Steelers' Aaron Rodgers could face league discipline after big win vs. Jets

The Pittsburgh Steelers started the 2025 season off with a tough win over the New York Jets on the road. However, the game did not go as the fans expected. Many thought the defense would be a dominating force, while the offense would struggle. It was the complete opposite. The offense was able to put up 34 points during the victory, while the defense struggled early as the questionable Jets offense was able to score 32 points against the highest-paid defensive unit in the league. The game came down to the wire, and Pittsburgh ended up winning on a long field goal.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers shone during the win over his former team. The quarterback threw for 244 yards and four touchdowns, and he looked like one of the better quarterbacks in the league again. It was a great sign for Pittsburgh as Rodgers led the team down the field at the end of the fourth quarter to set up Chris Boswell for a long field goal. 

However, the field goal should not have had to be 60 yards as the officiating crew seemingly missed a blatant pass interference call on a ball down the left sideline to Calvin Austin III. Rodgers spoke about this and ripped the officials during his postgame press conference.

"It's still football," Rodgers said. "We got hosed on a call there that would've made us able to run the clock out probably. Bos bailed us out with an amazing kick. So it was a good team win."

The Steelers had the ball with just over a minute left in the game and it was third and 11 on the Jets 42-yard line. Pittsburgh was losing by one point and just needed a field goal, and Rodgers fired a ball deep to Austin. The receiver made an attempt to catch the ball but was blatantly interfered with by a Jets defender, yet to penalty was called. This forced Boswell to attempt a 60-yard field goal, which he nailed to win the game.

Boswell was able to make the field goal, but this left some time on the clock for the Jets to try to go down the field to retake the lead. Had the pass interference penalty been called, Pittsburgh would have been able to chew the clock and kick the field goal as time expired. Pittsburgh's defense was able to step up and did not allow a first down, which turned the ball back over to the offense.

Rodgers was completely correct in his criticism of the officiating in that instance; however, he might face some league discipline for his comments. Publicly criticizing the officiating crew is something that is not allowed according to the NFL's Personal Conduct Policy, which likely means Rodgers will be receiving a fine within the next week or so. The quarterback probably doesn't care too much, but it is something the league will be taking note of.

Steelers start the 2025 season off hot

There was some doubt surrounding the Steelers heading into the 2025 season, and while the team wasn't perfect in Week 1, it is better to learn after a victory than after a loss. 

It was a great change of pace after Pittsburgh was not able to find the end zone in Week 1 of the 2024 season, and the offense was able to put up 34 points in the win over the Jets this time around. Rodgers silenced a lot of doubters with his performance on Sunday.