The New York Jets are finally at the start of their 2024 NFL season. Their first outing is against the Pittsburgh Steelers at MetLife Stadium in Week 1.
All week, topics and storylines have been discussed ahead of this battle between AFC foes. In the end, regardless of what is said by players, coaches, media outlets and fans, it always comes down to what unfolds on the field in the NFL.
And once the battle arrives, there will be a few particular things to keep in mind to look out for.
With that, here are five things to watch for during the Jets’ Week 1 game against the Steelers:
Rodgers’ welcome
It’s not a prime-time game, but it’s the top 1 p.m. contest for Week 1 because of Aaron Rodgers. The end of his time in New York was not very ceremonial and he seemed to not like the way it went down with the Jets front office.
How will Rodgers handle those emotions and how Jets fans will likely treat him.
QB1 Fields
Rodgers is not the only quarterback having an important Sunday. For Justin Fields, it’s going to be his regular season debut with the team.
How does Fields look? An offense is usually “vanilla” in the preseason. On top of that, does New York have another else step up in the passing game alongside No.1 receiver Garrett Wilson?
AG’s debut
Rounding out the debuts is Jets head coach Aaron Glenn. It’s going to be an emotional day for him, but he needs to keep his mind on his job. Specifically, Glenn should figure out a way to keep his team from taking so many penalties…
Young offensive line vs. experienced rushers
The Jets’ offensive line is without Alijah Vera-Tucker thanks to his season-ending injury. A lot of attention is there.
However, tackles Olu Fashanu and first-round rookie Armand Membou have a tough task ahead of them. The Steelers’ pass rush is headlined by TJ Watt.
Owning the ground
While the quarterbacks will take a lot of the attention as always, the run game for both of these teams will loom large.
Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith typically favors a run-heavy approach. The Jets just landed defensive tackle Harrison Phillips to help in this area.
Not to mention, the expectation in New York is to see a lot of running backs Breece Hall and Braelon Allen getting the ball on offense. Other teams know that, too. Can the Jets still make it happen on the ground despite that?
This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: New York Jets vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: 5 things to watch for in Week 1
