All the pieces seemed to be falling into place in terms of Aaron Rodgers having the supporting cast around him that he would need to take the 2024 Jets on a run. It may take some time, though, for New York to figure out how to win games with this group. Unfortunately, time is not something they have much of.
After a promising start, the Jets relinquished a nine-point first half lead to drop their fourth straight to the Steelers in Pittsburgh, 37-15.
At 2-5, even if they end up going on a run now, the Jets will face an uphill battle to remain in contention to make the playoffs.
After holding the Steelers to a field goal on their first possession, the Jets took the lead on Breece Hall’s 13-yard touchdown run. Pittsburgh cut the lead to one with another field goal, but the Jets extended their lead to 15-6 with 5:29 remaining in the half on a Rodgers touchdown pass to Tyler Conklin. This was Conklin’s first touchdown since October 2022.
Pittsburgh hit back on Russell Wilson’s 11-yard touchdown pass to George Pickens with 27 seconds remaining in the first half, leaving the Jets with a slender 15-13 advantage heading to the third quarter, and the Steelers retook the lead midway through on Chris Boswell’s third field goal.
Rookie Beanie Bishop, who had intercepted Rodgers earlier to set up the Pickens touchdown, intercepted another Rodgers pass off a deflection and returned it down to the one-yard line. A Wilson quarterback sneak made it 23-15 and then his touchdown pass to Van Jefferson early in the fourth quarter made it 30-15. Najee Harris scored with under 30 seconds remaining to provide the final margin.
There was a lengthy delay in the third quarter as Jets offensive lineman Xavier Newman was immobilized and carted off after a heavy collision near the sideline.
Takeaways
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Much of the discussion surrounding the Jets’ trade for Adams was centered around the effect it might have on Rodgers and Garrett Wilson. However, it was Hall who seemed to reap the benefits early on as he played like a man possessed in the first half. In addition to his touchdown run, he racked up 93 yards on four catches, including a 57-yarder to set up the second touchdown. Rodgers had not been using him much as a safety valve or checkdown option but that was clearly something the Jets profited from in the first half. Hall ended up with 103 yards on a team-high six catches.
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The running game still had plenty of inconsistency though. Although Hall looked good on his 13-yard scoring run, the other five of his first six carries netted minus-one yard. Between them, Hall and Braelon Allen combined to generate just 42 yards on 14 carries.
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There was an early sign that Adams wasn’t immediately going to step in and fix everything, when the Jets went three-and-out on their first possession. Rodgers wasted no time in looking for Adams on the first snap, but the throw was a bit wide and Adams failed to hold on to a diving catch attempt. Adams did settle in with three catches for 30 yards on six targets in the first half, though.
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As the Jets put their first half scoring possessions together, it was almost jarring not to see the expected penalty flags that have typically stymied their drives in recent weeks. The Jets didn’t have a single penalty in the first quarter. Jeff Ulbrich and new play-caller Todd Downing probably deserve some credit for this improved on-field discipline but there were missed tackles and other mistakes that let the team down.
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In his first start of the season, Russell Wilson showed some early rust as he endured a 1-for-7 stretch at one point in the first half. However, he broke out of that with a long pass to Pickens and got the Steelers into the end zone to make it close just before halftime. His receivers, especially Pickens, came up big for him multiple times with some tough contested catches.
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Aside from the Newman injury, the Jets suffered some more critical health issues with Alijah Vera-Tucker and Tony Adams each knocked out of the game. Newman had originally filled in at right guard for Vera-Tucker so Jake Hanson had to replace Newman. Later on, Ashtyn Davis was kicked in the head leaving Sauce Gardner as the only one of the Jets’ top six defensive backs still healthy — and even he missed time due to a knee issue. Players like Jalen Mills, Kendall Sheffield and Jarrick Bernard-Converse were all forced into action.
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With Haason Reddick set to join the fold, you have to wonder if he would have made much difference in a game like this. Will McDonald recorded a first half sack, his eighth of the year, but the Jets didn’t get as much pressure on Wilson as they might have hoped for with the Steelers forced to play some backups due to injuries.
Highlights
What’s next
The Jets (2-5) remain on the road in Week 8 and look to snap a four-game skid with next Sunday’s 1 p.m. kickoff at the Patriots.
New England (1-6) has lost six straight games, the latest coming Sunday via a 32-16 defeat against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.
