The Steelers spent a lot of money and draft picks bringing in new players this offseason, but it was a longtime member of the team who delivered the game-winning points against the Jets on Sunday.
Chris Boswell nailed a 60-yard field goal with just over a minute left to play, and the Steelers held on for a 34-32 win in Week 1. Boswell crushed the kick, and it looked like it would have been good from quite a bit farther had the Steelers needed that much leg.
The Steelers still had to stop the Jets one more time, and one of the new faces came up with a big play to ensure it. Cornerback Jalen Ramsey dislodged the ball from Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson on fourth down to put the final nail in the coffin.
Another newcomer had a big day on offense. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw four touchdowns while going 22-of-30 for 244 yards in his reunion with the team he played for the past two seasons. He was sacked four times, and the Steelers never found much success on the ground, but the offense still featured four catches for 83 yards from wide receiver DK Metcalf and plenty of positives to build on moving forward.
The defense has some room to improve, though. The Jets ran for 182 yards, and Justin Fields went 16-of-22 for 218 yards and a touchdown against his former team. Those results will be encouraging for the Jets despite the loss, but with the Bills coming to town next week, they’ll need to make their own defensive adjustments to avoid an 0-2 start.
The Steelers will host the Seahawks in Week 2, and the home crowd should be in good spirits after Boswell’s late heroics.