It’s choose your narrative day for Sunday’s Jets-Steelers clash.
On one hand, Aaron Rodgers faces a Jets team that he felt disrespected him with the manner in which it chose to cut him.
The other angle is Justin Fields battles a Steelers team that benched him for Russell Wilson last season despite a winning record and opted to let him leave in free agency.
We all know that Rodgers is legendary for carrying a chip on his shoulder and can turn the slightest dig into something that fuels him.
The question, though, is whether that version of Rodgers who can still torch a team can be unleashed now that he’s 41-years-old.
Rodgers did not play this preseason, so the world does not know how well he’s meshing yet with his new teammates like D.K. Metcalf.
Fans have had plenty of looks at Fields and there are plenty of questions about the ceiling of what will be a run-focused Jets offense.
Plenty of training camp reports noted how Fields and the passing game just never got in sync.
Garrett Wilson is a certified top receiver, but the Jets lack a No. 2 receiver. That likely will matter in games when the Jets are chasing points.
The Jets are going to run, run and run some more with Fields and the running back duo of Breece Hall and Braelon Allen.
But that plan’s potential effectiveness took a massive hit when top lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker suffered a season-ending injury earlier this week.
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The Steelers have a top defense, and the Jets are going to be challenged to get off to a fast start against such a unit if their rushing attack is not at top form.
If Pittsburgh can put the Jets in an early hole, Fields and this passing game are not equipped to suddenly move the ball at will in the air.
This should be a competitive, low-scoring game, and we’ll back Rodgers to have a solid day while fueled by the transgressions he believes his ex-team committed against him.
The Steelers don’t have the makings of an elite unit, but they have more weapons than the Jets and that could be what spoils Aaron Glenn’s Jets coaching debut.
BET: Steelers -3 (-110, BetMGM)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Matt Ehalt has been picking against the spread since his childhood days when he entered his father’s newspaper pool and even took the top prize on more than one occasion. He specializes in NFL wagers and is quite successful with NCAA brackets.
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