PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers 2025 season and the first game of the Aaron Rodgers experiment started with a bang, as the Steelers beat the New York Jets 34-32.

The season started out rough for the Steelers, as a return on the opening kickoff and a plethora of strong rushes by New York Jets running back Breece Hall started the Jets off early against the Steelers in their season opener. The Steelers then held the Jets to their first field goal of the season, as kicker Nick Folk made it a 3-0 game to open up the game. The first drive exposed some weaknesses in the Steelers defense to begin, as the run defense got gashed completely.

Then came the debut of the Steelers brand new offense, The offense started off strong, as the team shuffled between much of their depth in order to mix things up early on. Pat Freiermuth, Kenneth Gainwell and Jonnu Smith all got involved, but the Steelers would end up scoring on the play off of a touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers for his first as a Steeler to Ben Skowronek, the special teams whiz. The Steelers jumped out to an early 7-3 lead, but would not hold it for long.

The Steelers defense would then rear its ugly head once again, and the Jets took advantage. After a couple chunk plays between Justin Fields and running back Breece Hall, Fields found wide receiver Garrett Wilson for a 33-yard touchdown pass to the back-right corner to make it a 9-7 lead after a missed PAT and failed two point conversion.

The following drive was highlighted by a 31-yard pass between Rodgers and DK Metcalf, but the drive stalled and the Steelers brought out their most reliable points-getter in kicker Chris Boswell, who kicked off his 2025 campaign with a 56-yard field goal to give the Steelers a 10-9 lead.

The Jets return to offense saw them establish the run once again, as Breece Hall and Braelon Allen dominated the ground to get the Jets into the end zone once again. Allen found the end zone after a 33-yard pass from Fields to Hall put them close to the end zone, and the Jets took a 16-9 lead. The Steelers first punt came immediately after, as a three and out saw Corliss Waitman get his first reps at punter this season.

A Folk field goal would come during the following drive for the Jets, and they would extend their lead to 9 after making it a 19-10 game.

The Steelers got a large boost in momentum in their final drive of the first half, as Rodgers marched down the field with his arm. Rodgers hit Calvin Austin during the first set of downs for the drive for 30 yards, then found him again for a 21-yard pass that saw them land at the 3-yard line. Jonnu Smith ran the ball in, and the Steelers made it a 2-point game after a successful PAT.

The first half ended in a bunch of extracurriculars, as the Jets took over with less than a minute left. Fields was hit by new Steelers defensive back Jalen Ramsey, and Jets offensive lineman Jerome Simpson came to Ramsey's defense, starting a small scuffle. On the next play, Garrett Wilson and Ramsey got into it, and Ramsey made sure that the actions of both of them would not go unnoticed.

The first half also saw Deshon Elliot exit the game with an injury to his knee, and he did not return.

The Steelers began with the ball in the second half, and were unable to get anything going early on. Another three and out saw the Steelers punt and the defense was put right back on the field. The Jets would do the same, as a defensive stop by Ramsey and Juan Thornhill forced a Jets punt. During the punt, however, the Steelers would end up with worse field position following an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Connor Heyward.

The Steelers did not go three-and-out on the ensuing drive, getting one first down before needing to punt back to the Jets. The Jets started their next drive with strong field position, beginning at the Jets 32-yard line. A 12-yard pass to Jeremy Ruckert got the Jets momentum going, and 17 and 16-yard rushes by Hall had the Jets just outside the red zone. A 21-yard pass from the 23-yard line by Fields to Wilson had the Jets on the 2-yard line, and Fields ran in for a touchdown. The Jets took a 26-17 lead, and the Steelers found themselves trailing by 9 once again.

On that drive, Joey Porter Jr. received an injury, and was seen entering the blue medical tent as the Steelers offense took the field.
The ensuing Steelers drive would be their first eventful drive of the second half, as the Steelers began to establish the run game. Jaylen Warren stood out, as he carried the ball multiple times for short gains to keep the drive going. DK Metcalf had another big play, as Rodgers found him for an 18-yard catch. With the third quarter ending, the Steelers saw themselves five yards from the end zone.
Jaylen Warren opened the fourth quarter with fireworks, as Rodgers found him for a five-yard touchdown pass to make it a 26-24 game.

Boswell kicked the ball to the Jets' Xavier Gipson, but a forced fumble by Kenneth Gainwell was recovered by Ben Skowronek, and the Steelers took over 19 yards from the end zone. After a Jaylen Warren rush for four yards, a defensive mismatch found Calvin Austin wide open in the end zone for a touchdown. The Steelers took a 31-26 lead, and the Jets took the field once again.
The Jets made it to the red zone relatively easily, but once they got there, the Steelers defense held them up for a couple plays. The Jets then used all four downs on the goal line, and Justin Fields ran outside the pocket for a touchdown to make it 32-31 for the Jets after a failed two point conversion.

Both teams would trade punts, setting the stage for a final drive that could set the Aaron Rodgers experiment off to a good start. The Steelers began the drive well, but the drive stalled around the 40-yard line. With 1:03 remaining, Boswell drained a 60-yard field goal to make it a 34-32.
Jalen Ramsey sealed the game for the Steelers, as he knocked the ball out of Garrett Wilson's grasp on the final offensive play for the Jets on fourth down with 18 seconds remaining.
The Steelers would win the game 34-32 off the back of Aaron Rodgers throwing four passing touchdowns, something not achieved by any Steelers quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger in November of 2020.