THE STEELERS’ CALVIN AUSTIN III SCORES A BIG TOUCHDOWN IN THE TEAM’S 34-32 WIN OVER THE JETS, SEPT. 7. (PHOTO BY MARLON MARTIN)
The 2025 regular season for the Pittsburgh Steelers began with a bang as the Steelers and the New York Jets dueled for almost the entire game with the Black and Gold outlasting the men from Gotham City by the score of 34-32, Sept. 6.
OK, I get it, this was just one game. Current Steelers starting QB Aaron Rodgers temporarily quieted his detractors with a pretty good performance against the Jets, the team that Rodgers played for before joining the Steelers.
This was an above-average effort for Rodgers, especially considering his injury problems.
However, the performance of Rodgers presented another opportunity for the faithful of the Black and Gold to hastily anoint another pseudo-savior to lead the team to the Lombardi Trophy waiting to be claimed at the end of the NFL postseason rainbow.
For those who waited for Rodgers to display a tidbit of humility after winning the game, he did not. Andrew Limberg posted an article titled: “The Jets must feel pretty silly after Rodgers’ performance Sunday.” The following is an excerpt from that article. “Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers downplayed facing his old team leading up to Sunday. But the 41-year-old couldn’t help himself after the game. He was seen putting his hand up to his ear while walking off the field, taking in the boo from the New York Jet faithful.”
“It was nice to win,” Rodgers said after the game. “Especially hearing some of the cat calls out there and the boo birds. I’m not sensitive about that. I expected that. I kind of like that.”
The article also claimed that: “There were question marks surrounding Rodgers, coming off two less-than-great seasons with the Jets, but make no mistake, if he isn’t the Steelers quarterback on Sunday, Pittsburgh does not win that game.”
There should be little doubt that. However, the performance of Aaron Rodgers is only one facet of the victory. The “serial-legged, iron-toed” Steelers kicker Chris Boswell happened to be the final nail hammered into the coffin of the New York Jets that sealed the victory for the men of steel.
After the game, Justin Fried posted an article on jetpress.com: “Aaron Rodgers torches the Jets with one of his most brutal quotes yet. Rodgers will never take the high road.” A passage from the article says: “Aaron Rodgers couldn’t resist twisting the knife. After leading the Pittsburgh Steelers to a Week 1 win over the New York Jets in his MetLife return, the veteran quarterback delivered one of his harshest quotes yet about his former team.”
Rodgers was asked by reporters about how he felt after getting revenge on both the Jets and new head coach Aaron Glenn, whom he previously took shots at earlier in the offseason, and he predictably didn’t hold back. Rodgers told reporters that he was “happy to beat everyone associated with the Jets.” He didn’t specifically mention Glenn or anyone else by name, but it was clear that Rodgers wasn’t happy with how his exit unfolded.
The Steelers scored 34 points on an overwhelmed Jets defense, as Rodgers completed 22-of-30 passes for 244 yards, four touchdowns, and notably zero turnovers. He did everything he could to make the Jets regret moving on, and his postgame comment is proof that the thought was in his mind.
Let’s take a look at a recently departed quarterback from the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback room, current New York Giants QB Russell Wilson.
When the Steelers faced Wilson’s former team, the Denver Broncos in 2024, Wilson was on the injured list of the Pittsburgh Steelers and didn’t have the opportunity to face his team from the previous season. During that season, Denver Broncos Head Coach Sean Payton publicly humiliated Wilson in front of the entire planet. During Wilson’s return to Denver, he said next to nothing about his former head coach or team. Wilson remained mostly silent and humble regarding his return to the mile-high-city.
Flash forward to Aaron Glenn, the current head coach of the New York Jets. Glenn made a decision not to retain the services of Aaron Rodgers, a 40-plus-year-old quarterback. Rodgers had experienced a major injury, but Coach Glenn did not directly or indirectly embarrass Aaron Rodgers publicly or privately. Another quote from thejetpress.com article says that: “Rodgers’ two-year stint in New York was nothing short of disastrous. He arrived as the supposed savior in 2023, only to tear his Achilles four snaps into the season.”
Aaron Rodgers now has the nerve and the audacity to be angry at Aaron Glenn and the Jets organization because they were unsure about his future as a New York Jet and his future as an NFL quarterback.
Let this be a reminder for “yinz” boys and girls. On December 7, 2025, when the Steelers face the Baltimore Ravens amidst 30 mile-per-hour winds and swirling snow squalls, that one game does not make a season. Those weather conditions will not represent a reasonable request to ask Steelers place kicker Chris Boswell to attempt or make a 60-yard field goal. Don’t forget, after a few folks remove the “filet of crow” from the freezer to thaw out before roasting it to serve as the main entrée at the “blah, blah dinner,” they had better be sure to have a paper plate and some aluminum foil handy so that they can put some in the fridge to eat later.
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