It was another Week 1 loss for the New York Jets.
While some of the same issues that plagued the team in recent seasons rose to the surface again, this felt different. There was some hope, genuine hope.
Here are a couple of things we learned from the 34-32 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Justin Fields can be the guy
One of the big questions heading into the game was how the Jets offense would look with Justin Fields running the show. The answer was fairly emphatic.
This is the best the Jets have looked with the ball in as long as I can remember.
Fields worked superbly in tandem with offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand, who called a marvellous game for the most part.
When completions were there to be made, they were made. When the opportunity to extend plays presented itself, Fields showed why he is one of the league’s best scrambling quarterbacks.
But the most impressive part for me was that none of it felt rushed. It all looked very methodical. For the touchdown to Garrett Wilson, Fields stood in the pocket, waited and delivered a great pass.
Fields finished with 218 passing yards and 48 rushing yards and three total touchdowns. If we get this every Sunday, the Jets will win far more games than they lose.
Same old problems?
One of the biggest issues the Jets had under Robert Saleh was discipline and mistakes at crucial times. Alas, they came to the fore again yesterday.
The glaring error was Xavier Gipson’s fumbled kick return, which gave the Steelers excellent field position and ultimately led to the score that put the visitors 31-26 ahead.
There was also a poor out of bounds by linebacker Quincy Williams, which handed Aaron Rodgers a free 15 yards, which was ultimately turned into seven points. Lapses in coverage and poor open field tackling also led to scores.
The main culprit was Brandon Stephens, who had a torrid afternoon. He allowed six catches for 50 yards and two touchdowns alongside a defensive pass interference call and dropped interception.
Then on special teams, there were missed field goals – again! – and a couple of failed two-point conversions.
Removing just one of these issues would have handed the Jets the win, which is the most frustrating part.
Afterwards, Aaron Glenn said players who make mistakes “will not be on the field”. Let us see if he holds true to those values.
Identity established
Run the ball. That is what the Jets wanted to do and boy, did they do it. Engstrand called 39 rushing plays for 182 at 4.7 yards a carry.
This was a far cry from last season when the team seemed allergic to running the ball.
A lot of credit has to go to the offensive line. They consistently blew open holes for Breece Hall, who looked back to his very best.
If that unit can stay intact for the season, Gang Green could have one of the best lines in football – even without Alijah Vera-Tucker.
A one-game sample size is always dangerous to read into, but finishing Week 1 with nearly 400 yards of offense and 23 first downs is massively encouraging.
A word on Aaron Rodgers
Much was made of Rodgers’ return to MetLife. He showed that, with the right pieces, he can still deal.
But I think among all the praise for his performance, it was lost that Arthur Smith called a good game. He dialled up good match-ups for the Steelers receivers, with guys running wide open.
The scheme Rodgers played in last year was not good at all. That was mainly because he had his best friend calling plays. When that failed, he just started to call plays himself.
If Rodgers can be humble enough to lean into Smith’s style, then Pittsburgh can have a good season.
Week 2 sees the Buffalo Bills travel to New Jersey, so a much sterner test awaits. But despite the loss, there is much more positive than negative after the first Sunday of the season.
