No one thought the showdown between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets would be a shootout but this is why we love the NFL. The Steelers got four passing touchdowns from quarterback Aaron Rodgers, a record-setting field goal from Chris Boswell and a timely defensive stop to carry the Steelers to a 34-32 win and start the season 1-0. Here are our big takeaways from the win.
Aaron Rodgers has plenty left
We worried about Rodgers sitting out all of the preseason, but he proved to everyone that he doesn't need the extra reps as he was in total control of the Steelers' passing offense.
The Steelers have an offensive line problem
New York had a very good defensive line but this doesn't excuse how poorly the offensive line played. In particular, the Steelers have a left tackle problem as Broderick Jones was dreadful, allowing three sacks.
Pay Chris Boswell
Boswell had been doing a soft holdout in hopes of landing a new contract but nothing came of it. After his performance on Sunday, the Steelers front office needs to put aside their tradition on contracts and make Boswell the highest-paid kicker in the NFL.
Steelers' defense got bullied
This isn't new, and it isn't going away, but once again, the Steelers' defensive front got pushed around all game long. Please don't blame it on the absence of rookie defensive tackle Derrick Harmon. This is a highly-paid group that is coached by a do-nothing like Teryl Austin and they lack heart and physicality.
Still no answers for the pass rush
The Steelers were only able to sack Jets quarterback Justin Fields once and it was late in the game. We were glad to see Alex Highsmith was still on the team, but after having an entire offseason to figure out why this group can't pressure the quarterback, we expected more from T.J. Watt and how massive new contract.