The Steelers spent a lot of money and draft picks bringing in new players this offseason, but it was a longtime member of the team who delivered the game-winning points against the Jets on Sunday.
Chris Boswell nailed a 60-yard field goal with just over a minute left to play, and the Steelers held on for a 34-32 win in Week 1. Boswell crushed the kick, and it looked like it would have been good from quite a bit farther had the Steelers needed that much leg.
The Steelers still had to stop the Jets one more time, and one of the new faces came up with a big play to ensure it. Cornerback Jalen Ramsey dislodged the ball from Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson on fourth down to put the final nail in the coffin.
Another newcomer had a big day on offense. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw four touchdowns while going 22-of-30 for 244 yards in his reunion with the team he played for the past two seasons. He was sacked four times, and the Steelers never found much success on the ground, but the offense still featured four catches for 83 yards from wide receiver DK Metcalf and plenty of positives to build on moving forward.
The defense has some room to improve, though. The Jets ran for 182 yards, and Justin Fields went 16-of-22 for 218 yards and a touchdown against his former team. Those results will be encouraging for the Jets despite the loss, but with the Bills coming to town next week, they’ll need to make their own defensive adjustments to avoid an 0-2 start.
The Steelers will host the Seahawks in Week 2, and the home crowd should be in good spirits after Boswell’s late heroics.
The Jets were able to extend their lead over the Steelers to nine points in the third quarter, but the first minute of the fourth quarter turned things around at MetLife Stadium.
After Aaron Rodgers hit running back Jaylen Warren for a short touchdown on the first play of the quarter, Jets returner Xavier Gipson coughed the ball up on the kickoff. Ben Skowronek, who caught the first Steelers touchdown of the day, recovered the ball on the Jets’ 22-yard-line and it didn’t take long for the Steelers to score again.
Rodgers hit wide receiver Calvin Austin for an 18-yard score and the Steelers now lead 31-26 with 14:07 left to play in the game.
Gipson is handling kickoff return work because Kene Nwangnu was lost for the game in the first half and he’s had some nice returns, but the fumble looms larger than any positives he’s provided.
Rodgers now has four touchdown passes in the game. He also had four in his final game with the Jets and is now the first quarterback to hit that number in back-to-back starts for different teams.
The Jets punted to end their first drive of the second half against the Steelers on Sunday, and that was the first time punter Austin McNamara was able to show off his leg.
The Jets scored on their first four possessions of the game, and time ran out on the first half while they had the ball for a fifth time. That was notable given the low expectations for the team’s offense and how long it had been since the Jets went a first half without punting.
According to the team, Sunday’s game was the first time since at least 1991 that they went a first half without punting the ball.
The Steelers also punted to end their first possession of the second half, and the Jets led 19-17 with 11:27 to play in the third quarter.
Aaron Rodgers’s return to MetLife Stadium with the Steelers to face the Jets wasn’t expected to be a high-scoring game, but both offenses have had success through the first 30 minutes of play in New Jersey.
Rodgers threw a pair of touchdown passes, including a pop pass to tight end Jonnu Smith for a two-yard score in the final seconds of the first half. Chris Boswell’s extra point cut the Jets’ lead to 19-17 heading into the break.
Justin Fields threw a 33-yard touchdown to wide receiver Garrett Wilson in the first quarter and got an eight-yard touchdown run by Braelon Allen early in the second quarter. The Jets also got two Nick Folk field goals and scored on all four of their possessions before a brief possession after Smith’s touchdown.
Fields is 9-of-11 for 134 yards in his first start at quarterback for the Jets. He’s also run six times for 30 yards while Breece Hall has 87 yards from scrimmage and Wilson has five catches for 68 yards.
Rodgers is 11-of-14 for 159 yards and he’s connected twice with DK Metcalf on short passes that Metcalf turned into 54 yards. He’s also hooked up with Calvin Austin twice for 51 yards during what’s been a more explosive first half than most were expecting.
The Steelers defense will need to be tighter in the second half for their offensive success to lead to a win, but that effort will likely come without safety DeShon Elliott. He’s doubtful to return from a knee injury.
Justin Fields and Garrett Wilson were excited about being teammates again with the Jets and the former Ohio State Buckeyes have connected for a touchdown for the first time in the NFL.
Fields hit Wilson for a 33-yard score with 25 seconds left in the first half and the Jets went up 9-7 on the Steelers as a result. The score remains 9-7 because running back Braelon Allen was stopped short on a two-point try.
The Jets went for two from the 1-yard-line after a Steelers penalty negated a missed extra point by Jets kicker Nick Folk.
The Jets started the drive on their 45-yard-line after a good Xavier Gipson return and picked up two first downs. One came on a pass to Wilson and another on a run by Breece Hall, who has five carries for 38 yards in the early portion of the game.
