Five ways Jets can beat Steelers
It's the moment Rex Ryan has talked about since Day 1 of training camp, when he his players there was only one place he wanted to be at the end of the season: in the Super Bowl.
The Jets are now just 60 minutes away from ending 42 years of frustration.
"It's what we've been shooting for," Ryan said. "This is why we play."
A win over the Steelers in today's AFC Championship Game at Heinz Field, and Ryan will get his wish. He knows it won't be easy - "a three chin-strap game," as he calls it - but he knows it's certainly possible.
Underdogs for a third week in a row, Ryan believes this team is ready to get it done. No reason to doubt him now. Here's how the Jets can make it happen:
1. Need Sanchez at his best
Mark Sanchez has to play the game of a lifetime. It's a lot to ask of a second-year quarterback to lead your team to a Super Bowl, but Sanchez doesn't shy away from the big stage. In fact, he seems to play better under the pressure-packed conditions. Consider: In five career playoff games, he has seven touchdowns and three interceptions, compared to 29 TDs and 33 INTs in the regular season. He's a money player, and he'll have to be just that against the Steelers. It's incumbent on him to avoid the kind of slow start that hurt him against the Colts, when he was only 9-of-19 for 84 yards and an interception. He needs to start off the way he did last week against the Patriots, when he was 10-of-16 for 101 yards and two touchdowns. It's imperative that he go through his progressions and make the right reads, as opposed to locking onto one receiver. What could help him in this one is quick strikes on slants and skinny posts from wideouts Braylon Edwards, Jerricho Cotchery and Santonio Holmes, as well as seam routes by tight end Dustin Keller, who can be an X-factor in this game. If Steelers safety Troy Polamalu plays too close to the line of scrimmage in run support, then Keller can be a good release valve for Sanchez over the middle. It's been a quiet playoffs so far for Keller, who has just three catches in each of his first playoff games. Could be a go-to guy in this one.
2. Play it safe with Big Ben
Play it safe defensively against Ben Roethlisberger. The Jets have been practicing for it all week, and you'll see it time and time again from Roethlisberger: He fades back to pass, doesn't see anything he likes downfield, and begins to scramble. The Jets then do what's called the "plastering" technique on their wide receivers, where they try and stick to their man while Roethlisberger ducks out of the pocket and allows his receivers to freelance on their routes. One way to adequately defend against Roethlisberger is for the Jets to continue the unusually conservative pass defense they've employed through their first two games. The Jets have decided that playing safer zone defenses, sometimes in combination with man-to-man coverage, is the better approach. It worked wonders against Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, and it can do the same against Roethlisberger, especially if he can't find any open targets when he's on the move.
3. Send in blitz
The Jets have been content to blitz on occasion against Manning and Brady, but have opted for more Cover 2 defense than usual in an attempt to limit the big plays. But there's nothing wrong with sending blitzers to attack Roethlisberger, especially because he is vulnerable to the sack. A combination of the Steelers' suspect offensive line and Roethlisberger's penchant for scrambling makes him an easier target than either Brady or Manning, both of whom are difficult to sack. Key stat: In nine of 13 games this season, Roethlisberger has been sacked at least three times, including last week's narrow win over the Ravens, in which he was sacked six times. There's no reason the Jets can't use a creative mix of soft coverage and aggressive pass rushes against a team that has had problems dealing with blitzes throughout Roethlisberger's tenure in Pittsburgh.
4. Aggressiveness works for Schottenheimer
Schotty needs to stay aggressive. Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, often criticized for being either too predictable or too unconventional, struck the perfect balance in the Jets' 22-17 win over Pittsburgh in Week 15. He called 29 passes and 27 runs, and seemed to have the Steelers off balance for much of the game. His decision to have Sanchez run a naked bootleg on fourth-and-1 from the Steelers' 7 was one of the great play calls of the season by any offensive coordinator in the league. It's that kind of boldness and creativeness that will be needed again. No need to take too many unnecessary risks, but also no need to be too conservative because the Steelers' defense presents so many obstacles. Thus, if the Steelers are going to send blitzers as they often do, Schottenheimer can respond with draw plays, screen passes, or even quick-strike passes on Sanchez's hot reads. Many of Schottenheimer's players called it one of the best performances by an offensive coordinator they'd ever seen; Schottenheimer can use a similar effort here.
5. Establish run
OK, so there's nothing fancy about Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson trying to grind out the tough yards against Pittsburgh's vaunted front seven, which is among the best in the league. Try these numbers on for size: Their 14.5 points allowed per game, tops in the NFL. No. 1 against the run, too, allowing an average of just 62.8 yards per game. But that doesn't mean the Jets shouldn't try to run it; in fact, they must run it to establish balance, and to give Sanchez a better chance at establishing a viable play-action passing game with at least the threat of the run. Besides, the Jets were among the more successful teams running it against Pittsburgh in the regular season, as the Jets ran for 109 yards and average 3.9 yards per carry.
Put it all together, and Super Bowl XLV is within reach: Jets 24, Steelers 21.
