The Jets rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Browns for their first win of the 2022 season and they came up with some more late game magic to beat the Steelers for their second.
Kenny Pickett’s second rushing touchdown of his regular season debut put the Steelers up 20-10 early in the fourth quarter, but Zach Wilson led a 91-yard drive for one touchdown and defensive back Michael Carter picked off Pickett to get the Jets the ball with 3:34 left to play.
Wilson hit Tyler Conklin, Michael Carter II, and Corey Davis for first downs and a penalty on the Steelers gave the Jets one more inside the 10-yard-line. Two Breece Hall runs covered the final nine yards with the touchdown coming after a review showed he broke the plane of the goal line from a couple of yards out. The extra point put the Jets up 24-20 and they held on to win when Pickett’s Hail Mary was picked off by Lamarcus Joyner in the end zone.
It was the third interception of the day for Pickett as he also had his first NFL pass attempt picked off by safety Jordan Whitehead. He was inserted into the game for the first Steelers possession of the third quarter after Mitch Trubisky went 7-of-13 for 84 yards and an interception in the first half.
Pickett was 10-of-10 for 120 yards outside of the interceptions and he definitely provided a spark to the proceedings when he entered the game, so there’s little reason to think this won’t be a permanent change under center in Pittsburgh.
Wilson was 18-of-36 for 252 yards and two interceptions in his first start of the year. He also caught a touchdown from wide receiver Braxton Berrios in the second quarter of the game. He was only sacked once, but was pressured often and showed a knack for keeping plays alive long enough to give the Jets a chance at positive yardage. That wasn’t something Joe Flacco could do and it may remain a necessity as right tackle Max Mitchell joined a long list of injured blockers for the AFC East club.
The Jets will host the Dolphins next week in their first divisional game of the year. The Steelers will be in Buffalo for what figures to be Pickett’s first NFL start.