Jets Lead Steelers 7-0 in NFL Preseason Week 2 as Geno Smith Goes Perfect; Rodgers and Rudolph Rest

On Friday, August 21, 2026, the New York Jets took a 7-0 lead over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium in NFL Preseason Week 2, a nationally televised matchup on NFL Network that centered on Pittsburgh’s backup quarterback evaluation while Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph watched from the sideline. Geno Smith went 7-for-7 for 65 yards and a touchdown on his lone drive — a 13-yard strike to Jelani Woods — while Will Howard threw two interceptions before Drew Allar took over in the third quarter.

Kickoff was 7:00 p.m. ET. The Steelers entered at 1-0 after beating Green Bay in Week 1, while the Jets were 0-1 following a 24-16 loss to Tampa Bay. Pittsburgh’s previous meeting with New York ended 34-32 in the Steelers’ favor during the 2025 regular season.

Editor’s note: This article draws on game data and reporting from AP News, ESPN, CBS Sports, NFL.com, Steelers.com, and Yahoo Sports, August 19–21, 2026.

Game at a glance

Detail	Information
Date	Friday, August 21, 2026
Venue	Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Week	NFL Preseason Week 2
Kickoff	7:00 p.m. ET
National TV	NFL Network
Score through early 3rd quarter	Jets 7, Steelers 0
Quarter lines	NYJ 7-0-0, PIT 0-0-0

How the scoring unfolded

Smith opened the night with the only touchdown of the game through the early third quarter. The Jets marched 69 yards in 10 plays over 5:51, mixing short completions with a 21-yard connection to Adonai Mitchell and a 10-yard throw to Garrett Wilson before Smith found Jelani Woods from 13 yards out at 9:13 of the first quarter. Jason Sanders added the extra point for a 7-0 Jets lead at 9:04.

Pittsburgh moved the ball at times but could not finish drives. Will Howard reached the New York 14-yard line in the second quarter before A. Cisco intercepted a pass intended for Roman Wilson at the Jets 8 and returned it to the 31. Later in the half, Howard drove to the Jets 37 before S. Womack picked off another Wilson target at the Jets 23.

New York’s Chase York missed a 59-yard field goal wide right as time expired in the second quarter — the Jets’ only scoring chance after Smith left the game.

Scoring summary

Quarter	Play	Score
1st	Jelani Woods 13-yard pass from Geno Smith (NYJ)	NYJ 7, PIT 0

Rodgers and Rudolph sit; Howard and Allar get the snaps

The quarterback rotation dominated the pregame conversation and played out as Mike McCarthy promised.

Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph did not take the field. McCarthy told reporters on August 19 that he had seen enough from Rudolph in the Week 1 win over Green Bay and wanted to give Will Howard and Drew Allar as many snaps as possible against New York.

“We’re going to play the two young guys for the Jets game,” McCarthy said, via Steelers.com and AP News. “Will Howard will go first.”

Howard, who did not play at all in 2025 after injuring his hand in training camp, started and moved Pittsburgh’s offense through the air — Ben Skowronek caught a 16-yard strike and Robert Tonyan added a 12-yard gain in the second quarter. But the two interceptions and a sack by Danielle Hunter stalled momentum, and Howard finished the early going 10-of-15 for 74 yards with no touchdowns.

Allar entered in the third quarter and directed a drive that reached the Jets 49 before turning the ball over on downs. The rookie third-round pick went 2-of-3 for 11 yards through the early third, with Kaleb Johnson and Jaylen Warren handling most of the ground work behind him.

Rodgers, in his stated final NFL season, has skipped preseason snaps before and told reporters earlier in August that exhibition games are “not real football.” McCarthy’s decision to rest both veterans kept the focus squarely on the young quarterbacks competing for what may be one remaining roster spot behind Rodgers.

Smith’s perfect opening drive

For the Jets, Geno Smith made his preseason debut in his return to the franchise that drafted him in 2013. Smith completed all seven of his passes to six different receivers — including a deflection caught by left guard Dylan Parham — and distributed the ball to Mason Taylor, Breece Allen, Wilson, Mitchell, and Woods before handing off to rookie Cade Klubnik.

Smith was traded from Las Vegas to New York in the offseason along with a 2026 seventh-round pick in exchange for a sixth-round pick. He went 2-13 as the Raiders’ starter in 2025, throwing for 3,025 yards with 19 touchdowns and a league-high 17 interceptions, but his opening series against Pittsburgh was clean and efficient.

Klubnik, who surprised with a start in the Week 1 opener when Smith sat with a sore ankle, took over on the Jets’ second possession. He went 8-of-12 for 65 yards through the early third quarter while Kene Nwangwu handled early rushing duties. New York’s offense stalled in the red zone after Smith’s departure — the missed 59-yard field goal was their best chance to extend the lead.

Team stats and defensive standouts

Through the early third quarter, the Jets held a yardage edge despite fewer total plays:

Stat	Jets (NYJ)	Steelers (PIT)
Total net yards	156	134
Net passing yards	125	74
Net rushing yards	31	60
Turnovers	0	2 (both INT)
Penalties	3 for 27 yards	1 for 10 yards
Red zone	1-for-1	0-for-1

Pittsburgh’s defense, featuring Patrick Queen, T.J. Watt, and Joey Porter Jr. in limited action, held after the opening Jets touchdown. New York’s secondary capitalized on Howard’s mistakes — Cisco and Womack each recorded an interception, and the Jets’ pass rush generated pressure that disrupted red-zone chances.

On the ground, Ronald Dowdle, Kaleb Johnson, and Jaylen Warren combined for 60 rushing yards on 17 carries for Pittsburgh, but none broke a long run that shifted the game’s balance.

What comes next

Preseason scores do not carry into September, but Friday night offered both franchises a clear evaluation window.

For the Steelers, Howard’s two interceptions against a Jets defense that had struggled in Week 1 will draw internal review — even as McCarthy praised Rudolph’s command of the offense and signaled comfort keeping Rodgers’ veteran backup off the field. Allar’s mobility showed on a third-quarter scramble, but the rookie still has work to do in a crowded quarterback room that may or may not carry four signal-callers when rosters trim to 53.

For the Jets, Smith’s flawless opening drive was the headline, but Klubnik’s uneven follow-up and the missed long field goal reminded Aaron Glenn that depth behind the starter remains a work in progress. Glenn had said earlier in the week that “everybody’s playing” in exhibition games; Friday delivered reps for both Smith and the rookie who started the opener.

Pittsburgh and New York continue Preseason Week 3 action before roster cuts accelerate at the end of August. Rodgers’ availability for any remaining exhibition snaps remains a week-to-week conversation; Friday established that McCarthy is willing to keep his starting quarterback on the sideline even on a nationally televised home game.

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Discussion

Friday at Acrisure Stadium was about backup quarterback auditions — not a Rodgers revenge narrative against his former division rival.

1. Will Howard threw two interceptions while Drew Allar showed mobility in relief. After Rudolph’s strong Week 1 and Rodgers’ stated plan to skip preseason snaps, does either young quarterback look like a clear No. 3 — or is Pittsburgh’s four-QB roster debate still wide open?

McCarthy said he saw enough from Rudolph to sit him Friday; Howard and Allar still have to prove they belong on the 53.

2. Geno Smith went 7-for-7 with a touchdown on one drive, then Cade Klubnik took over and the Jets stalled. Does Smith’s efficient series settle the Jets’ starter question for September — or does Klubnik’s preseason usage still matter for the No. 2 job?

Share your read on whether the Steelers’ interception problems or the Jets’ opening-drive polish told you more about each team’s regular-season outlook.

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