Stillers 34, Jest 32...... Sep 7, 2025 …………Game # 1
Stillers-Jest Postgame Analysis and Grades
The Stillers opened the ’25 campaign on the road against the NY Jest. PIT won the toss and deferred. In a see-saw 1st half, the Jets led at halftime, 19-17. It was 26-17 Jest at the end of 3, but the Stillers had a 1st & goal at the NY 5 to start the 4Q. The Jest took a 4Q lead, but Boswell nailed a 60-yard to win the game.
Grades:
QB: Rodgers got the start, his first ever as a Stiller.
Good 3d & 10 strike to Fryboy, first series, 11 yards.
DOG penalty, 3d & 2, first drive of 2H. Pretty foolish for a veteran QB.
Should have thrown away the screen pass, which lost 5 yards, 6:40 4Q. There were 2 defenders within 3 feet of Gainwell when this screen pass was thrown.
Overall, Rodgers had a good day, with 4 TDs and putting 34 points on the board. On the downside, he looked slower than Neil O’Donnell in the pocket, and was sacked 4 times. Dude will never survive a 17-game season at this rate. A-
RB:
Warren – good 9 yard run to start off the 2H. 17 yard gain on a valve dump, late 3Q. Grabbed a WIDE open pass to start the 4Q and score a TD. What was odd, is that he was mostly neglected in the 1H by King Arthur. Finished with 11 rushes for 27 and 2 grabs for 22. Not nearly enough. B-
Kaleb J. – ran a toss sweep for a 2 yard loss, although NY was flagged for a late hit. Lone carry of the game. Inc.
Gainwell – foolishly bounced wide on a run, early 2Q, and lost a yard. Took a big hit and fumbled, late 2Q, but recovered. Had 7 rushes for 19 yards, which ain’t nowhere near good enough, and 3 grabs for 4 yards, which is atrocious. C+
FB: rarely if ever used.
WR:
Metcalf – drop, on easy, short crossing route. Good RAC, next play, for about 16 yards. Clever cut and big RAC on WR screen, last play of 1Q, good for 31 yards. Had 4 grabs for 83, including 11 yards on a bizarre pinball lay in which the ball hit him, then 2 defenders, then a Steeler, and then back into his hands. A
Austin – was left completely uncovered, late 2Q, for a long gainer of 30. Grabbed a ball in tight coverage, late 2Q, for 21 yards. Was smothered by Carter, who dropped the INT, 11:23 3Q. Grabbed an 18-yard TD pass off PAP, 4Q. Drew a PI flag, 2:42 4Q. Was clumsily unable to haul in the 3d & 11 lob….not nearly physical enough to win the joust. There’s be loads of fawning over PeePee after this game, of course. And most of it unwarranted. B
Wilson – nowhere to be found.
Skowronek – grabbed a 22-yard TD pass, 1Q, off a PAP in which he was WIDE open.
Scott Miller – thankfully wasn’t used at WR.
TE:
Pat FryBoy – Had 3 grabs. Fairly quiet.
Jonnu Smith – screen, 1Q, 6 yards. Solid 2-yard TD run on an end around/shovel pass, late 2Q. Had 5 grabs for 15 yards, which (check my math) comes out to 3 yards per catch. Not overly impressed thus far. B-
Darnell – Never used in the passing game.
Con Heyward – rarely used on O.
OL: Overall, the line (Jones, Seumalo, Frazier McCormick, Fautanu) had a horribly subpar game.
Jones got bulled and walked back to the QB for the 2Q sack. Fautanu -- supposedly the 2nd coming of Anthony Munoz -- got humiliated on a spin move rush (early 3Q) that forced the throwaway and a punt.
Jones got completely abused on an inside rush for a sack, 10:30 3Q.
The run blocking was awful in the 1H and only mediocre in the 2H. This overall ain’t nowhere near good enough. D
DL:
Heyward – finished the 1st half with (hold your laughter, please) one tackle – an ASSIST ! – while doing jak fuq.
Got injured and walked off, mid 4Q. Got a solo on a 2 yard plunge, 4:40 4Q. Somehow got credited with 3 solos, in a mouse quiet game in which Big Scam got bullied and mauled on nearly every play as NY gained most of their 182 rushing yard running RIGHT AT the Big Scammer.. And to think, this fat PoS did a sit in to demand more money…..? What tripe. F+
Benton – Had 1 solo and did very, very little. C+
Ekuale – played here and there; did little.
Lowdermilk – got starting-type snaps due to the Harmon injury, and did jak nothing. Was literally held off the scoresheet. WHY on earth was this stiff even retained? D-
YaYa Black – Finished with 0 solos, 2 measly assists, and zero impact. Not too good for a guy who was fawned over the entire preseason as being the next Reggie White, but better. C-
LB:
Queen – decent tackle of Hall on quick swing pass, 2d series. That’s about it. Had 5 solos in a quiet effort in which he did very, very little, and the foe rushed for 182 yards. C-
Pay Wilson – Poor angle and weak fight of block on a long flare RAC (33 yards), ~11:00 2Q. A real softee play by Wilson. Finished with 3 solos, which is nowhere near good enough for a guy getting starting reps. His small frame and subpar ability to shed blocks was glaring in this game. C-
Watt – Combo’s with Lowsmith on a run stop, 1st drive. Next play, dropped RB for a 2 yard loss. Batted a flare pass, 2Q. Crushed the QB after a fake HO to the RB on a zone read, 6:13 2Q. Caused 4 yard loss on running play, 13:00 4Q. Got fooled on the Fields’ keeper for a TD, 4Q. B
Highsmith – 1st 2 plays of game, NY ran right at Alex, for 17 and 7 yards. Finally, on play #3, Alex made a solo on a 2 yard gain. Got an assist with Watt on a 1-yard run later in the drive.
Got pressure while SOLO blocked by Tyler Johnson (a wide receiver), 2d series. Got an assist at 8:30 3Q, when he came in UNTOUCHED and nabbed the ballcarrier along with Watt. Two plays later, Hall had a 16 yard run, in which Big Alex turned his back to the blocker and Hall had a huge hole. Then, next play, 17 yard run UP THE ALLEY (the left tackle alley) while Big Alex got mauled.
Got an assist on a run, 1st and goal at the 5, 4Q. Next play, came in untouched for a sack. (The LT set up way too wide – almost near the sideline, fer chrissakes -- and then never even put a hand on Lowsmith.)
Was completely UNBLOCKED on the late 3d & 3, and as usual, WHIFFED on Fields. Luckily, Clark came in to apply the stop.
On paper, Fraudsmith looks like he had a “big game”, with 5 solos and a sack. In reality, the Jets ran at him AT WILL en route to 182 total rushing yards, and Big Alex’s pass pressure was rare and meager. D+
Herbig – did not dress, due to a muscle injury.
Malik Harrison – got nicked up in the 2H.
Sawyer - Go look at Big Jack Sawyer on that Fields' TD run, 3Q. Big Jack was completely unblocked and yet was completely unable to stop Fields from dragging him for a TD. Wasn't Big Jack supposed to be the 2nd coming of Junior Seau??
DB
Joey Porter Jr. - had cramps or a pull of some sort, 4Q.
Slay – whiffed on Hall in backfield, 2d series, turning a 3 yard loss into a 2 yard gain. Then, a few plays later, got torched & humiliated on a long TD pass. There was a REASON no one else in the NFL wanted this stiff.
Thornhill – chipped in adequately.
DeShon Elliot – nicked up his knee, mid 2Q. Was lost for the game.
Chuck Clark – replaced Elliot. Played okay, although he wasn’t facing Danny Marino and the Marks of Excellence.
Jalen Ramsey – flagged for a “low block” on a 3d & 1 run by Fields that gained 4 and set up a 1st and goal. I get the safety intent but this seems to be over-officiated. Busted up late game 2nd down pass. Then jarred ball loose on the game’s final play. A
Echols – saved a TD with a solid stop of Fields near the pylon on a 3d down & goal scramble, 4Q.
Spec teams:
Waitman – punted so so. Had a couple mediocre punts. B-
Boswell – dude was money, as usual. Hit a FG from 56 and then won the game with a 60-yarder. A+
Shoddy KO coverage, returned to the NY 45, 1Q. Kaleb fumbled a KO return but his teammate recovered it, 1Q.
Brilliantly needless 15-yard penalty by Big Connor Heyward, negating golden FP after the Jets 1st punt, 3Q. (moved ball from PIT 38 to PIT 23.)
19 yard punt return allowed, 9:00 3Q. Gainwell got a FF on KO coverage, early 4Q, and Skow recovered it at the NY 23.
OC: Art Smith had a decent day at the office.
Solid opening march for a TD. 2nd drive – FG drive, sparked by 31 yard WR screen by Metcalf.
I despised the late-game playcalling that “set up” the GW FG. 1st down – a 1 step hitch to Austin (gained a measly yard), and then a TE screen to Jonnu that lost 2 or 3. Instead of shrinking the Boswell attempt to perhaps 54 yards, King Arthur ADDED onto it with his usual imbecility. He gets some points on his grade for the O putting up 34 points. B
DC: Teryl Austin had the easy task today, facing a Jets O-line using a rookie RT and a backup RG. Ha ! So much for that, as Austin and his vaunted defense got bullied around like a jayvee squad facing a 6A varsity team.
Jets marched easy as pie, opening march, for a FG. 2nd series…NY marched, easy as pie, for a TD (Slay abused on long-ish TD pass.) 3rd drive 68 yard TD march. 3 drives = 2 TDs and a FG. 4th drive – FG ! 4 drives = 2 TDs, 2 FGs.
The 1st NY punt wasn’t forced until 11:43 3Q.
NY marched 68 yards in 8 plays to score a TD to go up 26-17, 3:46 3Q. NY went ahead in the 4Q with a 12-play, 67 yard TD march.
The entire game was a bag o’ barf from Austin and his merry crew. F-
HC: Mike Asslin will be all proud after this game, even though they eked out the thinnest of wins against a marginal, drab, sub-par foe like the NY Jest. The team looked sloppy, ill-prepared, and half disinterested during huge swaths of the game. Add in poor discipline, awful technique, and a Softee Defense…..a tremendous day for Michael Stoogelin. D-
Synopsis: Yeah, sure, a win is a win. “They all count the same.” Sure. I won’t fawn over the ballclub after such a grisly, shoddy effort as today. Yes, the offense looked competent and did its job, albeit rushing for 50 yards and allowing the QB to get punished isn’t a recipe for long-term success. The defense sucked well water, and repeated efforts like this won’t bode well against the better offenses on the schedule. Up next, the Stillers host the Seahags.
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