PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers will welcome the New York Jets for Sunday Night Football this week, and with a change at quarterback coming down the pipeline on top of that, it seems like the Steelers will have the spotlight on them. The Jets just made a huge trade for Davante Adams, and the hope is that the star wide receiver can spark the offense even more, especially since the Jets now sit at 2-4.

With that being said, here are the two X-Factors for this matchup:

Jets X-Factor: Garrett Wilson

I am picking the other top Jets wide receiver as the X-Factor here, mainly because the Steelers’ focus will almost certainly be on Adams himself. Adams is the superstar and the guy with Rodgers’ trust, and so Joey Porter Jr. will be tested out there. However, Garrett Wilson is a one-on-one cheat code that could create significant issues for the Steelers from the slot. His matchup against Beanie Bishop is one that is terrifying, and he is easily the best second wide receiver Pittsburgh has seen this year.

Wilson and Rodgers’ relationship has not come super naturally just yet, but those are two talented people that make you respect them. In particular, what happened against the Colts with Josh Downs makes this a very concerning matchup for the Steelers. If Wilson goes off, even if they hold Adams down for the most part, Pittsburgh will likely be giving up multiple third down conversions from that slot, just like they did against the Colts.

Steelers X-Factor: Russell Wilson

There is no overthinking this one, and the Steelers have a lot of matchups to watch on both sides of the ball. The biggest one not mentioned here is center Ryan McCollum against Jets star Quinnen Williams. Zach Frazier being out is a huge hit for the Steelers in this game. Yet, Russell Wilson remains the forefront of the argument. Can the deep ball pop against a talented defense with a battered secondary?

The Jets will rightfully sell out to stop Najee Harris, who could get some success against them. New York has missed the most tackles in the NFL against running backs this season, and were just carved up by Ray Davis. Wilson, if he can supplement Harris with quality play-action passing and keep the negative plays, especially sacks, to a minimum, can engineer Pittsburgh to a win in what looks like a very winnable game on paper.

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It didn’t take long for Jhonny Severino to make a strong impression on the Pittsburgh Pirates and talent evaluators.

Severino, a third baseman/shortstop and the No. 19 overall prospect for Pittsburgh by MLB Pipeline was named the franchise’s hitting prospect of the year for his performance in 2024. Severino was acquired in the Pirates’ trade with the Milwaukee Brewers for Carlos Santana at the 2023 trade deadline and played his first full season in Pittsburgh’s minor league system in 2024.

“Acquired by the Pirates from the Brewers in the 2023 Carlos Santana trade, Severino made it out of the complex league and to full-season ball for the first time, finishing with a .528 SLG and .869 OPS, 16 homers and 16 steals. He had a .257 ISO and 131 wRC+,” MLB.com wrote.

Across his season in the Florida Complex League and Single-A Bradenton, Severino hit 16 home runs, had 58 RBIs and slashed .271/.341/.528 in 84 games. The No. 19 prospect in the Pirates system also flashed impressive speed, stealing 16 bases.

In the FCL, Severino, 19, played in 56 games, hit 10 home runs, drove in 41 runs and slashed .291/.373/.545. Upon being called up to Bradenton, he hit six home runs, had 17 RBIs and slashed .237/285/.500. He also struck out 37 times, which surpassed his 35 strikeouts in the FCL despite playing half of the games in Single-A.

Severino was a part of the Brewers’ 2022 international signing class and signed for $1.23 million out of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The Pirates prospect entered the pro ranks primarily as a shortstop but has seen much more time at third base. Given his play, MLB Pipeline believes he’s more than capable of sticking at the hot corner.

“Even when he signed, there were questions about whether Severino could stay at shortstop, and he had played only third base with the Brewers in the ACL before he got hurt,” MLB Pipeline writes. “He’s gotten more physical and slowed down, so the time for him to play up the middle could be at an end. The good news is, he has the arm and the offensive upside to profile at the hot corner.”

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A plaque commemorating the 11 victims of the 2018 Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh was recently discovered missing from outside Taylor Allderdice High School in the city’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood, local media and Anti-Defamation League officials reported on Wednesday. 

The shooting, on October 27, 2018, was the deadliest antisemitic attack in American history.

The school’s boys basketball team donated the plaque and planted 11 trees in memory of the shooting victims; Joyce Fienberg, Richard Gottfried, Rose Mallinger, Jerry Rabinowitz, Cecil and David Rosenthal, Bernice and Sylvan Simon, Dan Stein, Melvin Wax, and Irving Younger.

Alan Mallinger, whose mother Rose was killed in the attack, told CBS News, “I think it was nice for the community to see the kids getting behind, you know what happened at the Tree of Life.”

Investigations are ongoing

A spokesperson for Pittsburgh Public Schools confirmed the school was reviewing security footage but has not yet found any leads. 

A replacement plaque has been ordered and police are investigating the incident.

“I hope that you know, that this person, or people, whoever did this, you know, would return the plaque,” Mallinger said. “Let’s hope that, you know, nothing like this happens in the future.”

How do you describe a moment when baseless hatred is so brazen and loud while the silence of so many self identified “social justice activists” is utterly deafening. No words. https://t.co/CwpxZR5x7j

— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) October 16, 2024

ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt commented on the incident, writing on social media on Thursday “How do you describe a moment when baseless hatred is so brazen and loud while the silence of so many self identified “social justice activists” is utterly deafening. No words.”