New York Jets at Pittsburgh Steelers - Comparing the Special Teams

Comparing the special teams units for the AFC Championship Game -

Jets -

Kicker - Nick Folk is going to give all of us a heart attack. I can promise you I had at least three nightmares this week about him pulling a Doug Brien in Pittsburgh. Folk's inconsistencies are even more of a reason the Jets need to finish drives with touchdowns and not field goal attempts.

Punter - Steve Weatherford was a machine at pinning opponents inside the 10 all regular season and now that the playoffs have started he is looking like Matt Dodge...well maybe not that bad, but still...Weatherford needs to help the Jets out with field position, in what should be a close, low-scoring game.

Returns - For God's sake keep Jerricho Cotchery and nobody else back on punts. I can't watch Santonio Holmes and Antonio Cromartie playing "how close can I get to the ball without touching it." On kick returns, I expect a mix of Brad Smith and Cromartie, either way the opportunity will be there for big plays considering the Steelers coverage units.

Steelers -

Kicker - I feel a little better about Nick Folk when I realize Pittsburgh has the immortal Shaun Suisham kicking for them. Don't tell me you can't see Suisham getting tight in a big spot and hooking a few key field goals...wishful thinking? Maybe.

Punter - Daniel Sepulveda...statistically he has had a good year and honestly that is all I can tell you about the guy.

Returns - Emmanuel Sanders is fairly explosive on kick returns but hasn't broken one yet this season. Antonio Brown is deep on punts and is a rookie so that could be something to keep an eye on.

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Advantage - Jets - We saw it in the previous meeting and there is no reason they can't duplicate their efforts this week.