Behind the Steel Curtain
The Steelers’ regular season kicks off this Sunday, and Read & React is bringing back our weekly game preview column so you’re prepared heading into the Jets game.
Pittsburgh finished 10-7 last year with a wild card spot, while New York endured a 5-12 record. Now, former Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers has the starting job in the Steel City, while Justin Fields, who started six games in Pittsburgh in 2024, is QB1 for Gang Green.
Week 1 is a blank slate. We know a good bit about each team, but every year there are franchises that wildly outperform and underperform preseason expectations.
With that disclaimer out of the way, here’s what you need to know about the Jets ahead of Sunday’s 1 p.m. EST kickoff:
The Jets offense is going to look a whole lot different from 2024 to 2025, at least in structure.
Besides bringing in a new head coach in former Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, the Jets replaced former offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett with former Detroit passing game coordinator Tanner Engstrand.
The team also made a handful of changes to their assistant offensive coaches, notably hiring former Raiders passing game coordinator Scott Turner (son of Norv Turner) for a similar role with the Jets, and adding former Lions tight ends coach Steve Heiden to lead the New York offensive line.
It’s a new braintrust in the Jets organization, and one that has experience rebuilding a struggling NFL franchise – both Glenn and Engstrand were part of Dan Campbell’s Lions staff from the very beginning of Detroit’s impressive turnaround.
And as previously mentioned, the Jets made a big change at quarterback.
Aaron Rodgers is out. In with Justin Fields.
Steeler fans probably don’t need an in-depth reminder of who Fields is as a quarterback. He’s a tremendous athlete with a strong arm and some of the best rushing ability of any quarterback in the NFL.
On the flip side, he lacks ideal touch, accuracy, and processing as a passer.
He’s a much different player than Aaron Rodgers, and the offense has changed quite a bit from the Rodgers-era Jets as well.
As many Steeler fans know already, last year Rodgers piloted a spread-out, static offense that specialized in the quick game. From the limited reps of the New York starting offense this preseason (29 snaps), the new-look Jets appear a bit more modern and Fields-friendly.
There’s a greater emphasis on the run game and more condensed formations. There’s a larger helping of pre-snap motion and 12 personnel.
The Jets obviously didn’t run Justin Fields much in the preseason, but I’d expect more of that in the games that count. He still found ways to scramble and make big plays.
Like in his previous NFL stops, I predict Fields will see a healthy dose of play action rollouts and some read option plays in 2025.
But quarterback, while it is the most important position on the field, isn’t the only one...
