Aaron Rodgers this, Aaron Rodgers that. It’s all the media will talk about over the next eight days.
But to those who love ball more than storylines, this much-anticipated season opener is truly about the young stars in the trenches.
When the New York Jets take the field against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday afternoon, most fans will have their eyes glued to No. 8. They will fixate on him standing in the backfield, oblivious to the other 21 players who are battling tooth and nail to determine how easy or difficult the 41-year-old’s job will be.
The Jets are hoping to make Rodgers’ job as hellish as possible. What I am about to write is hardly an earth-shattering revelation, but the best way to do that is to put him under pressure.
On the Pittsburgh side, the goal is the same as it was for New York over the past two years: do everything possible to protect their uber-talented yet fragile quarterback.
Many critical one-on-one battles will take place as New York’s defensive line clashes with Pittsburgh’s offensive line. Both units boast talent-stocked starting lineups that carry high expectations going into the year.
The biggest matchup of them all, though, is the duel between two recent first-round picks: Jets edge rusher Will McDonald and Steelers right tackle Troy Fautanu.
Two cornerstone trench players going toe-to-toe
The Jets took McDonald with the 15th overall pick in the 2023 draft.
In his rookie year, McDonald showed promise in a very limited role, bringing down the quarterback four times in under 100 chances to rush the passer.
McDonald was thrust into a starring role in Year 2 due to Jermaine Johnson’s season-ending injury, and he seized the opportunity, racking up 10.5 sacks, 24 quarterback hits, and 61 total pressures. Trey Hendrickson and Myles Garrett were the only players to reach those marks.
Fautanu was chosen 20th overall by Pittsburgh in the 2024 draft. The Steelers hope that he and 2023 first-rounder Broderick Jones can form the team’s long-term bookend duo on the offensive line.
After suffering a knee injury in the preseason, Fautanu returned in Week 2 to make his NFL debut, starting at right tackle. Unfortunately, he dislocated his kneecap in the following week of practice, ending his season.
Fully healed from his injuries, Fautanu is expected to anchor Pittsburgh’s right tackle position in 2025, while Jones will transition to the left side after playing his first two seasons on the right.
Will McDonald vs. Troy Fautanu
The expectation is that McDonald and Fautanu will see plenty of one another on Sunday.
McDonald rushed the passer from both sides of the Jets’ defensive line in 2024, logging 56% of his pass-rush snaps from the left side (vs. RT) and 44% from the right side (vs. LT). However, a role change appears to be on the horizon.
New York appears to be moving McDonald to a full-time role on the left side in 2025. McDonald was usually seen rushing against Jets right tackle Armand Membou in training camp, and in his lone preseason appearance, McDonald played all 10 of his snaps on the left side.
Thus, McDonald will likely see Fautanu on most, if not all, of his pass-rush snaps on Sunday.
McDonald’s dangerous ceiling on the left side
McDonald’s full-time transition to the left side is daunting news for Fautanu. The Jets’ 26-year-old edge rusher is at his most dangerous from that side of the line.
Across his first two NFL seasons, McDonald recorded 11 sacks on 288 pass-rush snaps from the left side of the line, compared to three sacks on 216 pass-rush snaps from the right side.
A full-time switch to the left side will raise McDonald’s sack ceiling to unbelievable levels. For his career, he has averaged one sack every 26.2 pass-rush snaps when rushing from the left side. Projected over 500 pass-rush snaps (about a full season’s worth for a player of McDonald’s caliber), that amounts to 19 sacks.
That level of pass-rush efficiency will be quite the challenge for Fautanu in his first regular season start since last September.
How do they match up?
McDonald is known as a speed rusher with fantastic explosiveness off the line and top-notch bend around the corner. He has other tools in his repertoire to complement his speed-rushing game, namely a devastating inside spin move.
Based on scouting reports about his game, Fautanu could have trouble with this particular move.
Analyzing him as a prospect coming out of Washington, Fautanu’s NFL.com scouting report noted that he “gets beaten inside when he’s too eager and oversets the edge.”
McDonald’s inside spin move is designed to exploit that exact weakness.
Fautanu was beaten by an inside spin move on this play from the 2023 season.
Sure, he may have recovered there, but his opponent (Solomon Byrd) was a future seventh-round pick who currently isn’t on an NFL roster, and his quarterback was Michael Penix Jr., who is just a tad more athletic than the 41-year-old Rodgers. Against Will McDonald and with Rodgers behind him, that same rep could result in a sack on Sunday.
The good news for Fautanu is that he has the athleticism to stay in lockstep with McDonald. Entering the 2024 draft, Fautanu registered a Relative Athletic Score of 9.62, anchored by his 5.01 forty time, 29 bench press reps, 32.5-inch vertical, and 113-inch broad jump, all excellent marks for a tackle.
Fautanu also has the necessary arm length to counter McDonald, who makes great use of his 34⅞-inch arms (91st percentile for an edge rusher). Fautanu has 34½-inch arms (67th percentile for a tackle).
Purely from a physical standpoint, Fautanu has the tools to shut McDonald down. He is quick enough and long enough. It will just come down to whether he can win the battle of finesse and technique.
That is where McDonald can seize control.
Labeled a “ready-made brawler without an ounce of finesse in his game” by his NFL.com scouting report, Fautanu may struggle to contain McDonald in space.
The good news for Fautanu is that if he can get his hands on the undersized edge rusher, he can assert his dominance.
Physicality has never been the strength of McDonald’s game. He was listed at 236 pounds in 2024, making him one of the lightest edge rushers in the NFL, and that showed in his play style. McDonald could be physically overpowered when linemen got their hands on him, especially in the run game.
McDonald worked hard to add weight and strength this offseason, with head coach Aaron Glenn claiming in May that he added about 15 pounds. McDonald is now listed at 245 pounds by the Jets’ website, a 9-pound increase from last year. That still makes him one of the lankiest players at his position, though.
And, regardless of what he weighs, McDonald does not have a “nasty” element to his game; he would rather outrun an opponent than get physical with him.
Fautanu has earned a “mauler” reputation, and that is the advantage he must maximize to seize control of his battles with McDonald in both phases.
No. 9 vs. No. 76 is the main attraction
The Jets have an explosive, fast, bendy edge rusher who added strength and is aiming for a 15+ sack season in a new role that optimizes his abilities.
The Steelers have a quick and smooth yet nasty right tackle who has the potential to become one of the top right tackles in the league.
This is the battle to watch for Jets and Steelers fans.
McDonald arguably has the advantage in the pass game. Both players are athletic and lengthy for their positions, but McDonald’s finesse could cause issues for Fautanu, especially since the latter is still extremely green regarding NFL experience. Specifically, McDonald’s ability to threaten the outside with speed to set up his inside spin move could be troublesome for Fautanu.
To battle back in the pass game, Fautanu will have to focus on staying patient. If he oversets in any direction – whether it’s overplaying the speed rush or sitting too far inside on the spin – McDonald will make him pay. But if Fautanu can stay disciplined and keep McDonald in front of him, he has the quickness and length to mirror the Jets’ edge rusher. Then, once he gets hands-on, Fautanu has the advantages in strength and aggressiveness to anchor down and seize control of the battle.
This right here is where Fautanu can take advantage of McDonald. If Fautanu can get hands-on, McDonald probably won’t be going anywhere.
In the run game, give the edge to Fautanu.
Even if McDonald added some weight, he is still one of the lightest edge rushers in the game, and the added weight will not fix the issues in technique and mentality that affected his run defense in 2024. McDonald has much to prove in that phase.
Fautanu’s athleticism and nastiness give him the run-game edge until McDonald proves he can play with better strength, tenacity, and discipline. Fautanu is an excellent measuring stick for McDonald to show he has made progress as a run defender.
There are some key advantages going Fautanu’s way. However, perhaps the best thing that McDonald has going for him is that he doesn’t even have to consistently dominate Fautanu to make his mark on the game. McDonald is the type of edge rusher who is built to make that one play to change the outcome.
With his speed, bend, and length, McDonald is tailor-made to produce strip sacks. Put him up against a quarterback who lacks the mobility to escape the pocket, and McDonald has a golden opportunity to force a takeaway on Sunday.
Fautanu only has to slip up once for McDonald to make a game-altering play. That’s just the life of an offensive lineman – you could win 99% of the reps, but if you make one colossal mistake, it is the only thing that people will focus on throughout the week.
For Pittsburgh, though, it will be important to give the young tackle some grace. This will be only his second NFL start, and his first in 357 days. McDonald is one of the toughest matchups he could’ve drawn in this situation – on the road, no less. In all likelihood, McDonald will beat him at least a few times.
But if Fautanu can quickly bounce back from the losses and deliver a consistent, physical performance in both phases, the Steelers will be happy to overlook the one or two big mistakes that are bound to happen.
This is the matchup of the game. The outcome of this battle will set the table for everything else that takes place at MetLife Stadium.
Playing at home against a tackle in his second career start, who is coming off a knee injury and has not played in nearly a year, McDonald has a wide-open window to take over the game with a handful of massive plays.
Or, Fautanu could signal his arrival as Pittsburgh’s right tackle of the future, shutting down New York’s star edge rusher and giving Aaron Rodgers a clean pocket to dice up the Jets’ secondary. It would lead to a showering of praise for Rodgers from national talking heads, but those who kept their eye off the ball would know the truth: Fautanu was the real hero.
Grab your popcorn for No. 9 versus No. 76. Head-to-head duels like this one – featuring two young, hungry, world-class athletes – are what the sport of football is built upon.
