Gerry Dulac: Led by Aaron Rodgers, the 'new Steelers' spark a wild win in Week 1

Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Sep 7, 2025

Published in Football

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — There were the usual suspects who stood up and made the plays in a wild game coach Mike Tomlin said was “fun and challenging at the same time.”

At the top of the list was kicker Chris Boswell, whose career-best 60-yard field goal with 63 seconds remaining provided the winning points in an unexpected 34-32 shootout victory against the New York Jets.

And there were others. Ben Skowronek scoring the first touchdown of the season. Calvin Austin III, who scored a touchdown, set up another with two big catches and drew a pass-interference penalty on the winning drive.

But on a day when the league watched with anticipation the return of a former four-time MVP, it was the newest Steelers who had everything to do with a comeback victory against the Jets.

And at the top of that list was quarterback Aaron Rodgers, celebrating his return to New York by throwing four touchdowns against his former team — only the second time in his 21-year career he opened the season with a four-touchdown performance.

“I was happy to beat everybody associated with the Jets,” Rodgers said.

And it was impressive from start to finish. Rodgers brought the Steelers back from a pair of nine-point deficits by completing 22 of 30 passes for 244 yards and four touchdowns — the most by a Steelers quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger threw four against the Cincinnati Bengals on Nov. 15, 2020.

The last one — an 18-yarder to Austin — came just two plays after running back Kenneth Gainwell forced a fumble on a kick return that Skowronek recovered at the Jets 23.

And that came 50 seconds after Rodgers threw a 5-yard touchdown to running back Jaylen Warren on the first play of the fourth quarter. That 14-point explosion turned a 26-17 deficit into a 31-26 lead.

“There were probably people in the [Jets] organization who didn’t think I could play anymore,” Rodgers said. “It was nice to remind those people I still can.”

But it wasn’t just Rodgers.

It was Gainwell, making the play that turned around the game. It was receiver DK Metcalf, catching four passes for 83 yards. It was tight end Jonnu Smith scoring a 3-yard touchdown at the end of the first half to cut into a 19-10 deficit.

And it was cornerback Jalen Ramsey, playing every possible position in the secondary and breaking up a fourth-down pass with a thundering game-ending hit on Jets receiver Garrett Wilson — the type of physical play the Steelers sought when they traded for the three-time All-Pro.

“I’m excited about the new Steelers, whether they’re new to the league or new to us,” Tomlin said. “We got a lot of plays from a lot of new Steelers, and they’re earning their place in Steelers lore with their efforts.”

In the end, the Steelers turned to Boswell, their Pro Bowl kicker, who didn’t even wait to be sent on to the field for the winning 60-yarder. He made it from 64 yards going the other direction in pregame warmups, so his career-long with 1:03 remaining seemed like a foregone conclusion when he trotted on the field.

“I was on the field before [Tomlin] called field goal,” Boswell said. “He likes that, but it’s probably going to bite me in the rear one day.”

Boswell also converted a 56-yard attempt in the second quarter, making him 45 of 54 from 50 yards and beyond (83.3%) in his career.

“Our kicker is a serial killer,” Tomlin said. “He’s got a low pulse rate.”

But on this day, it was all about Rodgers, showing at age 41 he can still deliver the heroics that have defined his future Hall of Fame career.

He also had to out-duel Justin Fields, the former Steelers quarterback who showed why the Jets gave him a $40 million contract with $30 million guaranteed in free agency. Fields caused fits for the Steelers defense all day, throwing for 218 yards and a touchdown and running for 48 yards and two more touchdowns.

“You guys asked me last week why I was confident [in Rodgers],” Tomlin said. “That’s why I was confident. That’s what I’ve been looking at in preparation, and I’m appreciative of it.”

Rodgers spent last week trying to downplay his return, and he did much the same after the game. Nonetheless, a wave of Jets players came up to him during warmups and shared long embraces. He even played catch before the game with Karan Patel, a former Jets equipment staffer who now serves as the visiting locker room attendant.

“I still have a lot of people I have fond feelings for,” Rodgers said. “There are so many guys I really enjoy there.”

Rodgers said he even enjoyed the boos and catcalls he received from the Jets fans when he came on the field.

“He was out there doing his thing today,” said outside linebacker Alex Highsmith, who had three quarterback hits and the only sack on Fields. “He’s a great leader for us. A lot of guys are attracted to him for the way he leads.”

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