The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the New York Jets 37-15 in Week 7 of the NFL in quarterback Russell Wilson’s first start. Aaron Rodgers threw two interceptions to the same defender.
Jets @ Steelers: At a glance
- Russell Wilson made his starting debut for the Steelers and played a flawless game in which he took control of the game after initial problems and also extended an impressive series.
- Aaron Rodgers threw two interceptions to the same opponent, the Jets also had a field goal attempt blocked and the ball was given away once after four successful attempts.
- With this loss, the Jets are now looking at a drop in performance compared to last year, which is particularly unflattering for a player.
Jets @ Steelers: The game report
It was the long-awaited Steelers debut for Russell Wilson and after a bumpy start in which he still had to shake off noticeable rust, the veteran was in good shape and, above all, handled the ball carefully. Wilson led his team to a 46-yard field goal from Chris Boswell on the first drive. Afterwards, the home team found it more difficult thanks to some completely misplaced throws from Wilson.
The guests, on the other hand, found their way into the game better and scored two touchdowns before the break. Breece Hall ran for a 13-yard score and Aaron Rodgers found Tyler Conklin for a 1-yard touchdown pass. But instead of going for it again, cornerback Beanie Bishop caught an interception from Rodgers in the direction of Garrett Wilson, giving Pittsburgh another chance before halftime.
A pass interference by Sauce Gardner on George Pickens brought the Steelers into the red zone and there Wilson eventually found Pickens for an 11-yard touchdown pass. 15:13 Jets at halftime.
After the break, the Steelers took full control. Offensively, they scored points on three consecutive drives. A field goal was followed by two touchdowns: Wilson once sneaked the ball into the end zone himself and once he found Van Jefferson there. The two TDs were preceded by a second interception by Bishop, this time after Wilson had just bounced the ball, and a blocked field goal attempt.
Rodgers tried to answer again, but the Jets were ultimately stopped at the Steelers’ 25-yard line on a fourth-down attempt with eight minutes left. In return, Najee Harris ended up scoring another touchdown.
Meanwhile, the Jets have to worry about offensive lineman Xavier Newman, who was left lying down after a collision as a result of the second interception and ultimately had to be transported and taken to the hospital with a head and neck injury. However, according to information from NBC, he had feeling in all his limbs and was able to move. An exact diagnosis is still pending.
New York Jets (2-5) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2)
Result: 15:37 (7:3, 8:10, 0:10, 0:14) BOXSCORE
Jets @ Steelers: Key stats
- Wilson has now thrown at least one touchdown pass in each of his last 20 starts. This is the longest active streak in the NFL.
- Davante Adams made his debut for the Jets and saw nine targets but caught just three passes for 30 yards.
- Wilson’s 264 passing yards are the most in a Steelers debut since the ’50s.
- Last year without Rodgers, the Jets were 4-3 after seven games of the season. This year they are 2-5 with Rodgers.
The star of the game: Russell Wilson (quarterback, Steelers)
It was difficult for him to find his way into the game at first, but as the game progressed you could see more and more of the old Russell Wilson shining through. The one who often threw well-tempered Depp balls with which he gave his receivers – mainly Pickens in this case – a chance for long receptions and thus pulled the defense apart. Above all, he made no mistakes and moved the ball consistently and efficiently.
The flop of the game: Aaron Rodgers (quarterback, Jets)
Rodgers is not solely responsible for this loss, but he was often not on the same wavelength as his receivers, especially Wilson – both interceptions went his way. The Jets’ margin for error is still pretty limited and that’s partly because Rodgers is no longer doing or possibly being able to do anything special.
The highlight of the game
Typically, blocking a field goal attempt in the NFL is extremely difficult. However, the Steelers made this look very easy. With their successful block, four different players could have had their hands on the ball.
You don’t see something like that every day and it’s worthy of all honor!
Source: www.sport.de
