It’s finally here! The opening weekend of the National Football League is upon us! Here is everything you need to know about the Pittsburgh Steelers taking on the New York Jets! The Three-Point Stance is presented by Gryffin the King!!
What: Pittsburgh Steelers 0-0 at New York Jets 0-0
Where: MetLife Stadium East Rutherford, New Jersey
When: 9/7/2025 1pmET Kickoff
Weather: Partly sunny with a 25% chance of rain. Winds to 6mph.
Surface: Synthetic Turf
Wagering Information: Steelers -3 O/U 38.5 (Mike Tomlin 32-40-2 as a road favorite)
Last Week: Season Opener for both teams
TV: CBS Ian Eagle (play-by-play), J.J. Watt (analysis), Evan Washburn (field reporter)
TV Coverage in Your Area (courtesy 506sports.com): Much of the nation will get this one.
Radio: Steelers Audio Network Rob King (play-by-play), Max Starks (analysis), Missi Matthews (field reporter) RIP Craig Wolfley
ESPN Radio: Steve Levy (play-by-play), Sal Paolantonio (analysis), Courtney Cronin (field reporter)
Head Official: Bill Vinovich. Entering his 17th season as a head official, Vinovich graduate from the University of San Diego and is a full-time CPA. He last worked a Steelers game in late December of last year which was a loss in Baltimore. His crew had just seven accepted penalties during this one.
Key Injuries/Game Status (courtesy steelers.com) PIT: No. 17 QB Skylar Thompson (Hamstring) – Questionable, No. 51 LB Nick Herbig (Hamstring) – Questionable, No. 99 DT Derrick Harmon (Knee) – Out NYJ: No. 75 G Alijah Vera-Tucker (Tricep) – Out, No. 79 OL Chukwuma Okorfaor (Hand) – Questionable, No. 67 OT Esa Pole (Ankle) – Out
Injury Notes: The Jets are suddenly in trouble on the O-Line with Vera-Tucker out and two offensive tackles banged up. For the Steelers, I don’t think you’ll see Herbig Sunday but I’ve been wrong before.
2024 Final NFL Ranks:
Total Offense: PIT 16th, NYJ 25th
Passing Offense: PIT 27th, 16th
Rushing Offense: PIT 11th, 31st
Total Defense: PIT 8th, NYJ 20th
Passing Defense: PIT 25th, NYJ 4th
Rushing Defense: PIT 6th, NYJ 16th
AFC North Standings:
Baltimore 0-0
Cleveland 0-0
Cincinnati 0-0
Pittsburgh 0-0
This Week in the AFC North: Cincinnati at Cleveland 1pmET, Baltimore at Buffalo 820pmET
What You Need to Know: T.J. Watt has double-digit sack totals in six of his eight seasons… Aaron Rodgers is sixth all-time in regular season victories (153)… Chris Boswell is 18 for 21 in career field goals with two minutes or less (OT and Postseason included) in his career… The Steelers are 48-39-5 all time in season opening games… They are 17-20-2 in openers on the road… This is the 10th time in 11 seasons that the Steelers will open on the road… It’s the first time since the 1970 merger that they’ve opened in New York against the Jets… The Steelers have 21 consecutive non-losing seasons.
Tomlin Time: Coach Tomlin has recorded 10 or more wins 11 times in his career… He is 11-6-1 in season opening games…
New York Jets Names to Know: QB Justin Fields, RB Breece Hall, WR Garrett Wilson, CB Sauce Gardner, PK Nick Folk, DL Harrison Phillips, OT Olu Fashanu, LB Jermaine Johnson
What’s at Stake: Simply put, a good start. Both teams could use a win to start their respective seasons and perhaps for different reasons. The Jets are likely looking up at the Bills so they’ll be battling Miami and New England for a potential wild-card. The Steelers meanwhile have both the Ravens and Bengals to deal with as they attempt to get that postseason win which has eluded them for a decade.
All-Time Series: Steelers lead 19-7 and lead all time in New York 10-5.
Last Meeting: October 2024 in Pittsburgh. Steelers 37 NYJ 15
Postseason History: Steelers lead 2-0
Steelers Game Highs vs NYJ:
PASSING: 380 yards Ben Roethlisberger 10/09/2016
RUSHING: 190 yards Barry Foster 09/13/1992
RECEIVING: 146 yards Jeff Graham 09/13/1992
SACKS: 2.0 Tim Johnson 10/30/1988
INTERCEPTIONS: 2 (Six times) Last: Beanie Bishop 10/20/2024
Check out the latest Steel City Blitz Steelers Podcast for more on the Steelers.
Three Things We Need to See for a Steelers’ Victory:
1. Stop the Run. You may be surprised to know that the Jets were near the bottom in running the ball last season. Don’t be fooled however because they will look to establish the run early and often. For starters, they want to see if the Steelers have actually addressed the issues that saw them surrender 299 yards on the ground to the Ravens. Secondly, they are breaking in a new quarterback – Justin Fields – who will require a solid running game in order to be more effective throwing the ball. Lastly, both Breece Hall and Braelon Allen are above average runners. If the Steelers can’t stop things early, then Fields becomes a bigger threat with arm and legs.
2. Turn Them Over. Last season, the Steelers were second in the NFL with a +16 turnover margin. The Jets were -2. When you’ve got an offense that has as many question marks as the Steelers do, then getting short fields and more possessions matters. When Justin Fields started six games to open 2024 for the Steelers, Arthur Smith devised gameplans to limit the potential for turnovers. For the most part, that plan worked. There’s no doubt the Jets’ will look to do the same thing early on. The good news is that the Steelers’ defense saw a lot what that looks like in practice. Therefore I expect some interceptions on Sunday.
3. Do the Little Things. Week one is often about reducing mistakes and hoping that your actual mistakes are fewer than your opponent. I have every expectation the Steelers’ offense will be rusty. Therefore, they can’t make things worse with pre-snap penalties, dumb or post-play penalties and they have to take care of the football. Put the burden on the Jets. Make plays on Special Teams and force them into the errors. Compounding rusty play with mental errors is a sure formula for losing.
The ‘X’ Factor: Each week I will select a player from each team who I believe will need to play above and beyond in order for his team to win.
X-Factor Steelers: Broderick Jones. As Training Camp and the Preseason went on, Jones started to look better and better. Now comes the real test. His run blocking doesn’t concern me at all. He will get off the ball and get after defenders. With a 41-year old QB behind him however, it’s his pass protection that comes under the microscope. If he struggles, it could be a very long day for Aaron Rodgers.
X-Factor Jets: Justin Fields. Low-hanging fruit? Maybe. The guy who started the opener for the Steelers last year starts the opener against them this season. We know what he is and what he can be. He can absolutely kill you with his running ability but you can’t let him beat you throwing the ball. If he can get on the edge and pick his targets consistently then the Steelers’ D is in for a long day.
Prediction: This will be a classic Mike Tomlin rock fight. Is that term thrown around too much? No, not when three out of every four games he coaches is like that. Look for the defense to make several big plays Sunday while the offense gets itself figured out. As long as the front contains the NYJ running game the Steelers should win this win.
Steelers 20 Jets 13
Season Prediction Record: 0-0
