Steelers Jets Week 1

How the Steelers Won a Dog Fight Against the Jets

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NFL

Talk about a game the made me lose a couple of hairs. The Steelers escaped MetLife stadium after slugging it out with the Jets pulling off a wild 34-32 win that had boomers reaching for their blood pressure medication. NFL football welcomed us back with a dog fight that came down to the final minutes.

The Wizard of Boswell was there to save the day again, but despite winning, this game exposed some ugly truths about Pittsburgh’s defense. The Jets gashed them for 182 rushing yards while averaging 4.7 yards every time they handed the ball off. Pittsburgh’s ground game was absolutely brutal, managing just 53 rushing yards on a pathetic 2.7 yards per carry. You can’t win consistently in this league being that one-dimensional. With that type of performance, Derrick Harmon’s return knee injury only applies more pressure for a timely return.

Rodgers Takes Control 


Aaron Rodgers showed that Father Time may not be as close as many have forecasted. Watching Rodgers command the line of scrimmage was something Steelers fans haven’t seen since Ben Roethlisberger. The pre-snap adjustments became the backbone of Pittsburgh’s offensive attack, constantly keeping the Jets defense off balance leading to a a crisp 73.3% completion percentage while spreading the wealth to seven different targets.

That’s the kind of distribution that is going to enable Rodgers to manage games easier.  Arthur Smith deserves credit here too. The chemistry between his system and Rodgers’ instincts was evident from the jump, creating this hybrid offense that featured quick-hitting passes mixed with tight end-heavy packages. They even managed to make play-action work despite having practically no running game to sell. Pittsburgh managed just 53 rushing yards all game. Jaylen Warren’s measly 3.4 yards per carry tells you everything about their ground struggles. Yet Rodgers still made it work, constantly shifting personnel and formations to keep drives moving.

Even third down offense, which has been a brutal statistic for Steelers fans for sometime now. Although they went 4/10 for the game, they converted in critical moments. Even their first scoring drive featured two 3rd & 10 yard pass completitions that kept Pittsburgh’s offense humming. This is exactly what the Steelers were missing. Having a quarterback who can diagnose coverage pre-snap and deliver under pressure changes everything. It also keeps the defense who were struggling against the run off the field.

Run Defense Crumbles Without Key Players

Here’s the brutal truth: the Jets ran all over Pittsburgh’s defense. 182 yards and three touchdowns on 39 carries – that’s the kind of performance that gets coordinators fired. Breece Hall had himself a field day, racking up 107 yards on just 19 attempts. When a running back is averaging over five yards per carry, you know something’s fundamentally broken. Justin Fields made it even worse with his legs. 48 yards and two touchdowns rushing. Pittsburgh knew exactly what was coming and still couldn’t stop it.

This isn’t exactly breaking news for Steelers fans. The entire fan base remembers the most recent playoff disaster against Baltimore last season. They gave up 299 rushing yards in that one. Same problems, different year. To make matters worse, DeShon Elliott went down with a knee injury in the second quarter. Even before his injury the run defense exposed just how thin Pittsburgh’s safety room really is. Juan Thornhill stayed healthy as the other starter, but Chuck Clark had to step in for Elliott with limited options behind him. Miles Killebrew represents their only other true safety on the roster – that’s a scary lack of depth for any team. When you’re already struggling to stop the run, having backup safeties trying to fill gaps is a recipe for disaster.

What the Steelers Must Fix Moving Forward

Look, winning is winning, but Mike Tomlin knows his team dodged a bullet here. This victory came with a laundry list of issues that better teams will absolutely exploit. The Steelers have exactly one week to patch these holes before their home opener.


Broderick Jones – still sturggled – even at his native left tackle position. He surrendered three of Pittsburgh’s four sacks, and Will McDonald had himself a field day all afternoon. Here’s what’s really concerning – those protection breakdowns became a nightmare during play-action passes. Rodgers absorbed seven hits on top of those four sacks. The man’s about to turn 42, and you can’t have him taking that kind of punishment if you want him upright come January.

The ground game was a complete disaster, posting 53 yards on 20 carries for a brutal 2.7 yards per attempt. Those numbers create third-and-long situations that no offense wants to face. The offensive line couldn’t create running lanes to save their lives. This one-dimensional approach puts way too much pressure on Rodgers to carry the entire offense. That’s not sustainable against elite defenses.

Justin Fields exposed a glaring weakness that future opponents will definitely target. The mobile quarterback gashed Pittsburgh for 48 yards and two scores on 12 carries. Short-yardage situations became automatic conversions for Fields. That and finishing the sack should be on top of the defense’s billboard for this week. They only got to Justin Fields in the pass game one time in the entire game. There were some close calls, but there were a handful of times they couldn’t him to the ground. 

Onto Week 2

The Steelers pulled off the kind of win that makes you feel great in the moment but understanding they are in big trouble if they cannot stop the run. Rodgers showed he’s still got that pedigree and some left in the tank. While exhausting the rest of what he has left, Calvin Austin III might have just announced himself as the teams 2nd receiver, making critical catches when DK Metcalf was not.  For the defense, the schedule doesn’t get any easier from here, especially knowing you have to see Lamar Jackson two times. If Justin Fields can gash you for two rushing touchdowns, imagine what those guys will do.

Patrick Queen said it best: “If we keep playing like that, we’ll get our face mashed in.“ That’s the kind of honesty this team needs right now. No sugarcoating, no excuses – just the truth about where they stand. This win bought them some time, but time has a way of running out quickly in this league. Rodgers gives them a legitimate shot at something special, but only if they can fix the foundation before it crumbles. Sometimes the most dangerous wins are the ones that mask your biggest problems.

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