EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. —The highest-paid defense in the NFL was not a winning factor for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the team's 2025 season opener against the New York Jets on Sunday, but Aaron Rodgers sure was.
Rodgers, making his return to MetLife Stadium to play the Jets, who employed him the last two seasons, threw for four touchdowns as the Steelers came from behind for an improbable 34-32 win over the Jets.
New York punted just two times in a game that was dominated by the Jets rushing offense, but one of them came with just over three minutes left in the game, when the Steelers defense forced a rare three and out.
Rogers led the Steelers offense down the field one more time, hitting Pat Freiermuth and DK Metcalf on long completions to get the Steelers into field goal range, where Chris Boswell converted a 60-yard field goal to give the Steelers the lead with just over a minute to play.
The Steelers defense finally looked like the defense it's capable of being late in the game, with Jalen Ramsey breaking up two Justin Fields passes on the final drive. Patrick Queen also had a quarterback hit.
The debut performance for Rodgers, the four-time MVP was one for the record books . Rodgers finished 21 of 28 for 246 yards and the four scores, the first four-TD performance by a Steelers quarterback in five years and the best debut performance of a Pittsburgh quarterback ever.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers at training camp on Aug. 11, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Rodgers started the offense hot with a first-drive touchdown, connecting with Ben Skowronek on a 22-yard score that represented the team's first touchdown on the opening drive of a game since late 2023 and the first touchdown on the opening drive of a season since 2008.
A Boswell field goal interceded before Rodgers found the end zone again, this time on a pop pass to Jonnu Smith . Later, he found Jaylen Warren and Calvin Austin III for scores.
But the Steelers offense, as effective as it was, could never gain any ground, because the Jets rushing offense kept gashing the Pittsburgh defense.
Breece Hall had 107 yards rushing on 19 carries, Fields added 48 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries, and the Jets as a team rushed for 182 yards.
Both offenses were unexpectedly the heroes of the game, but it all turned on a special teams play by the Steelers. After a Rodgers touchdown, Kenny Gainwell forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff. Skowronek recovered, setting up another Rodgers score to vault the Steelers right back into the game.
The Steelers will have plenty to work on after a very shaky performance on defense and running the ball. They'll get back to work in Week 2, when they host the Seattle Seahawks at Acrisure Stadium next Sunday.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Aaron Rodgers Drags Sloppy Steelers Defense to Win over Jets
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