5 Steelers surprises in Sunday’s win against the Jets

Each week, our SCU crew breaks down the unexpected moments from the latest Steelers matchup—whether it’s a breakout performance, a game-changing play, or a head-scratching decision. Scroll down to see what caught us off guard and why it matters.

There were plenty of curveballs in that 34–32 Steelers win over the Jets. Here are some of the biggest surprises from Sunday’s opener.

Aaron Rodgers Revenge Game

Aaron Rodgers capped off a form of revenge against his the team he played for the previous two seasons, proving a point he would latter raise in the postgame press conference:

There were probably people in the organization that didn’t think I could play anymore, so it was nice to remind those people I still can.

Rodgers proved he still had fuel left in his tank by throwing four touchdowns in his Pittsburgh Steelers debut, connecting with seven different receivers including TD passes to Calvin Austin III, Jaylen Warren, Jonnu Smith, and Ben Skowronek. He completed 73.3% of his passes and posted a 136.7 passer rating — the highest by a Steelers QB in the past 7 seasons.

The most remarkable part of Rodgers’ performance was his demeanor, showing zero signs of panic while he orchestrated a game-winning drive.

Jalen Ramsey’s Walk-Off Hit

The Jets would get the ball back with under one minute remaining and a chance to possibly win. However, the Steelers defense woke out of its slumber and put their former quarterback, and now Jets starter, Justin Fields, on ice.

On 4th-and-3, Fields surveyed the landscape and broke free, for what looked like a first down — had he used his legs to get to the marker.

However, Fields flipped a quick pass to WR Garrett Wilson, who was at the line-of-gain, but was absolutely leveled by Steelers newcomer Jalen Ramsey, which forced the ball loose for an incompletion and turnover on downs.

The Steelers would kneel in victory formation to seal the first win of the season.

Lack of Run Defense

Struggle probably isn’t a strong enough word to define what happened with the Steelers defense early in the game. They were fairly manhandled by Fields and a Jets RB Breece Hall, as New York’s run game dominated in time of possession and looked unstoppable.

Breece Hall racked up 49 rushing yards in the first half, with Justin Fields contributing another 30 as the Jets piled up 106 yards on the ground before halftime.

Hall would continue adding to his totals, finishing with 107 on the day while the Jets racked up 182 overall with three rushing touchdowns.

Offensive Line Woes for Pittsburgh

Aaron Rodgers was sacked 4 times throughout the game, with Steelers OT Broderick Jones responsible for 3 of them. (Note: Rodgers moved up in the pocket on one, so we can let Jones slide: otherwise it would’ve been a holding penalty.)

The Steelers’ offensive line struggled in pass protection and run blocking, managing just 53 rushing yards total with a 2.6 average. Jaylen Warren finished the day as the team’s top gainer with 37 yards on 11 attempts (a 3.4 average).

Boswell’s Boot

With recent changes to the NFL’s rules on kicking balls, we may see more long attempts than ever in 2025. It’s no wonder head coach Mike Tomlin and special teams coach Danny Smith didn’t blink in sending Boswell out for two long attempts: the first a 56-yard conversion to give the Steelers an early second quarter 10-9 lead.

The second attempt would be Boswell’s career-long, a 60-yard boot that had extra distance to spare. The record kick would give the Steelers a 34-32 edge that would prove to be the game-winner.