Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) and wide receiver George Pickens (14) celebrate after a touchdown during an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Durisko)
At last week’s NFL owners meeting, after his New York Jets pulled off a trade for Davante Adams less than 24 hours after falling to 2-4 on the season, owner Woody Johnson proclaimed that his team was “going to kick … you can fill the word in.”
Maybe that starts next week.
This season the Jets were expected to be Super Bowl contenders, or at least break the longest playoff drought in American professional sports, while the Pittsburgh Steelers were going to finally see their streak of non-losing seasons end. But there’s a reason the Jets are the Jets and the Steelers are the Steelers.
The results didn’t change for the Jets after adding Adams. They still look lost this season, falling to 2-5 with a 37-15 defeat to the Steelers.
The Steelers didn’t look any different either, despite a quarterback change. They’re 5-2, and 1-0 with Russell Wilson as their starting quarterback. Wilson replaced Justin Fields and after a slow start, he made plays and led the Steelers to their highest point total of the season.
It wasn’t a good outing for the Jets. Maybe they’ll make another trade this week.
Wilson got his first start for the Steelers and it didn’t begin that well. It took Wilson a while to get in a rhythm. Or, it took him a while to realize George Pickens is fantastic on contested catches. Once Pickens made a few plays, Wilson settled in.
The Jets had the early lead though. Breece Hall and Tyler Conklin scored touchdowns and the Jets led 15-13 going into halftime. But it’s the 2024 Jets; eventually it all unraveled.
Rodgers had a couple of tough luck interceptions to undrafted rookie Beanie Bishop Jr. On the first one Bishop made a great play, turning and reaching out at the last second with one hand to bring in the pick. On the second, Rodgers delivered a good ball to the normally reliable Garrett Wilson, but the ball bounced off Wilson’s chest and right to Bishop. He returned that one to the 1-yard line. Wilson scored on a quarterback sneak the next play.
The second half was impressive for the Steelers. It would have been easy for Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin to stick with Justin Fields after the team’s good start to the season, but he has been dug in on Wilson being his quarterback since the team acquired him. Fields got to start because Wilson had an injured calf, but Tomlin went back to him when he could. It’s hard to argue with the results.
Meanwhile, the Jets can’t push any right buttons this season.
Jets’ season slipping away
The Jets fired Robert Saleh. They lost to the Buffalo Bills their next game. They traded for Adams. They lost to the Steelers their next game.
They keep digging their hole deeper. New York wanted to make a run with Rodgers. They seemed to be down to one last shot with Rodgers after the quarterback tore his Achilles in the season opener last year. Nothing has looked right for the Jets all season. Rodgers has had some flashes of his former greatness but overall the team has been too sloppy to win. The defense, which had been very good the past two seasons, hasn’t been as dominant. Everything with the Jets seems a bit off.
Meanwhile, the Steelers just keep winning as usual. Wilson has been the subject of countless jokes after he failed with the Denver Broncos and he didn’t look good in the preseason, but Tomlin knew what he was doing when he made the change. He kept referencing Wilson’s successful résumé, and on Sunday night Wilson looked more like that player who was a star with the Seattle Seahawks. Maybe Wilson will fall apart like he did in Denver, but the first look at him with the Steelers was positive. He looked like a quarterback who at very least can spread the ball around and boost Pickens, the team’s top playmaker.
Things always seem to work out for the Steelers. The opposite is true for the Jets. Maybe that’s not a coincidence.
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Steelers improve to 5-2 with comfortable win over Jets
Steelers take it under the two minute mark
Once the Steelers took control of the game with the two interceptions that Russell Wilson and co. turned into touchdowns, it was downhill from there for the Jets. It wasn’t just the passing attack, but the Steelers salted away the game, running the ball, and Najee Harris puts an exclamation mark on the game, that’ll be a boon for Fantasy Managers with Harris.
Russell Wilson also in control
Wilson is looking the part of the veteran that had a grasp on the starting job coming out of camp. Pittsburgh is also running the ball well, averaging more than 4.0 yards per carry with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
Steelers defense in control
The Jets have more than 300 yards of total offense, but its been tough sledding on the ground. The Jets are averaging just 3.0 yards per carry on the ground, and while Rodgers has 269 passing yards, there are also the two interceptions and several batted balls at the line of scrimmage by the Pittsburgh front seven. The Jets haven’t scored since the second quarter.
Garrett Wilson picks up 27
Wilson is up to 61 receiving yards on five receptions for the night as the Jets get the ball to the 25 yard line.
Jets penalties slowing drive
Tyron Smith and Garrett Wilson have both been flagged for false starts on this drive, and the Jets can’t have flags as they try to dig out of this hole with under 10 minutes to play in the game.
Van Jefferson hauls in Russell Wilson’s second touchdown pass of the game
Steelers are doubling up the Jets now after Wilson’s second TD pass. The Steelers have ripped of 24 straight points to take a 30-15 lead, with the Pittsburgh offense looking much sharper in this second half than it has for much of the season.
End of 3rd quarter: Steelers 23, Jets 15
The Steelers’ defense has showed up tonight, much has it has throughout the season, forcing two interceptions and the Steelers have also blocked a field goal. Meanwhile Russell Wilson has been good in his first start with the Steelers, throwing for 224 yards through the first three quarters.
In the third quarter, Jets offensive lineman Xavier Newman was carted off the field and taken to a nearby hospital. He was strapped to a backboard before being loaded onto the cart. He was conscious and and had movement in his limbs as he was being taken off the field.
Xavier Newman has been taken to a Pittsburgh hospital and does have movement in his extremities
Melissa Stark reports Xavier Newman has movement in his limbs. Is on the way to the hospital.
After being flagged earlier in the game while blocking a PAT, Dean Lowry gets a paw on the Greg Zuerlein field goal to keep the game at 23-15.
Aaron Rodgers needs to see the cut man for his left hand
Steelers take lead on Russell Wilson QB sneak
Two Aaron Rodgers interceptions have led to two Pittsburgh Steelers touchdowns, and the Jets find themselves now trailing by eight. The Steelers’ defense has been making big plays throughout the game, as they have for the whole of this first third of the season.
Jets offensive lineman Xavier Newman carted off the field
After the interception, Newman was hit on a block by Patrick Queen. No penalty was called on the play. Newman went down on the Jets’ sideline and the whole team surrounded him as he was being loaded onto a backboard and moved to a cart to be taken off the field.
Newman had replaced Alijah Vera-Tucker at guard. Vera-Tucker left the game with an injury in the first half. NBC Sports’ Melissa Stark did report during the broadcast that Newman was conscious while being put on the backboard and onto the cart
SANTA CLARA, CA – SEPTEMBER 9: Guard Xavier Newman #65 of the New York Jets stands on the sidelines during the national anthem prior an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers, at Levi’s Stadium on September 9, 2024 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)
Beanie Bishop again!
This one might not be on Aaron Rodgers….Garrett Wilson let the ball get too deep to his chest plate, and when it bounced off, Bishop was there to take it all the way back to the 1-yard-line.
Chris Boswell has been busy tonight
Another red zone trip for Pittsburgh comes up a little short. The Steelers have taken the lead at 16-15, but Mike Tomlin did say the issues he wanted fixed in the second half were getting better on third down and also getting touchdowns rather than field goals. Its always better to be playing from in front, but the Steelers’ coach will be looking for his offense to finish better going forward.
Russell Wilson dropping DIMES
George Pickens is having himself a night of highlights
This is an excellent throw from Russell Wilson, but the concentration by Pickens is otherworldly on the 37-yard gain.
Jets open second half with a first down and then punt.
Aaron Rodgers hit Garrett Wilson a couple of times coming out of the half to get things moving to about midfield, but the Steelers pass rush forced a 3rd down incompletion to get New York off the field. Back comes the Steelers offense, and the Jets defense, which will have Sauce Gardner. He came off the field on the last drive of the first half with an apparent leg injury, but interim coach Jeff Ulbrich told NBC Sports’ Melissa Stark that Gardner was going to give it a go in the second half.
Halftime: Jets 15, Steelers 13
The Beanie Bishop interception of Aaron Rodgers at the end of the first half changed the complexion of the game as the Steelers were able to cash in with a touchdown and turn a two-score lead into a one score game heading into the locker rooms for the break. Davante Adams has three catches for 30 yards as he’s being worked into the offense, but has been on the field for the entire first half. In the other major debut of the night, Russell Wilson has thrown for 145 yards and a touchdown for Pittsburgh — In three of his six starts this season Justin Fields threw for 145 yards or fewer for the whole game.
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA – OCTOBER 20: Davante Adams #17 of the New York Jets is tackled by Joey Porter Jr. #24 of the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium on October 20, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
Russell Wilson throws his first Steelers touchdown to George Pickens
After Pickens drew a pass interference penalty on Sauce Gardner to get the ball to the 11-yard-line — and Gardner limped off the field after that — Pickens hauled in a pass from Wilson for the first Pittsburgh touchdown of the night to cash in on the interception, and get Pittsburgh within one score.
