PITTSBURGH (AP) — Geno Smith capped a perfect one-series cameo by throwing for a touchdown and the New York Jets picked off a pair of passes in a 17-0 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Friday night.
Smith, who sat out New York’s preseason opener with a sore left ankle, started and drove the Jets 69 yards to the end zone, the last 13 coming on a flip to a wide-open Jelani Woods. Smith, who played for the Jets from 2013 to 2016 and was acquired from Las Vegas in March, went 7 for 7 for 65 yards on the drive in what will likely be the 13-year veteran’s lone exhibition appearance.
New York’s defense, a major weakness during a 3-14 slog in 2025, kept young Pittsburgh quarterbacks Will Howard and Drew Allar in check. Jets rookie edge rusher David Bailey, the second overall pick in this year’s draft, dropped Howard for an 11-yard loss in the first quarter.
Perhaps even more promising for New York, the defense also found a way to catch the ball, something that didn’t happen at all during the regular season a year ago when the Jets became the first team since the NFL started tracking the statistic in 1933 to go an entire year without a single pick.
New York intercepted Howard twice in the first half with the Steelers driving in New York territory.
Andre Cisco stepped in front of a poor Howard pass intended for Roman Wilson and raced 23 yards the other way. Samuel Womack made a nice grab on a ball again intended for Wilson with the Steelers in New York territory.
Howard and Allar, given the entirety of the workload while starter Aaron Rodgers and longtime backup Mason Rudolph took the night off, failed to reproduce the fireworks that marked their impressive debuts a week ago.
The duo who combined to lead four touchdown drives against the Packers failed to reach the end zone even once against the Jets.
Howard got the start and completed 10 of 15 passes for 75 yards, his most impressive moment coming on a 15-yard third-down connection with Ben Skowronek in which he stepped up in the pocket to avoid pressure before finding Skowronek over the middle.
That moment, however, was overshadowed by a pair of throws that ended up in the hands of the Jets on a night the former sixth-round pick looked very much like the project that he is.
Allar, taken in the third round this year, avoided turning the ball over but wasn’t quite as electrifying as he was last week. His best moment came on a 39-yard connection with tight end Lake McCree in which Allar went through his progressions before floating the ball to an open McCree down the sideline. Allar finished 11 of 23 for 110 yards.
Rookie Cade Klubnik, competing for the No. 2 job behind Smith, didn’t lead the Jets to the end zone, but he did pass for 75 yards while hitting on 10 of 14 pass attempts. Klubnik also scrambled 16 yards for a first down, the longest running play of the night by either team.
Injuries
Jets cornerback Tre Brown was helped off the field in the second quarter, but he returned.
Up next
Jets: Host MetLife Stadium roommates the New York Giants on Aug. 28.
Steelers: Travel to Buffalo on Aug. 27.
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