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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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Steelers Add Year to Cam Heyward’s Contract, Creating Cap Space

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Steelers Add Year to Cam Heyward’s Contract, Creating Cap Space


The Pittsburgh Steelers finally have some clarity on Cameron Heyward’s short-term future with the team.

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac, the Steelers have added an extra year to Heyward’s deal. As a result, they freed up right around $5.5 million in cap space.

Heyward’s contract is now worth $32.25 million across two seasons, though only the first of those two years is guaranteed.

The reigning second-team All-Pro previously had one year left on his contract, which carried a cap hit of $19.150 million.

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Heyward’s deal was a source of contention during training camp last summer, as the 15-year veteran looked to negotiate his contract after previously having agreed to a two-year, $29 million extension leading into the 2024 campaign.

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Nov 23, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward (97) against the Chicago Bears during the second half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images | Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

The 36-year-old, who was a first-team All-Pro that year, later compromised with Pittsburgh after it added a little over $3 million in incentives to his contract before Week 1 of the 2025 season.

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Over 17 games, Heyward recorded a total of 3.5 sacks and 78 tackles with a forced fumble.

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With it appearing set in stone that he’ll return for the 2026 season after agreeing to his modified deal, the question now becomes whether or not Heyward will play out the duration of his contract through 2027.

What Could Steelers Do with Extra Money?

Pittsburgh was rather active both shortly before and immediately after the legal tampering period began, re-signing cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. and linebacker Cole Holcomb while also signing former Tampa Bay Buccaneers corner Jamel Dean and acquiring wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. via trade from the Indianapolis Colts, whom it immediately inked to a three-year, $59 million extension.

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It’s been a bit quiet for the Steelers since that initial wave, however, with punter Cameron Johnston representing their only move on the second day of free agency.

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There’s still plenty of names out there on the open market, and with needs remaining along the offensive line, at safety and receiver even after adding Pittman Jr., the action shouldn’t stop for Pittsburgh.

While quarterback remains the most substantial question mark for the Steelers on paper, the widespread assumption remains that Aaron Rodgers will eventually return to the franchise. When that decision will, or could, become official, though, is anyone’s best guess at the moment.

The money Pittsburgh saved by revising Heyward’s contract could help fill out its roster not only through free agency, but also via the 2026 NFL Draft now that it has 12 picks at its disposal upon being awarded four compensatory selections.

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Game Preview: Pittsburgh Penguins @ Carolina Hurricanes 3/10/2026

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Game Preview: Pittsburgh Penguins @ Carolina Hurricanes 3/10/2026


Who: Pittsburgh Penguins (31-17-14, 76 points, 3rd place Metropolitan Division) @ Carolina Hurricanes (35-22-5, 75 points, 5th place Atlantic Division)

How to Watch: Local broadcasts on FanDuel Sports Network South and SportsNet Pittsburgh, streaming on ESPN+

Pens’ Path Ahead: The Penguins are heading out West later this week to play some late-night games against the Vegas Golden Knights (Thursday, 10 p.m. ET), Utah Mammoth (Saturday, 9 p.m. ET) and Colorado Avalanche (Monday, 9:30 p.m. ET). Then it’s back for a rematch with the Hurricanes in North Carolina next Wednesday.

Opponent Track: The Hurricanes are still on top of the Metro, and they’ve won seven of their last nine, but they’re coming off a loss in Calgary that featured a wild five-goal third period last Saturday.

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Season Series: The Penguins won this last matchup 5-1 on Dec. 30. Next up is that road game next Wednesday, followed four days later by a 3 p.m. ET Sunday matinee in Pittsburgh.

Hidden Stat: The Penguins haven’t won in Carolina since March 2019. The visitors are 0-4-4 in eight matchups over that span.

Getting to know the Hurricanes

Andrei Svechnikov – Sebastian Aho – Seth Jarvis

Taylor Hall – Logan Stankoven – Jackson Blake

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Nikolaj Ehlers – Jordan Staal – Jordan Martinook

William Carrier – Mark Jankowski – Eric Robinson

Jaccob Slavin – Jalen Chatfield

K’Andre Miller – Sean Walker

Mike Reilly – Alexander Nikishin

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Goalies: Brandon Bussi, Frederik Andersen

Potential scratches: Shayne Gostisbehere (day to day)

Injured Reserve: Charles-Alexis Legault, Pyotr Kochetkov, Nicolas Deslauriers

  • Gostisbehere missed the Hurricanes’ Saturday loss to the Flames with a lower-body injury. Mike Reilly will likely slide out of this lineup if he is able to go.
  • Nicolas Deslauriers has yet to make his Hurricanes debut since his trade from the Philadelphia Flyers. If the Canes decide to slot him into the lineup Monday night, he would slot into their fourth line.
  • The Hurricanes have historically been a tough matchup for the Pens, but the Penguins could take some lessons from the Flames. Calgary got beaten on face-offs (52.5 percent to 47.5 percent) and 5-on-5 scoring chances (24 to 21) while holding strong on hits (26-20) and getting some nice saves from Dustin Wolf to claim a 5-4 win over the Canes on Saturday.

Egor Chinakhov – Rickard Rakell – Bryan Rust

Anthony Mantha – Tommy Novak – Ville Koivunen

Elmer Soderblom – Ben Kindel – Avery Hayes

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Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Noel Acciari

Parker Wotherspoon / Erik Karlsson

Sam Girard / Ilya Solovyov

Goalies: Arturs Silovs, Stuart Skinner

Potential Scratches: Evgeni Malkin (suspended), Ryan Graves, Connor Clifton, Kevin Hayes, Justin Brazeau (day to day)

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IR: Sidney Crosby, Filip Hallander

  • Jack St. Ivany is off IR. He’s headed to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on a conditioning loan, per Seth Rorabaugh.
  • Justin Breazeau’s status is uncertain after he was sidelined against the Bruins on Sunday with a day-to-day upper-body injury.
  • Today should also lead to more information on whether Sidney Crosby is joining the team for the upcoming five-game road trip. Dane Muse said Sunday that decision would be made after the matchup against the Boston Bruins.
  • Evgeni Malkin is set to miss the third game of his five-game suspension tonight. He won’t be eligible to return until the Penguins rematch against the Hurricanes next week.
  • It’s a milestone game for Kyle Dubas, who has served as general manager for 600 career games, per Pens PR. A win tonight would tie him with Steve Yzerman for the 14th-most wins through that milestone with 326 victories.



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Steelers sign breakout star running back

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Steelers sign breakout star running back


The Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t done making moves on the first day of legal tampering. Per Jordan Schultz, the Steelers are signing former Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle. The South Carolina product rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of the last two seasons, averaging just under five yards per rush in each season.

This comes after the Steelers were very active on unofficial beginning of the new league year. They traded for Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr and also signed cornerback Jamel Dean. Internally, they re-signed cornerback Asante Samuel Jr and linebacker Cole Holcomb.

Dowdle now joins Jaylen Warren in the backfield, replacing Kenneth Gainwell, who left for Tampa Bay. On paper, this is one of the better one-two punches at running back in the NFL.

Let us know what you think in the comments. Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more!

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