Jets fall to Steelers in season opener as Aaron Rodgers throws four TD passes
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers passes during a Week 1 game against the Jets on Sunday at MetLife Stadium. Credit: Errol Anderson
Aaron Rodgers spoiled Aaron Glenn’s head-coaching debut. Chris Boswell did, too.
The Jets led by nine points in the fourth quarter, but a turnover, some undisciplined penalties and poor execution played big parts in their crushing Week 1 loss to the Steelers.
Rodgers threw four touchdown passes and Boswell kicked a 60-yard field goal with 1:03 left to send the Jets to a gut-wrenching 34-32 loss at MetLife Stadium.
“There were probably people in the organization [who] didn’t think I could play anymore,” Rodgers said, “so it was nice to remind those people that I still can.”
Rodgers spent two seasons with the Jets. Shortly after Glenn became Jets coach, he informed the quarterback that he would be released.
Rodgers got a little revenge on Sunday. He completed 22 of 30 passes for 244 yards and led the Steelers on the game-winning drive, which was capped by the longest field goal of Boswell’s 11-year career.
“I was happy to beat everybody associated with the Jets,” Rodgers said.
The Jets felt they beat themselves, and Glenn was not happy.
They were ahead 26-17 before giving up two touchdowns in a 50-second span. The first touchdown was aided by Quincy Williams’ late-hit penalty. The second came after Xavier Gipson fumbled the kickoff in Jets’ territory. Brandon Stephens was flagged for a 19-yard pass-interference penalty on the Steelers’ final possession.
“We can’t have turnovers. We can’t do it,” Glenn said. “We have to be a more disciplined team. There were some penalties that happened in that game that were true discipline issues. That’s something that will be addressed because you will not be on the field with this team if you are going to cause us to lose games, if you are going to cause issues like that.”
The Jets had one final shot. They had the ball at their own 31 with 56 seconds left and one timeout remaining.
Justin Fields, who played well in his Jets debut, completed a 7-yard pass on first down, but his next three throws fell incomplete. On fourth down, Garrett Wilson couldn’t hold on to a pass after getting drilled by Jalen Ramsey in a physical and chippy battle between the two of them.
“I got to catch the ball, give us a shot to see what happens,” Wilson said.
The Jets’ offense played better than most expected. They put up 32 points against a team that is supposed to be one of the top defenses.
Fields completed 16 of 22 passes for 218 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 48 yards and two scores. Wilson caught seven passes for 95 yards and a touchdown. Breece Hall rushed for 107 yards on 19 carries and had two catches for 38 yards.
“I don’t think a lot of people expected us to come out like that,” Fields said. “I’m just calling it what it is. They acquired all these guys in the offseason, future Hall of Famers on that side of the ball, and we put a ‘32’ and there were still plays that were left out there. So like I said, all we got to do is keep building, keep getting better, we’ll be good.”
Of greater concern for the Jets was how their defense played. “We gave up too many points,” Glenn said. “Can’t do that.”
The Jets scored on their first four possessions. They didn’t punt in the first half for the first time since 1991 and led 26-17 heading to the fourth.
They also responded after the Steelers scored 14 points in less than a minute to go ahead 31-26.
Pittsburgh converted the Gipson fumble that was recovered at the Jets’ 22 into an 18-yard touchdown pass from Rodgers to Calvin Austin III on second down.
“I put stress on the defense and put them in a bad position,” Gipson said. “That’s the worst situation to put my team in.”
The Jets took a 32-31 lead on the next series on Fields’ 1-yard run on fourth down. He faked a handoff to Hall, kept it and jogged in with 7:01 left. The two-point try failed, though, as Fields’ pass to Wilson in heavy traffic was incomplete.
After both teams went three-and-out, Rodgers started the game-winning drive at the Steelers’ 19. On the second play, Stephens was flagged for pass interference, giving Pittsburgh the ball at its 48.
The Steelers got some more good fortune on the next play. DK Metcalf caught a pass that bounced off his hands, off a Steelers teammate and into his body while he was lying on the ground at the Jets’ 41. The Steelers lost a yard over the next three plays, but Boswell drilled his kick from 60 yards.
“Our kicker is a serial killer,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “He’s got a low pulse rate and he’s ready to deliver.”
The Jets believe they will be better after having gone through such a tight game, but it stung nonetheless.
“We just got to find a way to finish, find a way to come out on top,” Wilson said. “There’s a nuance to that and we got to acquire the skill or whatever it is.”
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
