The Steelers will open the 2025-26 season on the road against the New York Jets on Sunday, September 7th. This will be the ninth time in the past ten years that they begin the season away from the North Shore. In those previous nine games, the Steelers have gone 6-2-1, including a 18-10 win last year against the Falcons in Atlanta on the back of six Chris Boswell field goals.
For the fifth year in a row, the Steelers will have a different week 1 starting quarterback:
- 2021: Ben Roethlisberger
- 2022: Mitchell Trubisky
- 2023: Kenny Pickett
- 2024: Justin Fields
- 2025: Aaron Rodgers
Hardly the model of consistency in the last half-decade, this differs greatly from having Big Ben start week 1 in 15 of his 17 seasons in Pittsburgh (his first season and his suspension being the two exceptions). Having a fifth different starter in five years is not ideal, but it does help that someone as experienced in the NFL as Aaron Rodgers is the guy who will be taking snaps for the Steelers in East Rutherford on Sunday.
What can we expect from Rodgers? It is difficult to say. He did not play in any of the three preseason games the Steelers had. His tenure with the Jets, who released him at the end of last season, was less than fruitful. Of course, no quarterback has succeeded for Gang Green since a two-year period where Mark Sanchez led them to consecutive AFC Championship games.
What we do know is this: the Steelers’ 2024 week one starter (Justin Fields) will be starting for the Jets against the Jets’ 2024 week one starter (Aaron Rodgers), who will be starting for the Steelers. Fields signed a two-year, $20 million deal this spring to try and put an end to the quarterback parade for the New York Jets. The footage from practices and scrimmages does not make it seem like this will be the case, but we will see if he can get his act together in the regular season.
The Steelers have not beaten the Jets at MetLife since 2014, although they have only squared off in the Meadowlands once since (in 2019). The more concerning statistic is that the Steelers are 1-3 in their last four games against the Jets, with the only win coming back in 2016.
The Steelers made a litany of moves this offseason, bringing in guys like DK Metcalf and Jonnu Smith on offense, as well as Jalen Ramsey on defense, while getting rid of George Pickens and Minkah Fitzpatrick in the process. It will be a different looking team from a personnel standpoint, but the play callers remain the same. Ergo, I do not expect much of a change from a strategic point-of-view.
The Jets made some big moves, too, locking down wide receiver Garrett Wilson and cornerback Sauce Gardner to big extensions, while hiring a new head coach in Aaron Glenn and new coordinators on both sides of the ball. Unlike the Steelers, their team should look vastly different.
This is a game that the Steelers should win. They are favored by 2.5 points on the road, according to Vegas. However, there are many unknowns, and the Steelers have a habit of losing games that they should win.