National Football League

Top 5 takeaways from Week 5 matchup against Steelers

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 8:36 p.m. ET

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The New York Jets once again showed no urgency in Week 5 against the Pittsburgh Steelers that are making many wonder if they have given up on the season.

Oct 9, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown (84) celebrates a first down past New York Jets safety Rontez Miles (45) during the second half of their game at Heinz Field. The Steelers won, 31-13. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

For the second consecutive week, the New York Jets took another step back in Week 5 as they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 31-13. Again, from the start of the game, the Jets were outplayed on both sides of the football.

The Jets’ offense again struggled in providing points and just held onto the football less than the Steelers. With the offense struggling, the Jets’ defense was on the field much longer than what they would like.

With the loss, the Jets fall to 1-4 and head back on the road next Monday night against a very difficult team in the Arizona Cardinals. If they want to keep their head above water, then this is a must win situation to try to save their season.

The Jets need to look at themselves in the mirror and realize they all need to step up and become a better team. They need to have better discussions in how to handle the adversity they have as a team.

Let’s take a deeper look and breakdown the top five takeaways from this Week 5 matchup.

Jan 3, 2016; Orchard Park, NY, USA; New York Jets offensive coordinator Chan Gailey on the field before the game against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

5. Offensive playcalling is a huge problem

Offensive coordinator Chan Gailey really has to change his play calling up because it has not worked at all thus far in the season. He seems to only trust certain plays because you see the same plays be called over and over and you wonder in what he is thinking.

Instead of trying to run the ball and doing screen plays, maybe they should do more cross and vertical passes. Instead of trying to be creative with some plays, Gailey should try to just keep it basic and just go with plays that have been successful.

They had called numerous plays where as a fan you shake your head in wondering why they called it. They also need to get everyone involved because they focus on the same player numerous times.

Missing Eric Decker is hurting the offense a lot because it helps on third down situations to execute certain plays. It seems the offense that Gailey has been running is not working out for the Jets. He needs to go to basics because they need to put up more points on the scoreboard.

4. Lack of any pressure from Jets’ defensive line

Sunday was very difficult in watching the defensive line of the Jets because they were unable to provide any pressure. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had so much time in sitting in the pocket while dissecting the Jets’ secondary.

Big Ben threw 12 passes in the row which were unacceptable, to begin with for any team. The offensive line of the Steelers was hurt with two key players missing which the Jets should have taken advantage of this.

The front four was only able to obtain one quarterback sack which is not going to win you many games. They were able to make tackles in the field but when it mattered the most, they didn’t step up.

You scratch your head and wonder why they don’t get the penetration like they did in previous games or like last season. Without a consistent pass rush, the Steelers were easily able to control the tempo of this matchup.

Oct 2, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis (24) New York Jets strong safety Calvin Pryor (25) New York Jets free safety Marcus Gilchrist (21) huddle during pregame with the rest of the secondary at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Hauser-USA TODAY Sports

3. Defensive secondary plays bad once again

The secondary once again for the fifth week in a row had a horrific game which is getting very tiring to watch. Too many mistakes in coverages that blew up and receivers for the Steelers were wide open.

The Steelers had 372 total yards in passing which is unacceptable to have against your team as an organization. When they needed to make third down stops, the Jets’ secondary couldn’t make them at all.

Yards after the catch for the Steelers was 7.8 which in my opinion is frustrating since they were easily able to move down the field. There were also too many missed tackles which have been a common theme this season.

What is even more nerve-racking was a good percentage of the 1st downs the Steelers had been from their passing game. The Jets need to hold everyone accountable and start demoting players that aren’t holding their weight.

Oct 9, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers inside linebacker Vince Williams (98) makes a sack on New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field. Pittsburgh won 31-13. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

2. Offense shows no urgency once again

After the first few drives, the Jets’ offense looked very sluggish and wasn’t able to produce points. It goes to show that once again, without Decker who is still out with the shoulder injury, didn’t help them one bit.

This week, the Jets’ offense totaled 316 total yards of offense which is okay but it is a much-needed improvement. There were again a few costly penalties which must be cleaned up heading into next week against the Cardinals.

Once again, the Jets’ offense went 1 for 2 in the red zone when they needed to score to keep up with the Steelers. The mixing up of the plays needs to be done because doing the same things over opponents will pick up on it.

They relied on the run game again which was unproductive as it only mustered 72 total yards. It is again important to get everyone involved and not just be one-dimensional. When the game mattered the most early on, the Jets looked very sluggish. They showed no sense of urgency or aggression to keep those chains moving.

Oct 9, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) passes the ball against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field. The Steelers won 31-13. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

1. Wide receivers drop too many passes

We must have never seen so many dropped passes in any particular game but Sunday we did. I think I counted 8 to 10 passes being dropped when they were catchable ones.

Wide receiver Brandon Marshall had a big drop late in the second quarter that caused the drive to stop midfield and hurt the momentum of the Jets. Also, the time of possession for the Jets’ offense didn’t help because it held the ball for only 28 minutes.

Wide receiver Charone Peake, the rookie out of Clemson, had another key drop when the Jets had the ball midway through the second quarter. It is difficult as a fan to see these type of things happen since it’s all simple mental mistakes.

Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was more careful with the football this week which is encouraging to see but he must have been very frustrated for the dropped passes. Instead of looking up the field as they are making the catch, they should focus on just receiving the football.