, and Corey Davis and Garrett Wilson have combined for three touchdown catches. Michael Carter is the leading rusher with 122 yards on 28 carries, and Breece Hall is also making his mark on the ground. The fact that the Jets have lost multiple offensive linemen to injured reserve will make things challenging for both phases of the offense, though.
Head coach Robert Saleh came from San Francisco with a legacy of defensive excellence, but the Jets are still permitting 27 points per game. The draft and free agency added talent to Gang Green’s defense, but the performance needs to start showing up on the field. Quinnen Williams leads the team with 1 ½ sacks, and C.J. Mosley is the top tackler (30). If you like the Jets, you see Wilson coming in and playing sharp ball, and you see the Jets’ defense getting to Trubisky enough times to force him back into checkdown mode.
Why should you put your money on the Steelers?
Pittsburgh has covered in six of their last eight games at home, although they failed to cover in their only home game this year, a three-point loss to New England. Trubisky has a serviceable 60.2% pass completion race and a 2:1 TD:INT ratio, but he needs to push the ball more. Chase Claypool leads the team with 11 catches and has also turned into a weapon on the jet sweep with his combination of speed and size.
The Pittsburgh pass rush has been terrific, led by 4 ½ sacks from Alex Highsmith. Minkah Fitzpatrick has taken advantage of the distractions that the pass rush has provided, snagging two interceptions already. Myles Jack is the top tackler with 35 on the season. If you like the Steelers, you see that defense taking advantage of Wilson’s rust as he makes his debut, and you see the Steelers’ offense taking and converting some chances against the Jets’ defense.
Final Score and Prediction
The Steelers have the better defense, and the Jets have just one miracle comeback to point to as an offense. The Steelers also come in with more rest and get to play this game at home. I predict a final score of Pittsburgh 17, New York 10.
NFL Betting Odds
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