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Jets vs. Steelers: Russell Wilson leads Pittsburgh to convincing win over New York in Davante Adams' first game with new team

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Jets vs. Steelers: Russell Wilson leads Pittsburgh to convincing win over New York in Davante Adams' first game with new team


At last week’s NFL owners meeting, after his New York Jets pulled off a trade for Davante Adams less than 24 hours after falling to 2-4 on the season, owner Woody Johnson proclaimed that his team was “going to kick … you can fill the word in

Maybe that starts next week.

This season the Jets were expected to be Super Bowl contenders, or at least break the longest playoff drought in American professional sports, while the Pittsburgh Steelers were going to finally see their streak of non-losing seasons end. But there’s a reason the Jets are the Jets and the Steelers are the Steelers.

The results didn’t change for the Jets after adding Adams. They still look lost this season, falling to 2-5 with a 37-15 defeat to the Steelers.

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The Steelers didn’t look any different either, despite a quarterback change. They’re 5-2, and 1-0 with Russell Wilson as their starting quarterback. Wilson replaced Justin Fields and after a slow start, he made plays and led the Steelers to their highest point total of the season.

It wasn’t a good outing for the Jets. Maybe they’ll make another trade this week.

Wilson got his first start for the Steelers and it didn’t begin that well. It took Wilson a while to get in a rhythm. Or, it took him a while to realize George Pickens is fantastic on contested catches. Once Pickens made a few plays, Wilson settled in.

The Jets had the early lead though. Breece Hall and Tyler Conklin scored touchdowns and the Jets led 15-13 going into halftime. But it’s the 2024 Jets; eventually it all unraveled.

Rodgers had a couple of tough luck interceptions to undrafted rookie Beanie Bishop Jr. On the first one Bishop made a great play, turning and reaching out at the last second with one hand to bring in the pick. On the second, Rodgers delivered a good ball to the normally reliable Garrett Wilson, but the ball bounced off Wilson’s chest and right to Bishop. He returned that one to the 1-yard line. Wilson scored on a quarterback sneak the next play.

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The second half was impressive for the Steelers. It would have been easy for Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin to stick with Justin Fields after the team’s good start to the season, but he has been dug in on Wilson being his quarterback since the team acquired him. Fields got to start because Wilson had an injured calf, but Tomlin went back to him when he could. It’s hard to argue with the results.

Meanwhile, the Jets can’t push any right buttons this season.

The Jets fired Robert Saleh. They lost to the Buffalo Bills their next game. They traded for Adams. They lost to the Steelers their next game.

They keep digging their hole deeper. New York wanted to make a run with Rodgers. They seemed to be down to one last shot with Rodgers after the quarterback tore his Achilles in the season opener last year. Nothing has looked right for the Jets all season. Rodgers has had some flashes of his former greatness but overall the team has been too sloppy to win. The defense, which had been very good the past two seasons, hasn’t been as dominant. Everything with the Jets seems a bit off.

Meanwhile, the Steelers just keep winning as usual. Wilson has been the subject of countless jokes after he failed with the Denver Broncos and he didn’t look good in the preseason, but Tomlin knew what he was doing when he made the change. He kept referencing Wilson’s successful résumé, and on Sunday night Wilson looked more like that player who was a star with the Seattle Seahawks. Maybe Wilson will fall apart like he did in Denver, but the first look at him with the Steelers was positive. He looked like a quarterback who at very least can spread the ball around and boost Pickens, the team’s top playmaker.

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Things always seem to work out for the Steelers. The opposite is true for the Jets. Maybe that’s not a coincidence.

LIVE COVERAGE IS OVER45 updates

  • Steelers improve to 5-2 with comfortable win over Jets

  • Steelers take it under the two minute mark

    Once the Steelers took control of the game with the two interceptions that Russell Wilson and co. turned into touchdowns, it was downhill from there for the Jets. It wasn’t just the passing attack, but the Steelers salted away the game, running the ball, and Najee Harris puts an exclamation mark on the game, that’ll be a boon for Fantasy Managers with Harris.

  • Russell Wilson also in control

    Wilson is looking the part of the veteran that had a grasp on the starting job coming out of camp. Pittsburgh is also running the ball well, averaging more than 4.0 yards per carry with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

  • Steelers defense in control

    The Jets have more than 300 yards of total offense, but its been tough sledding on the ground. The Jets are averaging just 3.0 yards per carry on the ground, and while Rodgers has 269 passing yards, there are also the two interceptions and several batted balls at the line of scrimmage by the Pittsburgh front seven. The Jets haven’t scored since the second quarter.

  • Garrett Wilson picks up 27

    Wilson is up to 61 receiving yards on five receptions for the night as the Jets get the ball to the 25 yard line.

  • Jets penalties slowing drive

    Tyron Smith and Garrett Wilson have both been flagged for false starts on this drive, and the Jets can’t have flags as they try to dig out of this hole with under 10 minutes to play in the game.

  • Van Jefferson hauls in Russell Wilson’s second touchdown pass of the game

    Steelers are doubling up the Jets now after Wilson’s second TD pass. The Steelers have ripped of 24 straight points to take a 30-15 lead, with the Pittsburgh offense looking much sharper in this second half than it has for much of the season.

  • End of 3rd quarter: Steelers 23, Jets 15

    The Steelers’ defense has showed up tonight, much has it has throughout the season, forcing two interceptions and the Steelers have also blocked a field goal. Meanwhile Russell Wilson has been good in his first start with the Steelers, throwing for 224 yards through the first three quarters.

    In the third quarter, Jets offensive lineman Xavier Newman was carted off the field and taken to a nearby hospital. He was strapped to a backboard before being loaded onto the cart. He was conscious and and had movement in his limbs as he was being taken off the field.

  • Xavier Newman has been taken to a Pittsburgh hospital and does have movement in his extremities

  • Steelers block field goal attempt!

    After being flagged earlier in the game while blocking a PAT, Dean Lowry gets a paw on the Greg Zuerlein field goal to keep the game at 23-15.

  • Aaron Rodgers needs to see the cut man for his left hand

  • Steelers take lead on Russell Wilson QB sneak

    Two Aaron Rodgers interceptions have led to two Pittsburgh Steelers touchdowns, and the Jets find themselves now trailing by eight. The Steelers’ defense has been making big plays throughout the game, as they have for the whole of this first third of the season.

  • Jets offensive lineman Xavier Newman carted off the field

    After the interception, Newman was hit on a block by Patrick Queen. No penalty was called on the play. Newman went down on the Jets’ sideline and the whole team surrounded him as he was being loaded onto a backboard and moved to a cart to be taken off the field.

    Newman had replaced Alijah Vera-Tucker at guard. Vera-Tucker left the game with an injury in the first half. NBC Sports’ Melissa Stark did report during the broadcast that Newman was conscious while being put on the backboard and onto the cart

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    SANTA CLARA, CA - SEPTEMBER 9: Guard Xavier Newman #65 of the New York Jets stands on the sidelines during the national anthem prior an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers, at Levi's Stadium on September 9, 2024 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)

    SANTA CLARA, CA – SEPTEMBER 9: Guard Xavier Newman #65 of the New York Jets stands on the sidelines during the national anthem prior an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers, at Levi’s Stadium on September 9, 2024 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)
  • Beanie Bishop again!

    This one might not be on Aaron Rodgers….Garrett Wilson let the ball get too deep to his chest plate, and when it bounced off, Bishop was there to take it all the way back to the 1-yard-line.

  • Chris Boswell has been busy tonight

    Another red zone trip for Pittsburgh comes up a little short. The Steelers have taken the lead at 16-15, but Mike Tomlin did say the issues he wanted fixed in the second half were getting better on third down and also getting touchdowns rather than field goals. Its always better to be playing from in front, but the Steelers’ coach will be looking for his offense to finish better going forward.

  • Russell Wilson dropping DIMES

  • George Pickens is having himself a night of highlights

    This is an excellent throw from Russell Wilson, but the concentration by Pickens is otherworldly on the 37-yard gain.

  • Jets open second half with a first down and then punt.

    Aaron Rodgers hit Garrett Wilson a couple of times coming out of the half to get things moving to about midfield, but the Steelers pass rush forced a 3rd down incompletion to get New York off the field. Back comes the Steelers offense, and the Jets defense, which will have Sauce Gardner. He came off the field on the last drive of the first half with an apparent leg injury, but interim coach Jeff Ulbrich told NBC Sports’ Melissa Stark that Gardner was going to give it a go in the second half.

  • Halftime: Jets 15, Steelers 13

    The Beanie Bishop interception of Aaron Rodgers at the end of the first half changed the complexion of the game as the Steelers were able to cash in with a touchdown and turn a two-score lead into a one score game heading into the locker rooms for the break. Davante Adams has three catches for 30 yards as he’s being worked into the offense, but has been on the field for the entire first half. In the other major debut of the night, Russell Wilson has thrown for 145 yards and a touchdown for Pittsburgh — In three of his six starts this season Justin Fields threw for 145 yards or fewer for the whole game.

    PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 20: Davante Adams #17 of the New York Jets is tackled by Joey Porter Jr. #24 of the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium on October 20, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 20: Davante Adams #17 of the New York Jets is tackled by Joey Porter Jr. #24 of the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium on October 20, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)

    PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA – OCTOBER 20: Davante Adams #17 of the New York Jets is tackled by Joey Porter Jr. #24 of the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium on October 20, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
  • Russell Wilson throws his first Steelers touchdown to George Pickens

    After Pickens drew a pass interference penalty on Sauce Gardner to get the ball to the 11-yard-line — and Gardner limped off the field after that — Pickens hauled in a pass from Wilson for the first Pittsburgh touchdown of the night to cash in on the interception, and get Pittsburgh within one score.





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'The Texans Beat Them:' Rich Eisen Picks Houston Over Pittsburgh

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'The Texans Beat Them:' Rich Eisen Picks Houston Over Pittsburgh


The Pittsburgh Steelers are 6-2 and on top of the AFC North. The Baltimore Ravens look like a dominant team, but for now, the Steelers are better than them. The AFC has several other strong teams, too. If the Steelers ultimately do make the playoffs, they could face a tough team. The Houston Texans are young but also on top of their division. Analyst Rich Eisen believes they would beat the Steelers if the two teams played right now.

“Number eight, one spot up, I’m putting the Russell Wilson Steelers right here,” Eisen said recently on his show when revealing his power rankings. “They beat the Jets; they beat the Giants. [Wilson] is smelting. The running game’s going, T.J. Watt’s going, the special teams are going.

“All three phases are going. 6-2, they lead the AFC North. I still think if the Houston Texans play them, the Texans beat them, which is why I’m putting the Texans right here at seven.”

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That’s not an unfair thing to say. The Texans have been a great team this year. They are 6-2, but their two losses weren’t awful. They got crushed by the Minnesota Vikings in Week 3, but the Vikings were rolling at that point. They also lost to the Green Bay Packers in Week 7, but the game came down to the wire.

The Texans also beat the tar out of the Steelers last year. In Week 4 of 2023, rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud dominated the Steelers, beating them 30-6. The Texans have only improved their team since then, so it isn’t a stretch to say they could do it again.

However, the Steelers have also upgraded their team this year. Their offense looks much better, especially with Wilson at quarterback. They aren’t the same team the Texans beat last year. The Steelers have been playing great recently, too, so it’s possible that they could avenge their loss from last year.

The Texans are also dealing with some huge injuries. They just lost star receiver Stefon Diggs for the year, and Nico Collins, their standout receiver last year, is on injured reserve at the moment. The Texans are deep at receiver, but replacing both those players is almost impossible.

Therefore, if the two teams played today, it wouldn’t be crazy to say the Steelers have the advantage. The Texans have a young, hotshot quarterback and a stout defense, but they might not have the playmakers to beat the Steelers.

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This is all hypothetical, though. The only way the Steelers will play the Texans this year will be if they meet in the playoffs. That’s still a few months away, so if that does happen, it’s likely both teams will look slightly different. The Texans could have Collins back, or they could be suffering from more injuries. The same could be said for the Steelers. It would make for an interesting postseason matchup, though.



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KDKA-TV Nightly Forecast (10/30)

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KDKA-TV Nightly Forecast (10/30)


KDKA-TV Nightly Forecast (10/30) – CBS Pittsburgh

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Steelers’ Coordinator Danny Smith Needs Pads on the Sidelines

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Steelers’ Coordinator Danny Smith Needs Pads on the Sidelines


PITTSBURGH — Danny Smith has seen it all. The Pittsburgh-born Smith attended and coached at Pittsburgh Central Catholic High School when Dan Marino was there. But the 2024 Steelers’ special teams may be even more impressive. Smith, the Steelers’ special teams coordinator, arrived at the Steelers in 2013 and has coached one of the best special teams units in the league since.

The Steelers have blocked a league-leading 13.33% of opposing teams’ field goal attempts this season. If that unbelievable rate holds for the rest of the season it would be the highest percentage of field goal attempts blocked by far with data dating back to 2003. But this isn’t anything new for Smith and his unit — the Steelers also led the league in 2018 with 7.69% and were second in the league in 2022 at 5.88%.

It’s a symbiotic relationship between Smith and his unit. When Steelers’ reliable place kicker Chris Boswell knocks in a routine 50-plus-yard kick, Smith gets so pumped up he’s sore the next day. When Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick blocks an extra point and gets wrongfully flagged for leverage, Smith blows up at the officials for blowing the call. And when the Steelers use each other to form a wall and block a game-altering field goal, Smith is in the middle of his guys celebrating with them.

“They beat the h*** out of me. I’m sore and I didn’t even play,” Smith said after the Steelers primetime win over the New York Giants. “I’m probably gonna be the first coach on the sideline in shoulder pads and a helmet.”

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Smith’s special teams make big plays so often they’ve become almost unsurprising. After wide receiver Calvin Austin III returned a 73-yard punt for a touchdown against the Giants, Smith is seen pacing and chewing the most possible gum he could fit in his mouth.

Boswell has only missed once this year — a 62-yard attempt as the first half expired against the Chargers. Boswell arrived in Pittsburgh in 2015 and has been almost flawless since. The veteran kicker has the fifth-highest field goal percentage of all time at 87.889%. Of course, Smith was on the sideline for every one of those seasons.

The Steelers brought in a new punter this season in veteran Cameron Johnston. Tragically, Johnston suffered a leg injury in the Steelers’ season-opener against the Falcons. Johnston’s two punts against the Falcons were impressive and gave fans hope that the position would be more solid this season, but the situation became uncertain. Replacing Johnston was Corliss Waitman. The mid-season acquisition has been a slam dunk for the Steelers with Waitman averaging 46.8 yards per punt.

The Steelers win in unconvential ways. Other teams routinely win in shootouts — offensive showcases that aim to light the scoreboard up. But the Steelers have invested in their defense and special teams. While it’s often boiled down to, ‘the Steeler way’, the Steelers and Smith are proving the method works. If The Steelers’ special teams can continue producing big plays week after week, the black and gold are poised for a special run.

Make sure to bookmark Steelers On SI to get all your daily Pittsburgh Steelers news, interviews, breakdowns and more!

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