Going into this game, many saw the Steelers as the underdogs as they played host to the New York Jets. The away club acquired Davante Adams in a trade, and Pittsburgh was turning to Russell Wilson as their starter. He had to knock off some rust after missing the first six weeks of the regular season and most of the preseason. It was a big moment for the black and gold to make a statement.
Luckily for fans of the home team in the Week 7 contest, the Steelers were more than up to the task. The first half didn't always look pretty, but Pittsburgh was able to come alive in the second half. New York still looked discombobulated and Aaron Rodgers looks every bit his age. It feels much better seeing the black and gold at a 5-2 record rather than barely hanging onto relevance at 4-3.
Steelers offense report card grade: A
Many wondered if Mike Tomlin was making the right decision by going with Wilson at quarterback, but it turns out, he was right. We will see how things go from week to week, but Wilson commanded the Steelers offense. It seemed like he had to knock off some rust in the first half, but he put up great numbers and helped lead Pittsburgh's offense to one of their most successful games in years.
Najee Harris just looks different out there these past couple of weeks. He has shown great vision and power during his runs. The offensive line was terrible in the first half, but they dominated coming out of halftime. George Pickens was the star of the show as he proved he could handle jump balls down the field. Even Van Jefferson didn't seem like a traffic cone out there, which shows the offense was humming.
Steelers defense report card grade: A
Even though they might have still shown signs of weakness throughout the game, it would be mostly classified as "nitpicky". At the end of the day, the Steeler's defense held a Jets offense with plenty of weapons to 15 points. That is a great achievement. They continued their trend of causing turnovers as Beanie Bishop was challenged throughout the game and contributed two interceptions.
Rodgers still produced some quality numbers in terms of yardage, but Pittsburgh's defense was able to bend and not break when it mattered most. They gave their team a chance to stay in this game, especially in the first half. Rodgers normally has the Steelers number when you look at his prior games in his career, but the Steelers were up to the challenge this time around.
Steelers special teams report card grade: A
Not much to write home about when it comes to the Steeler's return game against the Jets, but they had a good game as a special team's unit. Their field goal-blocking team had a terrific game. They had an extra point blocked, but that was called back due to a questionable penalty. They followed that up by blocking a New York field goal attempt. That block was a big point in the game.
Chris Boswell remains Mr. Consistent every week for the black and gold. He nailed all three of his field goal attempts. Don't take Boswell's performance for granted, he remains one of the best kickers in the NFL. Corliss Waitman did some good things. His punt average isn't astronomical, but he remains consistent in booting the ball down the field with no mistakes made yet.