The only 3 Jets left for Aaron Rodgers to blame after SNF loss to Steelers

The more things change, the more things stay the same. Week 7 was supposed to be when the tide finally turned for the New York Jets: Robert Saleh had been fired; Aaron Rodgers had been reunited with old friend Davante Adams; owner Woody Johnson even convinced Haason Reddick to rejoin the team, so convinced that his team was set for a playoff push.

And yet, when all of that dust settled, the Jets emerged ... more or less the same team they've been all year, falling apart in the second half in an embarrassing 37-15 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football. The problems were the same ones we've seen before, from a bad offensive line short-circuiting the running game and getting Rodgers beat up to a defense that's regressed badly from 2023. Firing Saleh was supposed to light a fire, and acquiring Adams was supposed to give Rodgers and Garrett Wilson the running mate the offense desperately needed. At this point, though, this team is running out of scapegoats.

3. Tyron Smith

The only real concern with Smith prior to the season was health; as long as he could stay on the field, he figured to be a stabilizing force at left tackle. But the opposite has been true so far in 2024: Smith is playing, he just hasn't been playing well. Things hit a new low on Sunday night; Smith didn't even draw TJ Watt for much of the game, but he still struggled, failing to open much of any running room for Breece Hall and allowing a ferocious Steelers front to tee off on Rodgers down the stretch. The offensive line is the single biggest reason why this offense is stuck in neutral right now, and Smith hasn't been anywhere near the player New York thought it was getting.

2. Jeff Ulbrich

Turns out maybe this wasn't all on Saleh, was it? The Jets' defense was decimated by injuries against Pittsburgh, especially in the secondary. But that's still no excuse for getting shredded by Russell Wilson of all people. The Steelers have exactly one viable weapon on the outside, but New York refused to have Sauce Gardner shadow George Pickens, instead letting the wideout pick on lesser corners en route to a huge night.

Ulbrich also struggled at times to fulfill the basic obligations of being a head coach, at one point nearly wiping a Jets touchdown off the board by fumbling his challenge flag. A team with playoff aspirations needs a serious leader at the helm, and so far Ulbrich very much does not seem ready for primetime.

1. Garrett Wilson

By far the most disappointing performance in a game full of them came from Wilson, who was his own harshest critic afterwards. Wilson had a ball bounce off his hands for a critical interception, and generally struggled to generate much separation throughout the night. Crucial to the idea of the Jets as legitimate AFC contenders was Wilson as a legitimate No. 1 WR, a guy who could look a lot like Adams did when he was in his prime catching passes from Rodgers in Green Bay. But while this team is in desperate need of a playmaker to make life a little easier, Wilson is playing below his talent level, a far less explosive player than he was 12 months ago.