The Pittsburgh Steelers have taken sole possession of first place in the AFC North – for now – after their best offensive game of the season.
Pittsburgh took down the New York Jets with a 37-15 victory on “Sunday Night Football” to move to 5-2 on the season. Their 37 points and 409 total yards of offense were both season highs.
The win puts them just ahead of the Baltimore Ravens (4-2), who will have a chance to tie for the division lead again when they play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a “Monday Night Football” clash.
Quarterback Russell Wilson made his first start for the Steelers after dealing with a calf injury for the first six weeks of the season. Justin Fields had started every game for Pittsburgh before Sunday night.
Wilson was 16-of-29 on pass attempts for 264 passing yards and two touchdowns. He also scored a rushing touchdown on a QB sneak. Running back Najee Harris had 102 yards and a game-sealing touchdown late in the fourth quarter, and wide receiver George Pickens had 111 yards and a touchdown on five catches.
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The Steelers’ win spoiled the Jets debut for star wide receiver Davante Adams, who finished the game with three catches on nine targets for 30 yards. New York quarterback Aaron Rodgers was 24-of-39 for 276 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in the loss.
Here’s how it all happened on “Sunday Night Football”:
Najee Harris’ 10-yard touchdown run with 26 seconds left in the game sealed the Steelers’ win over the Jets. It also clinched a season high for points in a game by Pittsburgh.
The Steelers will improve to 5-2 on the season, while the Jets will fall to 2-5.
Russell Wilson hit Calvin Austin wide open downfield, and the receiver took the pass deeper into Jets territory to keep the Steelers’ drive going. Pittsburgh has the ball inside the New York 40-yard line with five minutes to play.
It’s still 30-15 Steelers as the clock continues to wind down.
Keeanu Benton deflected two passes on the Jets’ last series of downs, including one on fourth down. It ended the drive just outside of the red zone, so the Steelers will take over on their own 25-yard line with just under eight minutes left in the game.
The Steelers are threatening to put the game out of reach for the Jets. Early in the fourth quarter, Russell Wilson found Van Jefferson for a 4-yard touchdown play that extended Pittsburgh’s lead. It was Wilson’s second touchdown throw of the game.
The touchdown came after Dean Lowry’s blocked field goal prevented the Jets from chipping away at the Steelers’ lead.
Jets defensive back Ashtyn Davis had to be helped from the field after making a tackle on Steelers running back Jaylen Warren.
Warren had caught a screen pass from Russell Wilson and ran for 11 yards for a first down on a third-and-8 play.
Davis was being evaluated for a concussion.
The Jets offense put kicker Greg Zuerlein in position to cut into the Steelers’ lead, but Dean Lowry blocked the kick.
The Jets, who desperately need a win if they want to keep their ever-fading playoff hopes alive, still trail the Steelers by two scores.
The Steelers capitalized on Beanie Bishop Jr.’s interception, which set the team up with a first-and-goal situation at the Jets’ 1-yard line. After an extended break in the game due to the injury to Jets lineman Xavier Newman-Johnson, the Steelers extended their lead.
Russell Wilson — who had his first touchdown throw with the Steelers earlier in the game — scored his first rushing touchdown for the team to extend Pittsburgh’s lead.
Xavier Newman-Johnson required attention from New York’s medical personnel following Beanie Bishop Jr.’s interception. The guard appeared to take a head-to-head hit from Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen during the interception return.
Newman-Johnson was filling in for Alijah Vera-Tucker — who is battling an ankle injury — in the game. His injury will further test the Jets’ depth on the offensive line.
Aaron Rodgers tried to hit Garrett Wilson on a back-shoulder throw on the left sideline, but the receiver couldn’t haul it in. Instead, the pass glanced off of Wilson’s shoulder and bounced backwards into the waiting arms of Beanie Bishop Jr.
Bishop returned the pick all the way to the 1-yard line before receiver Davante Adams made a diving tackle to prevent a defensive touchdown. The Steelers take over needing just one yard to extend their lead. There are seven and a half minutes left in the third quarter.
The Steelers’ kicker is three-for-three on field goal attempts in tonight’s game. His latest kick was a 21-yard chip shot after Pittsburgh’s drive ended on the Jets’ 3-yard line. It gave Pittsburgh its first lead of the game since 3-0.
It’s 16-15 Steelers with under eight minutes left in the third quarter.
Pittsburgh continued their impressive pass-catching feats of the night on a 21-yard connection from Wilson to the tight end Pat Freiermuth. The pass catcher extended his hand to bring in what initially looked like an overthrow to put the Steelers into the red zone.
George Pickens has been the star of the game for the Steelers’ offense tonight. His latest catch went for 37 yards and featured multiple bobbles and near-drops before he eventually completed the reception.
The young receiver is up to 104 yards and a touchdown on four catches in the game with 10 minutes to play in the third quarter.
After getting banged up near the end of the first half, Sauce Gardner was back on the field to start the Jets’ first defensive series of the second half.
New York only ran one play after the George Pickens touchdown before the half ended. The Jets still lead and will get the ball to begin the second half.
Russell Wilson and George Pickens took advantage of the backup cornerback after Gardner’s exit. Two plays after the pass interference call, the 23-year-old wideout pulled in a nice contested catch for a Pittsburgh touchdown. It was Wilson’s first touchdown pass as a Steeler.
The impressive play pushed the Steelers within a couple of points of the Jets, so it’s 15-13 New York with thirty seconds left in the half.
Sauce Gardner was flagged on a call for pass interference while trying to defend George Pickens on a deep ball. The penalty gave Pittsburgh 29 yards, setting the Steelers up at the Jets’ 11-yard line.
Perhaps more concerning for the Jets was that Gardner came up limping after the play was over. He appeared to get his ankle twisted with Pickens while trying to break up the pass and stayed on the sideline for the remainder of the drive.
Aaron Rodgers tried to slot a throw in between two defenders to receiver Garrett Wilson. Beanie Bishop, Jr., an undrafted free-agent rookie cornerback, flipped his hips at the right moment and reached out with just one hand and picked off the veteran quarterback.
Bishop’s play gave the Steelers the ball at their own 46-yard line with just under two minutes to play.
Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich dropped the challenge flag as he was trying to throw it after what might have been a 3-yard touchdown run by running back Breece Hall. Because the flag didn’t make it to the field before the following snap, Aaron Rodgers ran the next play and found tight end Tyler Conklin wide open on the left side of the end zone.
New York went for two points after a leverage penalty on Minkah Fitzpatrick on the ensuing PAT, so it’s 15-6 Jets with five and a half minutes left in the half.
Aaron Rodgers found his running back just a couple of yards past the line of scrimmage, and Breece Hall did the rest of the work from there. New York is at the Pittsburgh 3-yard line after the big catch-and-run.
According to the NBC broadcast, the play was the Jets’ longest offensive play of the season so far.
Pittsburgh’s drive eventually stalled in the red zone, at the Jets’ 11-yard line. Chris Boswell knocked through his second field goal attempt of the night from 29 yards out to cut New York’s lead to one point.
It’s 7-6 Jets with eight and a half minutes left in the first half.
The Steelers took a shot on second-and-long, and quarterback Russell Wilson found George Pickens 44 yards downfield. The third-year receiver managed to create just enough separation to bring in the catch and get Pittsburgh into Jets territory.
The big play broke the streak of four straight three-and-out possessions between the two teams.
Breece Hall still has the lone touchdown of the game after 15 minutes of action. In the two possessions after his score, the Steelers and Jets both went three-and-out.
Pittsburgh will have the ball on second-and-8 from its own 36-yard line to begin the second quarter.
The former president is taking in the Steelers vs. Jets game as a guest in a suite at the Steelers’ stadium.
New York executed a nine-play, 82-yard scoring drive on its second possession of the game. Hall broke away to the left side for a 13-yard touchdown run to give the Jets their first points of the game.
After the PAT, it’s 7-3 New York with two and a half minutes left in the first quarter.
Davante Adams made his first catch as a Jet on his second target of the night. The former Packers teammates connected for the first time as Jets on a nine-yard play during New York’s second drive.
The Steelers went three-and-out of their second drive of the night. However, they nearly got the ball inside the Jets’ 15-yard line when New York punt returner Xavier Gipson dropped the ball on the ensuing punt.
The Jets got a break when the ball glanced off of Gipson’s chest and rolled out of bounds to maintain possession.
Larry Ogunjobi was able to beat his blocker as Aaron Rodgers held onto the ball in the pocket. His sack of Rodgers was the first of the game for the Steelers, and it killed the Jets’ drive three plays in.
After a punt, the Steelers take over from their own 36-yard line with just under 10 minutes to play in the first quarter.
Chris Boswell nailed a 46-yard field goal to cap off the Steelers’ first possession of the game and put the first points on the board. It’s 3-0 Pittsburgh after three minutes.
The Steelers vs. Jets “Sunday Night Football” matchup will get underway at 8:20 p.m. ET. The Jets travel to Acrisure Stadium (formerly Heinz Field) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to take on the Steelers.
The game will air on NBC and Peacock. The game is also available to stream on Fubo.
Mike Tirico (play-by-play) and Cris Collinsworth (analyst) will be on the call, with Melissa Stark adding reports from the field for NBC.
Here’s how the USA TODAY Sports staff feels the Steelers vs. Jets “Sunday Night Football” matchup will shake out:
Fans who want to catch the “Sunday Night Football” matchup between the Jets and Steelers via live stream have a few options.
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NBC’s streaming service, Peacock, will also stream the game.
We have a complete list at every position:
The NFL’s top 18 players in average annual salary are all quarterbacks, according to OverTheCap.com. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott became the league’s highest-paid player before the season began, agreeing to a four-year, $240 million deal. Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson is the first non-quarterback on the highest-paid list after striking a four-year, $140 million contract extension this offseason.
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It’s going to be a clear night in Pittsburgh with a high of 65 degrees at kickoff and a low of 57 degrees at midnight. According to the Weather Channel, winds will max out at four mph while chances of precipitation are under 3% for the entire game.
The Jets fired Robert Saleh after struggling to consistently win under his leadership for three-plus years.
“This was not an easy decision, but we are not where we should be given our expectations,” Jets owner Woody Johnson wrote in a statement announcing the firing. “I believe now is the best time for us to move in a different direction.”
Saleh posted just a 20-36 record with the Jets and, while his defenses routinely ranked among the league’s best, New York’s offenses fell at the opposite end of the spectrum.
Currently, Lions OC Ben Johnson is the clubhouse leader for the potential future opening for the Jets head coaching gig. He is followed by Texans OC Bobby Slowik and former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel.
Only two teams in NFL history have made the playoffs with an interim head coach: the 2021 Las Vegas Raiders and the 1961 Houston Oilers (now Tennessee Titans).
Ulbrich stayed in the NFC West to start his coaching career. He began in Seattle as an assistant special teams coordinator for the 2010 and 2011 NFL seasons. He spent the next three years with the UCLA Bruins as the linebackers coach and special teams coordinator.
Ulbrich returned to the NFL for the 2015 season with the Atlanta Falcons. He was the linebackers coach for four seasons before moving to an assistant head coach role in 2020. When the Falcons fired coach Dan Quinn that season and promoted Raheem Morris in an interim role, Ulbrich took over as defensive coordinator.
When Saleh was hired as the Jets’ head coach in 2021, he brought Ulbrich along as defensive coordinator. Ulbrich has been in that role ever since.
The Steelers are tied with the New England Patriots for the most Super Bowl wins with six.
Pittsburgh and Dallas have the unique distinction of playing each other more than any other team combination in Super Bowl history with three matchups.
Wilson signed a one-year contract with the Steelers worth $1.21 million during the 2024 NFL offseason. That represented the smallest possible salary Wilson could take, as $1.21 million is the veteran minimum for the 2024 NFL season.
Wilson’s deal with the Steelers was viewed as a bargain and with good reason. It made him one of the league’s lowest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL and one of the lowest-paid projected starters.
Wilson is making $39 million for the 2024 NFL season. The Broncos are responsible for most of that sum because of the $242.5 million contract they inked with him in 2022.
Wilson’s contract contained $124 million in guarantees. Denver had already paid $85 million of it before the 2024 NFL season, but they still had to pay the 35-year-old the rest of the guarantees as part of his release.
The No. 1 team on NBC’s Sunday night football will stay intact, at least for the foreseeable future.
According to a report from The Athletic, NBC Sports is close to securing a new four-year contract extension with top analyst Cris Collinsworth. The extension will keep him with the network through the 2029-30 season. His current contract runs through the 2026 season.
NBC is scheduled to broadcast two more Super Bowls in the next six years, including Super Bowl 60 in 2026 and Super Bowl 64 in 2030.
Collinsworth, 65, who has won seven Emmy Awards for Outstanding Sports Studio Analyst, makes about $12.5 million a year and has teamed up with Mike Tirico to call games.
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