Pittsburgh Steelers vs New York Jets Match Player Stats (Sep 7, 2025)

Pittsburgh Steelers 34, New York Jets 32 | NFL Week 1 | September 7, 2025 | MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J. Attendance: 83,253 | Duration: 3:06 | Weather: 67°F, 79% humidity, 3 mph wind | Line: PIT -2.5 | O/U: 38.0 (Over)

Chris Boswell split the uprights from 60 yards with 1:03 left in the fourth quarter, and the Pittsburgh Steelers opened the 2025 NFL season with a 34-32 win over the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium — the same building Aaron Rodgers called home for two seasons before the Jets released him in the offseason.

Rodgers, 41, was booed before he ever took a snap. On the very first play of his Steelers career, Quinnen Williams drove him into the turf for a four-yard loss. The stadium erupted. Then Rodgers calmly converted the drive into a 22-yard touchdown pass to Ben Skowronek, and the game was on.

He finished 22-of-30 for 244 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions — a 136.7 passer rating. The performance tied Tom Brady’s NFL record of 28 career games with at least four touchdown passes and no picks.

“I was happy to beat everybody associated with the Jets,” Rodgers said afterward. “I gave as much as I could to the team. I didn’t maybe appreciate the way it went down in the end, but that’s in the past. And we’re 1-and-0.”

Pittsburgh trailed 26-17 entering the fourth quarter. Justin Fields had just punched in a two-yard keeper to put New York up nine. Then one play changed everything. Kenneth Gainwell stripped Xavier Gipson on the kickoff return, Skowronek recovered at the Jets’ 22, and Rodgers converted it into a Jaylen Warren touchdown pass in two plays. Fifty seconds later, he hit Calvin Austin III on an 18-yard strike to put the Steelers up 31-26.

Fields answered — a 12-play drive finished with a one-yard rush to make it 32-31 with 7:01 left. His two-point conversion pass to Garrett Wilson fell incomplete. One-point game.

Pittsburgh got the ball back and worked downfield on what became the winning drive. A Rodgers pass deflected off Sauce Gardner, then Andre Cisco, then Jonnu Smith’s hands, before DK Metcalf somehow hauled it in for 11 yards to keep it alive. On fourth-and-11 from the Jets’ 42, Tomlin sent out Boswell instead of going for it.

“Our kicker is a serial killer,” Tomlin said. “He’s got a low pulse rate. He can’t wait to deliver.”

Boswell’s 60-yarder cleared with room to spare, a new career long. His previous best was 59 yards — also against the Jets, in 2022. Jalen Ramsey then broke up Fields’ fourth-down target to Wilson with 25 seconds left. It was over.

Scoring Summary

Pittsburgh Steelers vs New York Jets: Full Team Stats

New York outgained Pittsburgh by 123 yards, won the third-down battle, held the ball for nearly 10 more minutes, and ran for 182 yards. The Jets lost one fumble. That fumble decided the outcome.

Passing Stats

Advanced Passing (PFR)

Rodgers worked almost entirely underneath all afternoon — 5.0 average depth of target, 70% of his throws short of the sticks by air (PFF). His receivers generated 173 yards after the catch to carry the offense. Fields was considerably more aggressive at 9.2 aDOT, generating 169 intended air yards on 22 attempts. He was clean mechanically (zero drops, 4.8% bad-throw rate) but Pittsburgh’s defense held him to one passing touchdown.

Rushing Stats

Hall ran 19 times for 107 yards and picked up seven rushing first downs. Fields was just as damaging on designed runs and scrambles — 48 yards on 12 carries with both of New York’s rushing touchdowns. Pittsburgh managed 53 yards on 20 carries with two rushing first downs all game.

Receiving Stats

Pittsburgh Steelers

New York Jets

Metcalf’s 68 yards after the catch on four receptions was the largest YAC total from any receiver on either team. Jonnu Smith’s five catches for 15 yards looks underwhelming until you account for three first-down conversions and a red zone touchdown — he was Rodgers’ safety valve in the short area all day. Wilson led New York with 95 yards and a score on nine targets, a number that would have been higher had Ramsey not taken him out of two plays in the fourth quarter.

Defensive Stats

Pittsburgh Steelers

New York Jets

Highsmith led Pittsburgh pass rushers with eight pressures on 20 snaps, a 40.0% pressure rate per PFF — the most of any defender on the field. Watt was less prolific in the pressure column but recorded two tackles for loss and a pass defensed. For New York, Will McDonald finished with two sacks and three QB hits in 31 snaps. Quinnen Williams — the man who sacked Rodgers on the opening play — recorded a sack of his own, two TFLs, and three QB hits on 43 snaps.

Ramsey allowed one catch on three targets in coverage, broke up two passes, and defended the game-sealing fourth-down throw to Wilson in the final seconds. His PFF grade of 85.4 was second-highest among all Steelers defenders.

Kicking Stats

Boswell field goal detail: 56 yds (Q2, 13:26) | 60 yds (Q4, 1:03, career long — previous best 59 yds vs. NYJ, 2022)

Punting Stats

Kick & Punt Returns

Fumbles

Gipson fumbled on the Q4 kickoff return — forced by Gainwell, recovered by Skowronek at the Jets’ 22. Rodgers converted it into an 18-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Austin III two plays later. It was the game’s only turnover.

Injuries

New York outgained Pittsburgh 394 to 271. The Jets ran for 182 yards, converted half their third downs, and held the ball for 34 minutes and 43 seconds. They lost one fumble. One fumble.

Aaron Glenn didn’t sugarcoat what it meant.

“We can’t have turnovers,” he said. “You will not be on the field with this team if you’re going to cause us to lose games.”

Across the field, Rodgers had just finished the kind of afternoon that answered every question about what he had left — four touchdowns, no mistakes, a winning drive when it mattered, and a Brady record matched. For a quarterback who walked into MetLife to a chorus of boos and a sack on the first snap, the final box score said everything.

“I gave as much as I could to that team,” he said of New York. “And we’re 1-and-0.”

Sources: Pro Football Reference, ESPN. Advanced metrics: PFF (initial grades, subject to review). Quotes: AP Wire.