New York Jets Vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: Bold Predictions For Week 5 Of 2016 NFL Season
The New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers are heading in opposite directions. Nonetheless, the two will duke it out in Week 5 of the 2016 NFL season.
The Jets currently hold a 1-3 record. Their lone victory came against the Buffalo Bills, and they have lost back-to-back games since then. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh tore the Kansas City Chiefs to shreds in Week 4 with a 43-14 victory. Apparently, the Steelers didn’t take too lightly to the Week 3 beating by the Philadelphia Eagles, a game in which Pittsburgh went down by the score of 34-3.
Of course, it didn’t hurt that Pittsburgh got Le’Veon Bell back last week. In case fans didn’t know, Bell is one of the most dangerous players in the NFL, but more from him later.
The odds are stacked against New York as it will have to play this battle on the road. In every sense of the word, the Jets are underdogs heading into Week 5 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Odds stacked against New York or not, let’s take a look at some bold predictions for Sunday’s meeting between these two squads.
Ryan Fitzpatrick’s Interception Party Comes To An End
Ryan Fitzpatrick has been all sorts of bad as of late. Here’s the proof. In Week 4, the quarterback threw three interceptions. In Week 3, Fitzpatrick was even worse as he threw six interceptions (yes, six!). If Fitzpatrick doesn’t stop throwing the ball to the opposing team in a hurry, who knows how much longer he will be the Jets’ starting quarterback.
In the spirit of that thinking, Fitzpatrick will have a much better outing against the Steelers — well, at least when it comes to interceptions, that is.
Pittsburgh only has three interceptions on the year, and Fitzpatrick can’t continue to throw this many footballs to the opposing team, right? Look for him to have no more than one in this battle, but that prediction alone does not mean New York will come away with the road victory.
Le’Veon Bell Continues To Be One Of The Most Lethal Players In The NFL
Is there a better player than Le’Veon Bell? Seriously. He is a fantasy football stud — for all it’s worth — and he appears to be unstoppable on the field. Fans must remember that he is coming off of an injury, and Week 4 was his first game of the season, yet he still managed to rack up 144 rushing yards and 34 receiving yards.
When healthy, he could be the best offensive player in the game. Whether it is in the receiving or rushing department, Bell lets his presence be known.
Look for Bell to continue his dominant ways with at least 100 rushing yards, 50 receiving yards, and a touchdown or two. Somewhere, fantasy football owners are going to be happy.
Pittsburgh Steelers Win By 21 Points (Or More)
Pittsburgh is absolutely stacked on offense. It’s very tough to outscore a team that consists of Bell, Ben Roethlisberger, and Antonio Brown. The scary thing is that the Steelers have more weapons outside of those three.
Sure, the Eagles flexed their muscles against Pittsburgh, but New York is not Philadelphia, not even by a long shot. If Roethlisberger & Co. are firing on all cylinders, this game could be over by halftime (perhaps sooner?). Also, fans can’t forget that the Steelers get this battle at home.
If Fitzpatrick continues to rack up the interceptions (he is leading the league with 10), then New York has no shot at winning this game. As it stands, Pittsburgh might have to have a dud in the offensive department for the Jets to come up victorious.
For all it’s worth, Pittsburgh trounced the Chiefs by the score of 43-14. That same Chiefs squad beat the Jets by the score of 24-3 in Week 3. Take that however you would like.
Currently, the Steelers are ranked No. 3 in ESPN‘s power rankings. New York comes in at No. 21.
Time will tell, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Jets left Week 5 with a 1-4 record while Pittsburgh left with a 4-1 record. Nonetheless, New York could use a serious winning streak right about now.
Stay tuned, folks.
[Featured Image by Joe Sargent/Getty Images]
