After falling 23-20 to the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night, the 2-4 New York Jets have received a boost in the form of one Davante Adams ahead of their Week 7 matchup against the 4-2 Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium.
The Jets, currently on a three-game losing streak, continued to stall after firing Rob Saleh and promoting former defensive coordinator Ulbrich to interim head coach two weeks ago. The Jets’ offense could only muster 20 points and lost their last three matchups by a combined 10 points, highlighting the need for an offensive shift.
“Where we fell short, from an offensive perspective, was the red zone — we were one for four,” Ulbrich said. “There were opportunities and we didn’t take advantage of them, but very fixable things down there. We just got to put four quarters together, and when we do that we’re going to be a problem. ”
Against the Bills, the team was flagged for another 11 penalties to total 50 for the season — only the Houston Texans have more with 51. Kicker Greg Zuerlein is also in “a bit of a rut” after missing two field goals that could have given the Jets the lead.
“The one thing that I have to talk about are the penalties,” Ulbrich said. “The penalties were unacceptable, and it’s something that we are shining a light on, that we’ll get improved.”
The morning after the loss, the Adams trade was announced — reuniting the elite wide receiver with Aaron Rodgers. The duo formed one of the most prolific aerial partnerships over their eight years in Green Bay together and will be looking to recreate that magic on Sunday night in Pittsburgh.
“I’m ecstatic, not only an elite player, as we all know, but the relationship with him and Aaron just takes his value to whole ‘nother space for us,” Ulbrich said.
However, Ulbrich noted that he is unsure if he will play due to hamstring concerns and acclimating to the new team. “It’s too early to assess now,” Ulbrich said.
Veteran receiver Mike Williams passed concussion protocol and is available to play if Adams remains doubtful. With Adams, Rodgers now has two targets on either side.
Conversely, the Steelers are coming off the back of a 32-13 road win against the Las Vegas Raiders. Quarterback Justin Fields totaled 145 passing yards and went 14 for 25 on Sunday night, but Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin stopped short of confirming him as the starter — veteran Russell Wilson is “in consideration” and a decision “will be made closer to game time.”
The Jets play the Steelers in a Sunday primetime matchup, with kickoff scheduled for 8:20 p.m. ET.
