PITTSBURGH — Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets insist the season isn’t slipping away despite the recent addition of All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams.
Rodgers and Adams were reunited in New York after the Jets acquired the star wide receiver from Las Vegas earlier in the week. But, during their first game with the Jets, the two were unable to re-establish the on-field connection they had in Green Bay, as Pittsburgh used a big second half to rally for a 37-15 victory Sunday night.
“You can see the great synergy,” said interim coach Jeff Ulbrich. “You can see the relationship they had and the same page they were on. At the same time, it’s been a second since they played together. As we go forward, I imagine the relationship and production between those two is going to go up.”
New York played its second game with Ulbrich as the interim coach after Robert Saleh was fired on Oct. 8, but the Jets fell to 2-5 overall and were unable to avoid their first four-game losing streak since a five-game skid last season.
Rodgers completed 24 of 39 passes for 276 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Adams was targeted nine times, including the Jets’ first offensive play of the game, but only finished with three catches for 30 yards.
“I threw a wide one to him on the first one,” Rodgers said. “He kind of stumbled on a deep cross, but on that one, I felt like we were on the same page.”
Adams caught 615 passes from Rodgers for 7,517 yards and 68 touchdowns during eight seasons together in Green Bay. Adams sat out the Raiders’ previous three games with a hamstring injury that coincided with a trade request.
Adams, a three-time All-Pro, had 18 receptions for 209 yards and a touchdown with the Raiders this season. Adams has had 100 or more catches in five of his previous six seasons, including a career high 123 in 2021 with Rodgers in Green Bay.
“I wouldn’t say it’s rust,” Adams said. “We can continue to get on a better page. It’s just football. It doesn’t always work perfectly.”
The Jets opened a 15-6 lead thanks to touchdowns on two of their first five possessions. Breece Hall scored on a 13-yard run and Tyler Conklin caught a 1-yard play-action pass from Rodgers.
Pittsburgh scored 31 unanswered points after Conklin’s touchdown. Rodgers threw two game-changing interceptions to Beanie Bishop, New York punted, Pittsburgh blocked a field goal and the Jets turned the ball over on downs on their next five series. Hall had 114 yards from scrimmage in the first half, but was limited to just 27 yards the rest of the way.
After the game, Rodgers lamented his first interception to Bishop.
“It was a bad throw,” Rodgers said. “For whatever reason, it just changed the entire energy of the game.”
Star pass rusher Haason Reddick ended his long holdout with the Jets and will report to the team on Monday. He has not played this season while in a contract dispute with the Jets, who acquired him from Philadelphia in March to boost their pass rush.
New York boasted the No. 2-ranked defense entering Sunday’s game, but managed just one sack, as Russell Wilson and the Steelers piled on 409 yards of total offense and a season-high 37 points, the first time since 2020 Pittsburgh scored at least 30 points in consecutive games.
Reddick, a two-time Pro Bowler, has 58 sacks in seven NFL seasons, but he returns to a team that is reeling after another loss.
“Everything is still right in front of us,” Rodgers said. “We have to somehow keep the belief in the locker room and start a run. We can’t win 10 in a row unless we win the first one.”
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