By Betty Cantley
East Rutherford, NJ— In one of the most highly anticipated team debuts in recent memory, Aaron Rodgers helped lead his new team, the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 34-32 win over his old one, the New York Jets.
Rodgers, a four-time NFL MVP and a Super Bowl champion with the Green Bay Packers, spent two rather forgettable seasons in New York, before signing with the Black and Gold this past offseason-season.
The game was a significant one for several reasons:
• Rodgers, in his debut for the Steelers, threw four touchdown passes. His fourth touchdown pass, to Calvin Austin III, gave the Steelers the lead for good.
• A truly wild back-and-forth affair, the Jets, led by former Steelers quarterback Justin Fields, held a lead for most of the game, including a 19-17 advantage at halftime and a 26-17 lead in the third quarter.
• In what was a clutch performance, the Steelers sealed the win with a 60-yard field goal by Chris Boswell, with just over a minute left to play, a career-long kick for him.
• Today’s game was a physical one, with several key players leaving with injuries, including Steelers defensive stars T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward.
PHOTO: AP