Steelers vs. Jets

I’m not big on trash talkers.  I don’t like the teams or the fans or the who-evers that talk about their team as being superior and everyone else being clearly inferior.  That’s what makes the world of sports so great.  It’s never about who is more talented in general.  It’s about who’s more talented on a specific day.  It makes watching every single game a story that’s gripping to watch because although you know all the characters, the plot always twists in a way that is unexpected.   Just this could be my topic but I want to save it for another day because today, I want to talk about the Steelers vs. Jets.  As many of you know, I absolutely love the Steelers.  The Andy that watches Steelers games is a very different Andy in real life.  And since this is the seventh time the Steelers have been to the AFC championship game in my life time (they’ve won 3 and they’ve lost 3), the anxiety that I feel this week is all too familiar.  Therefore, instead of watching far too many Steeler press conferences or reading too much into other’s people analysis of the upcoming game, I want to make my case for why the Steelers should win against the J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets.

First, let’s talk statistics.  In the defensive world (which in my opinion, is far more important than the offense in the playoffs), Steelers pretty much lead the Jets in every category.  The closest category was Yards Allowed per Game.  The Steelers were ranked 2^nd in the regular season with 276 yards per game whereas the Jets were ranked 3^rd with 291 ypg.  Not a huge difference, sure, but it’s one of the many stats where the Steelers lead.  The Steelers also are ahead of the Jets in rushing yards allowed, sacks, how many points the defense has scored, and turnovers forced.  The only category where the Jets beat the Steelers this year was in Passing Yards Allowed and the difference between the two teams  is only 15 yards.  Needless to say, the Steelers proved to have a better defense and that is key to winning any football game- especially a playoff game.

In terms of statistics regarding the offenses, the comparisons are surely there and the leaders in the different categories vary.  Passing Yards Per Game goes to the Jets whereas Rushing Yards Per Game goes to the Steelers.  The kicking games favors the Jets but the touchdowns per game favors the Steelers.  What’s most interesting about all of this though is where the Steelers passing game is statistically better than the Jets, the Jet’s passing defense is one of the best in the league.  On the Jets side, their running game is statistically better but the Steelers have the best running defense in the league.  However, when everything is said and done, the most important part of your offense is how many points you score- and the Steelers lead the Jets in this category.

Now a very important part about playing any game is familiarity.  The Steelers and the Jets have played each other once this year with the Jets winning 22 to 17.  However, when you look at the game’s statistics, there is a lot to be analyzed.  The Steelers led in the following statistics:  first downs gained, 3^rd down efficiency, total plays, total yards, passing yards, rushing yards, points score in the red zone, and time of possession.  The Jets only led in completion percentage, yards per throw, and penalties (in that they had less of them).  These stats are a good example of how the box score is not always a good indicator of what the scoreboard read.  It does show you though that the Steelers made a couple of big mistakes.  First of all, they gave up the opening kickoff for a touchdown which put the Jets in the lead quickly.  Second, they gave up a safety.  Those combined 9 points clearly played a huge difference in the game. 

More importantly still, the Steelers were playing without two of their star players: Troy Polamalu and Heath Miller.  Both of these players play a key role in the way the Steelers play defense and offense- especially Polamalu’s effect on the defense.  Polamalu is known as one of, if not the best, safeties in the league and his ability to cause disruption to any offense is uncanny.  Heath Miller is one of the league’s top tight ends in terms of both blocking and passing.  With him being healthy, Roethlisberger is going to have an easier time finding open receivers and he’ll most likely have more time to do it.  It’s clear to see then that the Steelers lost due to bad mistakes and because they were without two of the best players.  This Sunday, they’ll have Polamalu and Miller back on the field.  We’ll see if they can stay away from making the same type mistakes.  Regardless, there’s no reason to look at the last game played by these two teams and feel like it’s a clear indicator or what will surely happen again. 

All in all, it seems clear to me that when we talk statistics, the Steelers do have the upper hand.  What we haven’t mentioned is playoff experience amongst the players and coaches, the battles between the minds and schemes of the offensive and defensive coordinators, or home-field advantage.  However, all of these things favor the Steelers as well.  So again, it’s clear why the Steelers should win the game on Sunday- but that’s the beauty of the NFL.  Any given Sunday, any team could win.  Here’s hoping that the winning team this Sunday is the Steelers.