Chris Boswell kicked a career-long 60-yard field goal with 1:03 remaining to give the Pittsburgh Steelers a wild 34-32 victory over the New York Jets in the season opener for both on Sunday afternoon at East Rutherford, N.J.
The franchise-record boot made for a winning Steelers debut for Aaron Rodgers, who passed for 244 yards and four touchdowns while playing against his former teammates. Rodgers completed 22 of 30 passes and has 507 career touchdown passes, one behind fourth-place Brett Favre on the all-time list.
Rodgers spent the past two seasons with the Jets, his first campaign ending on the fourth snap when he tore his right Achilles tendon.
“I love these guys, I love the organization, I love them taking the chance on bringing me in, and believing in me and giving me the opportunity,” Rodgers said of the Steelers in an on-field interview with CBS.
Pittsburgh’s Jalen Ramsey supplied the final blow by clobbering Jets receiver Garrett Wilson on fourth-and-3 to dislodge the ball with 18 seconds left. Rodgers knelt down once to end it.
Calvin Austin, Ben Skowronek, Jonnu Smith and Jaylen Warren each caught a touchdown pass for Pittsburgh.
Justin Fields rushed for two touchdowns and passed for one in his Jets debut. Fields completed 16 of 22 passes for 218 yards and added 48 on the ground.
Fields was with the Steelers last season before the Jets sought him out to be the starter under first-year coach Aaron Glenn.
Wilson caught seven passes for 95 yards and a touchdown, Braelon Allen rushed for a touchdown and Breece Hall had 145 scrimmage yards (107 rushing, 38 receiving) for New York.
The Jets led 26-17 after Fields scored on a 2-yard run with 3:46 left in the third quarter.
But Rodgers tossed two touchdowns in a 50-second span of the fourth quarter to put Pittsburgh ahead.
He hit Warren for a 5-yard touchdown on the first play of the period. New York’s Xavier Gipson fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Skowronek recovered at the Jets’ 22-yard line. Two plays later, Rodgers tossed an 18-yard touchdown pass to Austin for a 31-26 lead with 14:07 left.
New York regained the lead seven-plus minutes later when Fields scored on a fourth-down naked bootleg from the 1. The two-point conversion pass failed, leaving the Jets ahead by one.
The Steelers stalled on their winning drive ,but Boswell’s kick was sailing high as it split the uprights.
After Nick Folk kicked a 35-yard field goal on New York’s first drive, the Steelers answered with Rodgers’ 22-yard touchdown pass to Skowronek.
Fields responded with a 33-yard touchdown pass to Wilson. Folk missed the extra point but a Pittsburgh illegal formation penalty negated the miss. New York then failed on a two-point conversion run by Allen to lead 9-7 with 25 seconds to play in the opening quarter.
Boswell’s 56-yard field goal again put Pittsburgh up 10-9 early in the second quarter. But New York regained the advantage on Allen’s 8-yard run for a 16-10 lead with 10:03 left in the half and Folk tacked on a 51-yard field goal with 2:54 remaining.
Rodgers hit Smith from 3 yards out with 32 seconds left as Pittsburgh trailed 19-17 at halftime.