New York Jets vs Pittsburgh Steelers Prediction & Picks - NFL

Prediction published on 9/7/25, 9:59 AM  by Lou Aguila | Modified on 1/16/26 at 5:05 AM in NFL Picks

Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers kick off their 2025 NFL season against the New York Jets on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

The Jets will march into their home field, taking on their former quarterback as the underdogs at +122.

Current Form:

The Steelers usher in a new era with 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers becoming the new engine of their offense. Pittsburgh won 2 of its 3 preseason games without using its aging quarterback in any snaps. In an interview before their Steelers’ preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers, head coach Mike Tomlin expressed his confidence that Rodgers will be ready to play on opening day despite skipping the preseason matches. Tomlin stressed that Rodgers doesn’t need to be treated the same way as other quarterbacks, adding he’s comfortable with what he has seen from Rodgers during training camp. The Steelers’ defense is expected to be really good again this year. Even without former defensive player of the year TJ Watt, the Steelers’ D hounded the Panthers to 10 points and surrendered only 84 passing yards in the preseason finale.

The Jets will be starting Justin Fields at quarterback in Week 1. Fields, who is the Steelers’ Week 1 quarterback last season, was running with the ball than passing it in the two preseason games he played. According to Jets head coach Aaron Glen, he’s not concerned with Fields not passing the ball much in the offseason, adding his quarterback just did what he’s being asked to do. There was a significant hype surrounding New York’s offensive line at the start of training camp. However, the level of optimism around the Jets’ pass protection this year has dashed away following the injury to Alijah Vera-Tucker. The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported that Vera-Tucker could miss a significant amount of time due to a triceps injury. This development has further compounded the Jets’ injury woes that gutted out what should have been a vaunted offensive line, as reports from last week confirmed John Simpson was also dealing with an injury.