It was a back-and-forth game for the 2025 Pittsburgh Steelers debut. It was expected that this would be a typical slug-fest for Pittsburgh, a 20-14 win (or something of the sort). But that wasn't the case at all.
Instead, we were treated to a high-flying affair filled with points and offense. This yielded some surprising winners and some shocking losers.
The Steelers didn’t play as well as many expected them to. A win is a win, but if week one showed anything to this franchise, it is that there is a long way to go for this team. Here are the three winners and three losers from the week one victory over the Jets.
Pittsburgh Steelers winners and losers from Week shootout win over the New York Jets
Winner: Calvin Austin
No one was sure who would be the Steelers' second receiver this year. After just one game, the Steelers may have found their answer early, as Calvin Austin looked electric despite missing most of the preseason with an injury.
Not only was Austin a deep threat, but he did well with the ball in his hands after the catch. He had some instant chemistry with Rodgers, and he could finally answer the question as to who will be the second receiver counted on this year.
Loser: Broderick Jones
It is a make-or-break season for the former first-round pick for the Steelers. If the Jets game was any indication, it looks like this may be a lost cause. Jones was horrible this week, as he yielded constant pressure and gave up multiple sacks.
For a player who needed to get off to a hot start, this first game was nothing short of a disaster. Jones looked out of place, and unsurprisingly, the move back to the left side wasn’t a cure-all. Left tackle may become one of the largest needs for the team next year.
Winner: Aaron Rodgers
No, things weren’t perfect, but Aaron Rodgers played extremely well, all things considered. He looked composed in the pocket, even though he was facing constant pressure and kept the team moving despite not having a competent run game.
The rest of this team needs to catch up to the veteran. He looked ready to play this week, even if the rest of the team struggled to keep up.
READ MORE: Nobody saw Steelers and Jets turning into this kind of shootout
Loser: Kaleb Johnson
It was an uninspiring day for the third-round pick. Many fans had hyped Kaleb Johnson as the next big thing. I was more skeptical of his role given the recent track record of rookie backs taken in that range, but even I thought he would have more of a role than this.
He saw one carry that went for negative yards. All of this despite the run game struggling and Kenneth Gainwell seeing a lot of snaps ahead of him. A role may materialize this year, but Johnson has to earn that, and it may be a while before we see it.
Winner: Jaylen Warren
No, it wasn’t the prettiest outing for Jaylen Warren, but every yard he earned was a hard one. The offensive line failed to open many holes in the run game, but he kept his nose to the ground and produced.
He did find paydirt, helping his cause overall. No, it wasn’t flashy or sexy, but Warren did exactly what you just paid him for. He did the most with the little he got.
Loser: Steelers identities for the season
It was a simple goal for the Steelers this offseason: they wanted to be a good rushing team and stop the run on defense after getting embarrassed by the Ravens. The results this week? Not nearly good enough.
The Steelers' offensive line was a wreck this week. While Jones has already been highlighted, the entire line was bad against the run. On defense, the Jets consistently found lanes with both their running backs and quarterback.
So much time and attention were put into being a physical team dominating in the trenches. They failed to do that in the first week of the season.