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Records: New York Jets (2-4) at Pittsburgh (4-2)
Kickoff: Sunday, 8:20 p.m., NBC
BetMGM NFL odds: Jets by 1.5
Series record: Steelers lead 20-7
Against the spread: Jets 2-4; Steelers 4-2
Last meeting: Jets beat Steelers 24-10 on Oct. 2, 2022, in Pittsburgh.
Last week: Jets lost to Buffalo 23-20 in New Jersey. Steelers beat the Raiders 32-13 in Las Vegas.
Jets offense: overall (22), rush (30), pass (16), scoring (22)
Jets defense: overall (2), rush (17), pass (2), scoring (7)
Steelers offense: overall (26), rush (9), pass (28), scoring (20)
Steelers defense: overall (8), rush (4), pass (13), scoring (2)
Turnover differential: Jets minus-1; Steelers plus-7
Jets player to watch: WR Davante Adams. After being acquired from Las Vegas earlier in the week, Adams is reunited with Aaron Rodgers in New York and the two will get the opportunity to re-establish their on-field connection. Adams caught 615 passes from Rodgers for 7,517 yards and 68 touchdowns during eight seasons together in Green Bay. Adams sat out the Raiders' past three games with a hamstring injury that coincided with his trade request, but he's now healthy and ready to play.
Steelers player to watch: QB Russell Wilson. The 35-year-old appears to be in line to make his first start with Pittsburgh after missing the first six games with a calf injury. The nine-time Pro Bowler has seen just one series of action in a preseason game since joining the Steelers in March. Yet with the passing game taking a step back in recent weeks under Justin Fields, coach Mike Tomlin is likely turning to Wilson in hopes he can help take the team from good to great.
Key matchup: Pittsburgh's secondary vs. Rodgers. Sunday night marks the 40-year-old Rodgers' fourth career start against the Steelers. Rodgers is 2-1 against Pittsburgh, including a victory in the Super Bowl following the 2010 season while playing for Green Bay. Pittsburgh's defense has been disruptive but also susceptible to passing plays down the field against experienced quarterbacks. Dak Prescott threw for 336 yards against the Steelers two weeks ago and Joe Flacco came off the bench to throw a pair of touchdowns for the Colts on Sept. 29. Rodgers is coming off a season-high 294 yards passing in last week's loss to Buffalo.
Key injuries: Jets CBs D.J. Reed (groin) and Michael Carter II (back) appear likely to miss the game, leaving New York without two of its key players in the secondary. … The Steelers will be without rookie C Zach Frazier (ankle) and OLB Nick Herbig (hamstring). Pittsburgh is optimistic OLB Alex Highsmith can return after missing three games with a groin injury.
Series notes: The Steelers have dominated the series historically, but have dropped each of their past two meetings with the Jets. It's telling of the whirlwind nature of the league that New York's previous visit to Pittsburgh two years ago ended with a 24-20 victory in a game featuring two quarterbacks -- Zach Wilson (Jets) and Kenny Pickett (Steelers) -- who were considered the future of their respective franchises at the time. Both now play elsewhere.
Stats and stuff: The Jets will play their second game with Jeff Ulbrich as the interim head coach after he replaced the fired Robert Saleh last week. … New York is looking to stop a three-game losing streak and avoid its first four-game skid since losing five in a row last season in Weeks 9-14. … Rodgers came within 6 yards last Monday night against Buffalo of his first 300-yard passing game since throwing for 341 against Chicago on Dec. 12, 2021 -- a span of 28 regular-season games. … Rodgers has four TD passes and four INTs in his past two games, including being picked off in each of the Jets' final offensive possessions.