PITTSBURGH (AP) 鈥� Geno Smith’s left ankle appears to be just fine. So much so that a one-drive cameo is all the New York Jets quarterback might need to get ready for the regular season.
The veteran quarterback, reunited with the team that drafted him back in 2013, completed all seven of his passes for 65 yards, the last 13 coming on a flip to tight end Jelani Woods for a touchdown in what became a 17-0 exhibition victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Friday night.
Smith, who sat out New York’s preseason opener to give his aching ankle a break, showed a little mobility when rushed and needed just 10 plays to take the Jets (1-1) 69 yards on their opening possession.
鈥淚t felt good to be out there with the guys,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淥bviously we got one drive in, but we scored a touchdown. You always want to start fast, and so that was a good thing. Definitely a lot of room for improvement.鈥�
Asked what those things might be, Smith demurred.
鈥淚’ll keep that to myself,鈥� said Smith, who played for the Jets from 2013 to 2016 and was acquired from Las Vegas in March.
New York coach Aaron Glenn was a little more expansive, pointing to a running game that managed just 62 yards, 16 of them coming on a scramble by rookie quarterback Cade Klubnik.
鈥淚 know (the Steelers), they pride themselves on stopping the run, but that鈥檚 not a pass for us,鈥� Glenn said. 鈥淏ut we got to get better in that aspect, and we will.鈥�
Klubnik, battling to be Smith’s backup when the season opens, completed 10 of 15 passes for 75 yards. Bailey Zappe threw for 68 yards and Brady Cook’s one completion was a 31-yard lob that Quincy Skinner cradled for a late touchdown.
The Jets defense produced pressure and turnovers
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 (1-1) driving in New York territory. Andre Cisco stepped in front of a poor pass by Howard intended for Roman Wilson and raced 23 yards the other way. Samuel Womack made a nice grab on a ball again intended for Wilson on Pittsburgh’s next drive.
Glenn deflected when asked about feeling any sense of relief seeing a couple of passes end up in the hands of players in green and white.
鈥淢an, there鈥檚 so much noise on the outside that it鈥檚 really good to see our guys just focus on the now,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd they鈥檙e trained to do that, and it鈥檚 hard sometimes, but I鈥檓 really proud of how our guys respond to that and continue to work.鈥�
Young Steelers QBs come back to earth after hot debuts
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 performances 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.
鈥淲e can鈥檛 let this trip us up going forward,” Howard said. “We have to continue to make strides. And we didn鈥檛 really make any strides tonight.鈥�
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 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.
Jets newcomer Nate Lynn shines with a pair of sacks
It didn’t help either quarterback that the protection in front of them was shaky most of the night. The Steelers allowed four sacks, including two to recently signed edge rusher Nate Lynn, who spent 2024 with the Detroit when Glenn was serving as the club’s defensive coordinator.
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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