Another AFC battle was witnessed by a large crowd at Heinz Field as the Pittsburgh Steelers hosted the New York Jets in the National Football League. The Steelers were looking to keep on top of the AFC North while the Jets were looking for a way to jump start their season after losing three straight games. The Jets had no answer for the Steelers offense on Sunday afternoon as they walked away from Pittsburgh with a 13-31 loss on their hands.

The Steelers offense is still red hot

There are not many teams who have as effective an offense as the Pittsburgh Steelers currently have and they showed up today to completely dominate the Jets defense. The run game could only manage a game high of 66 yards through Le'Veon Bell but the passing game was what lead the Steelers to their big win.

Quarter back Ben Roethlisberger finished the game on the side line after a 380 passing yard game and four touchdowns while wide receiver Sammie Coates ended the game with 139 catching yards and two touchdowns. Coates was not the only Steeler with touchdowns today as Antonio Brown continued his great start to the season with 78 yards and one touchdown, making him fifth on the overall list of Steelers players with touchdowns. The other touchdown of the game for the Steelers came from tight end Jessie James, who continues to prove a capable replacement for the retired Heath Miller.

Sammie Coates finished with two touchdowns against the Jets | Source: Justin K. Aller/Getty Images North America
Sammie Coates finished with two touchdowns against the Jets | Source: Justin K. Aller/Getty Images North America

The Jets secondary could not deal with the Steelers receivers and continually gave up big plays down the field. They gave 23 first downs due to passing plays and gave up 372 total passing yards on the day. They may have limited the Steelers run game to just 61 yards but they could not prevent the Steelers form marching down the field time-and-time again due to their pass completion. That put the pressure on their own offense which is currently stuttering and on current form, can not match up to the Steelers offensive talent.

The Steelers defense bends but does not break

The story of the Jets offense was the lack of ruthlessness in the red zone. They managed to put up 244 yards on the Steelers defense but when they got into the red zone, the Steelers defense would shut up shop and force the Jets to kick field goals or stop them further up the field and reduce their drives to punts on forth down. The only Jets touchdown of the game came through Brandon Marshall but that was all the Jets had to show for in the red zone. 

Ryan Fitzgerald was pressured by the Steelers throughout | Source: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images North America
Ryan Fitzgerald was pressured by the Steelers throughout | Source: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images North America

The Steelers pass rush was the reason for why the Jets could not pick up more than three points on most of their drives. Line backers Vince Williams and Anthony Chickillo made up for the lack of presence that the injured Ryan Shazier usually brings and managed to get to quarter back Ryan Fitzgerald on two occasions. The Steelers front seven kept pressure on Fitzgerald all throughout the game and forced him into many incomplete passes any time he tried to find a receiver deep down the field.

The Steelers pass rush limited the amount of deep throws that the Jets could complete and also relieved the pressure off what many consider the Steelers weakness, their secondary. Teams usually cannot wins game if they are reduced to field goals on almost all their drives and that was the case here today. The Jets offense never got going while the Steelers offense did.

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