The Jets worked the ground on their first drive, running eight times for 40 yards before Nick Folk gave the club a 3-0 lead with a 35-yard boot. After Rodgers countered with a 22-yard scoring connection to Skowronek, Fields went to an old friend, Wilson, to put the Jets back on top.
Playing with his Ohio State college teammate, Fields spotted his receiver on a crossing route and he delivered with a 33-yard touchdown. But the Steelers countered, jumping on top for the first time on Chris Boswell's 56-yard strike.
The Jets swung right back, getting 33 yards on a Fields screen to Breece Hall. Three plays later, second-year RB Braelon Allen (with a push from multiple offensive linemen) hammered in from 8 yards out. The Jets pushed their lead to 19-10 on Folk's 51-yarder.
The Jets had 5 plays of 15-plus yards in the first half as Fields accounted for 4 of them (3 through the air and a 15-yard run). Rodgers was up to the battle in his return to MetLife Stadium, hitting on 11-of-14 for 159 yards. His 3-yard touchdown pass to veteran TE Jonnu Smith made it a 19-17 contest at the break.
While the QB showdown provided the drama, Wilson (7-95-1TD) and Hall (18-105 and 2 receptions for 38 yards) were consistent forces all afternoon. The Jets racked up 4 sacks of Rodgers and CB Sauce Gardner battled with DK Metcalf on every snap.
The Steelers ultimately prevailed after Steelers K Chris Boswell converted on a 60-yard field goal with just over a minute remaining in the fourth quarter. The Jets didn't get the win Sunday, but they figure to get several in the future with performances like this one.